Cleeking

[AdenPenn]

My room mate just dropped a few *old* Crochet World magazines in my lap. In one of them they talk about something called Cleeking. Has anyone heard of this? Apparently it is a form of crocheting/knitting done years and years ago in Scotland.

 

They show a picture of the tool, and even tell you how to make one, as well as give you a doll blanket pattern. It looks very interesting. If anyone is interesting I could try to type up the information for you. I might give it a try, just to do a little "old world" style. Maybe there is a Cleek-A-Long in our future.

[grrlsmom]

I think I got the same old mag last year! The term rings a bell, but I don't remember much about it.

[grrlsmom]

Just for fun, I googled cleeking and this is just ONE of the weird things that came up:

 

Please Help me wake them up by Cleeking on them Please Help me wake them up by Cleeking on them Please Help me wake them up by Cleeking on them Please Help ...

 

LOL

[PoisonApple]

That sounds interesting. I don't know if it violates any copywright laws. But I would love to learn a bit about it. I am all about bringing an old craft back to life. *runs back and eyes the drop spindles lustly*

[JoAnn]

Cleeking?? What year is the Crochet World? I have a lot of older ones.

[AdenPenn]

Cleeking?? What year is the Crochet World? I have a lot of older ones.

 

It is the Crochet World Omnibook from the fall of 1981. It has a crocheted cornucopia on the cover.

[Aggie May]

Here is a definition I found when I Googled Cleeking.

 

 

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Cleek \Cleek\, v. t. [pret. Claught; pret. & p. p. Cleeked; p. pr. & vb. n. Cleeking.] [ME. cleken, clechen, to seize, clutch; perh. akin to E. clutch.] [scot & Dial. Eng.] 1. To seize; clutch; snatch; catch; pluck. 2. To catch or draw out with a cleek, as a fish; to hook. 3. To hook or link (together); hence, to marry. --Scott.

 

It could just be a Scottish name for Crochet.Very interesting. We can all learn something new every day.Have fun.Colleen:hug

[Solitaire]

My best friend is married to a Scotsman .. I will ask him if he's ever heard of cleeking when I talk to them tomorrow. I'll let everyone know what I find out.

[unicorn37757]

Sounds interesting, I would like to know what this technique was too:think

[Ladycrochat]

AHHHH! A CROCHET MYSTERY........How interesting! Just to confuse the matter further; it also has something to do with golfing.

[Tracey4610]

Aha!! I found something, but you kinda have to translate it from the Scottish dialect...

cleeking

 

I also looked up "crochet" on wikipedia, and here's the American translation of the previous article:

surprise!

 

 

[Ladycrochat]

:rofl So cleeking just seems to be Scottish for crocheting???!!!??? And here I thought it was some fantastic new technique to learn! lol! Great searching Tracey! Aggie May you figured it out first:idea! Now what is funny is if you back to the beginning of the thread and see how interested we all were in finding out about this "mysterious old world craft "we all wanted to learn!!!!! Well this has certainly been my giggle for the day! Have fun cleeking here in cleekville everyone!!!

[darski]

Don't we get some brownie points for willingness?

[Adreeyen]

Well the "cleek" page did say it was for making double-sided crochet pieces. Maybe it's slightly different?

[darski]

I think that was about the Cro-hook patterns.

[PoisonApple]

awwwwwwwww and here I was ready to rally everyone around this new thing call cleeking. LOL

[darski]

And the "Ville could have led the pack again... Too Bad!

[grrlsmom]

Aww, when you read that cleeking article in the Scot dialect, can't you just HEAR it being said? 'Aye, cleeking, mon, CLEEKING!'

[Tracey4610]

Okay, okay, okay!! I re-read it, and turns out, my ggm made my parents a huge afghan in blues as a wedding gift via cleeking. Let me see if I can describe it correctly (believe it or not, I had tried to figure it out for years, and suddenly it had cleeked last year [pun intended--groan], but didn't know what to call it!!). It's kinda like working in rounds, but on a flat surface.

 

With Color A, Make your foundation ch as long as you want it.

Row1: Using just one loop, work the stitch you prefer (at first, let's not do pattern stitches because I haven't figured those out yet [i.e., shells]) to the end of the row. Picking up Color B, attach to the beginning of the Row in a different loop of the foundation ch. Work your sts across, bringing the final loop through the front loop of CA (meaning the side facing you)--it may even help to work with the loop from the 1st half on your hook. Work to the end of the row. Drop CB. **Note, the 2 colors will be joined via the inside loops that are closest together!

 

Row 2: Picking up CA, ch the necessary amt (sc=1, dc=3, etc.). Work in the front loops of the sts across. Drop CA, return to opposite end and pick up CB. Work sts on front loop of previous row, bringing the final loop of the st through the front loop of CA (that is, the side facing you). Continue until the end of the row.

 

Repeat row 2 until piece is desired size.

 

My parents' blanket was edged in a single layer of navy dcs all the way around, perhaps 2-3 rounds. There is fringe on either end.

 

This makes for a wonderfully thick and insulated fabric, great for blankets, coats, jackets, and sweater that are to be worn in really cold climates.

Hmmm...come to think of it, this technique may even be good for sturdying bags of all kinds, preventing the need for a lining (lemme guess, a challenge for the designers?), or even hats, mittens (too thick for gloves), slippers, pants, etc.

If anyone gives this a whirl, show us all some pics!! I have some experimental works of it upstairs somewhere in my WIPs (I was attempting to make a coat)...If I can find it, I'll take pics of it to show you examples of what it will look like as you work on it. Right now, though, I only have sc excamples, but if I have the time, I'll try to work up some hdc and dc pieces (but I can't gaurantee anything!!). If anyone has questions, please ask!!

[Adreeyen]

I've made some double sided potholders, I wonder if I cleeked?

 

I used a pattern similar to this: http://strngbn.tripod.com/doublescarfe.html

[PoisonApple]

hmmmmmmmmmm.....I am going to have to sit down and see if I can follow that with yarn and hook. I just can't picture it yet. LOL could be just because I haven't had my coffee yet. LOL

[Badtz_maru]

lol, here's part of the untranslated wiki entry explaining that a cleek is a kind of needle "whilk for ordinar haes a heuk at ane eyn, uised for tae threid yairn throu snorlie latchets." Hope that clears it up.

 

If I henceforth always refer to stitches as "snorlie latchets" and crack myself up will you all get tired of it and kick me?

[DesertCrocheter]

"Snorlie latchets" sounds like a great cuss word. Ya know, when "phooey!" doesn't work. ("Ach, snorlie latchets, I broke a nail!" "Don't you go trying to give me any snorlie latchets, young man! You just march off and wash your hands!") How many times can you work snorlie latchets into one sentence, or one post?

My Scottish ancestors are probably rolling over in their graves, laughing themselves silly.

Patty

[Solitaire]

I talked to my girlfriend's husband last night .. he said the same thing thats been said all along .. its the scotish word for crocheting. "snorlie latchets": Aren't those what happens to my hair when I get frustrated with a pattern stitch?

[angieInCA]

My DH has an afghan that his mother made many moons ago that I think my be cleeked? I have been trying to figure out how she did this for years (she died when he was 20). It is two sided. One side is in squares (blues and white) and hte back side is solid white. It is joined (inner body) through out. I have looked and looked at this trying to figure out how on earth she did it. Reading Tracey4610's post it seemed to make alot of sence to me. I think the whole thing is sc. I'll dig it out and see if I can post a pic of it. It is very thick and very sturdy.