Where crochet might go?

[darski]

I just got my "Talking Crochet" newsletter and they noted some trends in Fiber arts that they saw at a recent trade show... what is on the horizon???

 

• Socks, socks, and more socks reigned supreme
  
• Vests were also prominently displayed in many booths,
  
• The most visible yarn colors were jewel tones and earth/nature colors

You can subscribe to the newsletter and get all the info here:

 

http://www.anniesattic.com/crochet/content.html?type_id=N

 

I really like this one and encouarage you to sign up.

but back at the discussion here...

 

What are you seeing in your crochet future?

 

Would you be thrilled if vests came back Big Time! ?

 

Can crocheted socks really make a dent in the fiber worlds?

 

What yarn colours do you look for and over in the store?

. What colours are you missing when you go searching for yarn?

 

Have ponchos, shrugs and wraps had their day if vests are moving in?

 

We have had a lot of motif crochet (for good or for ill ) Does it seem likely that they will stay or go with the new directions of crochet?

 

Just curious about where we are going or where we want to go if the two are not the same.

[Granny Square]

I look forward to that newsletter too. I saw the 'earth tones' and 'vests' and thought maybe I should dig through my old '70's patterns.

 

You've posed a good question...what do WE want versus the yarn companies? I've considered making a pair of socks from the new colorful sock yarns, but it's so darned expensive ($15 for a pair of sox?). Probably why the yarn companies are pushing it. But is that where we want to go, with the new pricy/funky yarns? Not me...

 

I'd rather see more of a selection of reasonably priced, normal WW, sports, & fingering weight yarn suitable for clothing items. Where I am I find mostly RH and Caron pounders, which is about the same heft, and stiffer, than rug yarn for heaven's sake.

 

Probably why I have been making a lot of doilies lately...

[Paralee]

I agree with Granny Square. I would love to find some yarn that isn't too stiff and bulky for wearables. Some nice fingering and sport weight yarns would be wonderful!

 

It would also be great if stores would carry the full range within a line! The yarn sources here (Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and JoAnn's) seem to carry only a very limited range of colors. I hope we do see jewel tones, earth tones, and just generally more intense, saturated colors this fall. I've been experimenting with an intarsia type technique, so it would be great to be able to walk into a store and put together a palette of colors that are similar in weight, fiber, and washing requirements. JoAnn's carries a HUGE selection of fabrics, why can't they do something similar with yarn?

 

I would also like to see a better balance between "normal" yarns and novelty yarns. I'm not opposed to eyelash, ribbon, confetti, or whatever, and often use them as trim, but some of these stores seem to have about 75% of their yarn inventory devoted to it! As for bulky yarns -- crochet already creates a fairly bulky fabric, adding to that by using a bulky yarn tends to make most of us (meaning me) look a little "fluffier" than we would like. I'm also experimenting with tunisian crochet, it creates a beautiful fabric with good drape and nice surface texture.

 

I guess where I see myself moving with crochet is into more wearables, including personal accessories. My "default" project is a hat -- it's what I make when I can't decide what to make. I don't make socks, but I can see myself making a great pair of gloves from sock yarn. If ponchos have had their day, I say yay, I never have liked them. As for vests, I love them and will be happy if they come back. I'm also looking at patterns for cardigans and tops for fall. My goal in making clothing is to hear people say "Wow, what a great sweater!" rather than "oh, a crocheted sweater ... did your grandmother make that?"

[canadianneedles]

Oh yes, yes, yes, to crocheted socks. I've made some crocheted pairs out of various yarns, and yes there is a place. My personal favoruite to date is Milenweit's Cotton Fun Yarn. They made the warmest comfiest most lovely socks. Perfect for sandals and a campfire. Price wise, the Regia family but for their silks can't be beat, means about 15 dollars for a pair (CDN). Ok, that should be can't be beat here in Edmonton AB. Do try some.

 

Where else is crochet going? More clothing, less kitchsy stuff. There is always a place for fun kitsch, but crochet needs more wearables. We need more drapey yarns, softer more fluid things because the fabric of crochet is tends to be firmer. I'd also like to see more stuff where crochet is combined with knitting. Some parts of clothing just demand the drapiness of knitting, but nothing can top crochet for decorative and texture effect.

 

Needles

http://needlesandthings.blogspot.com/

[darski]

Another Canuck! How cool is that. Given what I hear of Edmonton, good socks are important for youse guys

 

I did make a sock pattern for myself once as bed socks and they are very nice really. I use the same pattern to make doll socks

 

About vests. Not to be uncouth but I always find that vests are a challenge for those who are fluffy in certain spots. Either the front gapes or the armholes gape. I wonder if I could develop and DIY short row vest pattern... hmmnn

 

I am looking forward to seeing jewel tones in the yarn. I love them. ( I think intense is my middle name)

[papersmiles]

The closest "yarn outlet" type store is about 40 miles from me. I would like to see variety stores (Kmart, Walmart, Target, etc) offer a decent selection of yarns in NEW colors. I swear, some of the yarns have been around longer than me and I'm as old as DIRT.

 

I agree with wanting softer and more comfortable textures, but right now if I want to make a sweater out of anything other than RH or the equivalent, I end up with a very "pricey" sweater and my budget just doesn't allow for that. I am sure $15 socks are nice.....can't say I would be able to afford that however.

 

I would be pleased to see more "quick" hooked projects (one to three skeins) that are trendy, elegant, fashionable and/or affordable. I tend to make most of my holiday gifts and would really appreciate seeing a few more patterns for NICE gifts that didn't involve the words "potholder", "dishcloth", hotpad or "towel topper". I still make those (upon request), but no longer offer them as gifts. I like the idea that crocheted vests are coming back, but are VESTS in general making a resurgence? I don't know.

 

It would be great if I were creative enough to devise my own patterns.....not going to happen. I need a more "crafty person" than myself to give me a pattern for a project that is part of today's world with accurate instructions.

 

I am noticing more crocheted accessories in boutiques and major name stores.....mostly in purses, bags, hats and shrugs.

[Feederofthepack]

Yes! I would love to have more vests! I have some patterns picked out and am dying to make. And in a softer, thinner yarn.

[Addey]

I could really use some more vest patterns... I've been trying to figure one out for my mom since oh... January. Every one I've tried I either haven't liked or just wasn't going to work for various reasons. I hope motifs go away a bit. I like making them, but get bored with them and hate joining them.

I agree, we need the 'big box stores' that are the easiest for mosts of us to get to to start carying more fingering/sock weight yarns... or at least a wider variety of #3 thread in better colors.

I would like much more bright jewl tone colors. I'm also tired of only having one choice of pink or purple or blue... unless I want one bright and one pastel... That and some nicer verigated in nicer yarns. (I'm sorry, I've tried to like Red Heart SS, but I just can't.... it's too rough on my hands...)

Basically, I want either better access to local yarn store quality materials or more LYS available....

[Mandys76]

I subscribe to that newsletter, and despite it talking about American lines (I'm Aussie, and we don't get any of your yarns over here), I still find it to be really informative.

 

I love that socks are coming in. A while back I was tempted into buying a few balls of sock yarn. I'm too scared to make them though! I have no idea how to do it, and find the instructions I've found to date have been confusing. Plus I have no one to show me.

 

I would also like to see the chain stores stock more of a range of yarn. My local Kmart is the closest place I can go for yarn, and their range is terrible. A few skeins each of baby yarn, 8 ply and chunky. All the same brand, and only a few colours. It's terrible!

 

I'd also like to see, as someone else mentioned, more patterns involving only a few skeins of yarn, and that work up quickly. I'd love to make things for gifts this year.

[jleinhauser]

Actually, it is what we want vs the big box retailers. The yarn companies

are at the mercy of the buyers. A yarn buyer may well be someone who

has been buying candy the past few months, and tires before that. Most of them know nothing about knitting and crochet, Buying decisions are all too often based on what sold (or did not sell) last year, not on what the trends

are tody.

 

Jean Leinhauser

Creative Partners

[darski]

Hi Jean, thannk you for your comments. We sometimes forget how the food chain works

 

I think it was the fact that this was a trade show and not an open to the public hobby show that caught my eye in the report. The reporters were seeing what they expected to see on the craft shelves near us. I agree that it is more likely to represent what sold last year with some twigging here and there to make it look new and fresh.

 

I was chatting with a young woman this evening and she was thrilled when I said that Jewel Tones are coming in strong. It seems to me that my Colour marketing board report said the same thing was coming last fall. It just seems to be slow making it to the yarn shelves after it hits the towel rack

[DesertCrocheter]

Well, jewel tones seem likely to dominate as the stores respond to seasonal changes here in North America (where bathing suit season is the winter and when it's summer and you just realized that the elastic in your swimsuit dried out and sproing into a huge mess over the winter, the store are only carrying winter clothes, leading you to panic and wear a muu muu to the pool). I hope they don't give up on neutral, natural colors, though, as I'm partial to them.

 

I'm not excited by vests, but if leads designers (and yarn manufacturers) to think about wearable drape and fluidity (and thus yarn thickness and fluidity), I'm happy. Since socks are portable, it makes sense that they replace the scarves of last year as the on-the-go project. I'd like to see less chunky yarn (great for afghans, not so much for clothing), no fun fur ever again if I had my druthers, and more organic yarns. I suspect the last will continue to grow as the general population becomes more and more interested in environmental issues.

 

I'd really love some nice sweaters in a fine yarn, but haven't found what I want and am cerebrally incapable of creating my own.

 

Patty

 

(I enjoy the column, too.)

[Tiga]

First, Wow! Jean Leinhauser posted on our board!!! I've got duck bumps on my goose pimples, lol! Welcome, welcome welcome!!!

 

Second, what I'd like to see in the stores - more color variety, with less emphasis on variegateds. I love what Lion Brand has done with the new Vanna's Choice line - different shades of one color, and all of the colors in the tonal range so they all work together. It's a very pleasing palette to think about working with.

 

I'd like to see more cotton blend, modal blend and "clothing" fiber yarns - acrylic is great, but it's better blended with something else when you want to wear it. And for those of us allergic to wool, acrylic is currently the only other option (unless we want $$$ yarn or to work with thread). Well, we could go with Peaches n Cream, but I just don't look good wearing a dishcloth, lol!

 

I'd like to see more housewares patterns that are not kitschy or retro and that are classic and attractive. I loved the Bernat patterns that came out during the spring, with the baskets for the bathroom, and the throw rugs and the gorgeous afghans. Really lovely, modern stuff. Practical, but not boring.

 

I don't want to see more of the mainstream yarn companies and pattern companies trying to be "hip" or "trendy". It's silly, and any time a corporate entity co-opts something that was formerly "hip", "cool", etc., those that had found that something "cool" will immediately move on to something else, as corporate has never and never will equal cutting edge. So, by trying to be cutting edge, these mainstream companies will simply alienate their core-customers while they go after the quick cash of the wanna-be hipsters that haven't gotten the memo that crocheted leg-warmers are "so last year". All the REAL hipsters will be on to something else; the wanna-bes will get bored and quit buying yarn after a few skeins and the rest of us will be stuck with the next fun-fur for the next 5 years, lol!

 

And tons of patterns for items (like vests and leg warmers) that we could probably do without a pattern, or from one basic pattern.

 

And that brings me to my last wish - more "advanced" patterns in the magazines and books. I may have only started crocheting last year, but I'm already bored to tears by beginner patterns and will do intermediates only if the finished object is totally worth it, design-wise. I want more interesting stitches; more stitch combinations in the same item; shaping in garments; technical explanations for what I'm supposed to do in a pattern, why I'm doing it and what effect it will have on the final piece. Don't just tell me to do 5 rows of this and that - give me an advanced or expert pattern and tell me WHY I have to decrease there (when it doesn't seem obvious). I'd love to have the magazines have like a "master class" pattern that goes over several issues or something - that would be awesome. I mean - it's crochet - it's not like we'll be done before the next issue gets here anyway !

 

I guess, all of those wishes have to do with me wanting crochet to be taken more seriously as a real craft, and less of something that "old ladies with blue hair do as a hobby" sort of thing. But, I also don't want to be a "b*tch", or be totally punk rawk. I went through those phases in my life, and it was a blast, but I'm a little beyond that now, and while I can appreciate that college girls may want that, please, please don't make all crochet either "ole' granny blue hair" or "young punk purple hair".

 

There will always be a place for dishsoap dresses and for fingerless gloves, but there is a HUGE market for everything in between, and I'd love to see more focus on that, and more yarns marketed that allow more artistic creativity with color, and less with texture.

 

*disclaimer - I have both a dishsoap dress and fingerless gloves on my planned projects list ; does that make me a "middle aged mauve hair"?

[stitchgirl]

I haven't a clue where crochet is really going, but I hope it remains strong as I think it is right now. I think socks could be a really fun thing. I ordered some funky sock yarn a couple of months ago from Smileys. Very good price and very nice yarn. I started a sock pattern and unbelievable to me I actually have a toe that fits, but that's where I've stopped for awhile. The patterns do seem a bit complicated and for me take some pondering over. But the biggest problem that socks will pose for me is that I am having a really hard time seeing my work with such a small hook and with that variegated yarn. Maybe I should try a solid color. I don't think I would trade in shawls and ponchos for vests. I have never liked big clunky ponchos, but lacey ones I think are really cute. Oh well, just my opinion.

[paperflowers]

I'd like to see more "hip" stuff. Maybe some nice wearables like shawls, legwarmers, head wraps or trendy home accents like that brown afghan that was on Annie's Attic last week.

 

If I see one more fridgie, I'm going to scream.

[sonnets_and_stitches]

A yarn buyer may well be someone who

has been buying candy the past few months, and tires before that. Most of them know nothing about knitting and crochet.

 

This might explain all the novelty yarns. They look fun and cool on the skein, so a buyer might think "Wow, that looks like it would be FUN to work with, not all these boring, normal stuff," never realizing the true yearnings of a crocheter's and knitter's heart.

 

~ Joy