Not Your Grandmother's Crochet?

[HomekeepingGran]

Hello? I resent this phrase and have for a long time. Our crocheting foremothers were often much more advanced than we are in the crochet arts and I say let's give them their due. All of which is why I am delighted to find this article in Crochet Insider. Take a look with me and marvel at the glorious things these busy, busy women did in their "spare time".

[mizduck]

Wow, that's some really beautiful work. I especially loved the curtain with the solomons knots. Gorgeous!

[chrispersmom]

All the items are fantastic! And I have to agree with you on that comment as well . some of the most beautiful things i have ever seen were crafted by my mother and she never used a pattern. she made beautiful baby things and blankets all out of her own head.

[Auntie Kellie]

I never had a fondness for that saying either. I got interested in crochet because I grew up in a household of knitters and crocheters. My nana taught me the basic stitches and told me to have fun. While I love a lot of the modern items we make with our craft, I will always adore the intricate stitchings in vintage pieces. Especially the delicate looking laces.

 

Thanks for sharing the article with us. It was great to read and very inspiring.

 

Hugs and Cookies

Auntie K

[Katchkan]

I almost didn't read this post because of the title. As I too resent that comment immensely. Without our Grandmothers love of crochet where would this art form be.

I have a great respect for the crocheters of the past. Who had the patience and the creativity to create some awesome designs with just a hook and some thread/yarn.

[RoseRed]

My Grandmother is the only reason I took up crochet. Her love of the craft was the only thing that kept me going thru the frustrating learning years. I figured if she loved it that much then it had to be worth it. I'm finally branching into doilies and began my most intricate one yet. Someday I hope to be half as amazing as she was.

[Twinnish]

What's even more amazing about the needlework our foremothers made is that even though most of them did not work outside the home, they had less spare time than we do. They didn't have washing machines, (or at least not machines with motors) or dishwashers or other modern conveniences to save time for them. Yet they still managed to find time to make these beautiful pieces.

[heltonart]

Whenever I've read this phrase I always think, I love Grandma's crochet! I didn't have anyone in my family do ANY needlecraft. Heck, I taught my Mom to crochet!

 

But I love Grandmother's crochet!

[heltonart]

Whenever I've read this phrase I always think, I love Grandma's crochet! I didn't have anyone in my family do ANY needlecraft. Heck, I taught my Mom to crochet!

 

But I love Grandmother's crochet!

[Aphadon]

I think the phrase has a lot to do with the specific items being made, not necessarily the skill or beauty of them. A lot of younger ladies today aren't interested in doilies or lace curtains, so I guess they want to expand the craft to include items that are maybe out of the ordinary, or not what people think of when they think of crochet. The work our grandmother's did is gorgeous though, and worthy of every ounce of respect it gets.

[cgd]

They're just trying to appeal to the younger crowd, but I too don't really like the phrase. Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia also shows some breathtaking examples of crochet from 100+ years ago that would make anyone's jaw drop. I wish I could have 1/10 of the skill that some of our grandmothers had!

[uplate6674]

I think the phrase has a lot to do with the specific items being made, not necessarily the skill or beauty of them. A lot of younger ladies today aren't interested in doilies or lace curtains, so I guess they want to expand the craft to include items that are maybe out of the ordinary, or not what people think of when they think of crochet. The work our grandmother's did is gorgeous though, and worthy of every ounce of respect it gets.

 

I also think it has to do with the items being made. And people my age (32) don't remember our grandmothers' crochet as much as we remember our mothers'. I think many people think of retina-searing harvest gold/avacodo/rust granny square afghans from the 70s. Not that my mother made anything like that (her work was really nice), but that's the association Gen Xers often have.

[redbird51]

i learned from my grandmother. she could do any type of needlework. she made clothing for extra money, did needlepoint, crewel, crocheted and knitted. she loved crocheting best and was the one to teach me. the wild thing was that she said she couldn't read the patterns. she could look at anything and make it. some of her creations are wonderful. she, too, did not work outside the home but i remember her making her own soap because she felt it was cheaper to do this. crochet was her means of relaxation. she did this as she watched the yankees play baseball and championship wrestling on tv. this in her later years. how diversified a woman was that?! these women were hard working, creative ladies. my own daughter isn't into needlework but she can make the most fantastic jewelry. i hope the younger set keeps on working on being creative and supportive of each other's efforts.

[HomekeepingGran]

The "not your grandmother's crochet" phrase comes directly from some advertising guru who wanted to sell books or magazines and decided that was the way to do it. I agree that many of the items today are nice but I find it difficult to compare the skills of the average crocheter today (ie. mine) with those of the average crocheter of say, 100+ years ago. These women were often brilliant and, I must admit, much more patient than we tend to be today. You have to be to churn out bedspreads or tablecloths in #30 thread! They wanted lace, they developed the skills to make it, and they made lace. Gorgeous stuff that many of us will never attempt.

 

I WANT to crochet like those women!

[Trinket]

Neither my mom nor my grandma crocheted. My mom knitted just a little, but she never made anything else but some booties and a hat for me when I was a very small child. It was a crochet club that was held at the library in a town near where I used to live that got me into this great hobby. If not for that crochet club and the lovely ladies who helped me with the very basics (chaining and single crochet), I would never have gotten into this! Now I'm addicted...

 

I loved every item they showed in the article. Especially that bed spread! If my mom saw that, she'd pester me to make that for her until the end of time! That's alright. I did promise her I'd make her an heirloom type bedspread like that one when I got started.

 

I've been wanting to make crocheted curtains for ages now!

[hooked2]

That phrase has irritated me from the beginning! It was meant to be negative! A marketing tool designed to let the targeted audience (30-somethings) know that this "whatever was being sold" was better than the one that their grandmother had/made. Such baloney! These "grandmothers" created beautiful things, often against the odds of little "free" time, little money and little encouragement!

 

So, let's modify that marketing slogan a bit: "This is not your grandmother's crochet - but with practice and time, it can be."

[faedragon]

I , for one, take no offense from that phrase, because in truth and fact , it is not my Grandmother's crochet. In the days long long ago, when women did not work outside the home, did not have "modern" convienences, and where literally the keepers of home and hearth, and didn't for the most part, get advanced education, the "womanly arts" including needlecrafts were taught and valued. Women learned needle arts from family members or at schools for girls. Stitch designs were passed down through teachers( whoever the teacher might be), supplies were limited, hooks and needles were valued..and remember, needle arts, crocheting, needlepoint, cross stitch, embroidery, knitting where what women did...they didn't go to clubs or socialize outside of churches and family gatherings. Most of those traditons where lost over time...and crochet history most of all, since it was considered just something women did and therefore not documented much. Times changed...my grandmother also crocheted..she could not read a pattern, wasn't interested in learning how, She made traditional "granny squares, and ripple afghans. She also made doilies and that was it.. And really who could blame her..there wasn't much interest in crochet fashions for the everyday person, and yarns were limited, for a long time , to wool and cotton threads. Even in the 60s when crochet became a fashion fave of the "hippies" the granny square could be seen almost everywhere... we all remember the poncho's and skirts made from them........Some of us searched long and hard for pretty wearables to crochet, and would buy an entire book or mag, because it had one good crochet garment in it. Our grandmothers didn't have modular crochet. They didn't have the vast array of fibers, very little attention, if any , was placed on inovative ways to stitch garments so drape was improved, so garments weren't boxy, so crochet wasn't either all granny squares or all done in thread with steel hooks. Crochet as an art has evolved so it isn't my grandmother's crochet, just as the subjects in school, the medical care, the cars, the t v( my grandmother had radio) and everyday life are not my grandmother's either. The statement need not be taken as a slam at what previous generaltions did, but the statement is one of fact: crochet as it has grown and changed and ISN'T my Grandmother's crochet, it it I would be doing something else with my time.

[mythunderbird]

that is some beautiful work, my grandmother would hve beee so proud, my mom too although she didn' crochet much:hug:hug:hug