The French word crochet (hook) triggers a reasonable expectation of the craft it now names having its origins in France. The core term is attested there in regard to fabric production beginning in the 17th century, as a generic name for a tool employed in a variety of crafts. Its use is commonly indicated by… Continue reading What’s French about crochet and what’s Tunisian about Tunisian crochet?
Tunisian crochet in Sweden in the 1850s
The 15 December 1857 issue of the Swedish journal Penelope, includes instructions for a child’s upper-body garment made with a crochet stitch that had been described without a name in instructions for a window shade in the 1 January 1856 issue of that publication. In the 1857 instructions, the same anonymous author retrospectively labels it… Continue reading Tunisian crochet in Sweden in the 1850s
New article on the history of Tunisian crochet, and what Penelope really said
I am pleased to announce the publication of my article, “The Princess Frederick William Stitch: The Parallel Emergence of Long–Hook Crochet in Prussia and England in 1858,” in the Summer 2020 issue of The Journal of Dress History. The article presents the various names given to the Tunisian crochet simple stitch during the course of… Continue reading New article on the history of Tunisian crochet, and what Penelope really said
The Princess Frederick William Stitch
I have an article forthcoming in the Summer 2020 issue of The Journal of Dress History, titled “The Princess Frederick William Stitch: The Parallel Emergence of Long–Hook Crochet in Prussia and England in 1858.” It discusses the initial published appearances of the various names given to what is now more uniformly called Tunisian crochet, together… Continue reading The Princess Frederick William Stitch
Crochet nomenclature and the reliability of memory
The German references to crochet in the early-19th century, discussed in the preceding few posts, clarify a comment about the craft written at the end of the century that I had long been wondering about. The article on crochet in the Encyclopedia of Needlework, by Thérèse de Dillmont from 1886, categorizes its ordinary form as… Continue reading Crochet nomenclature and the reliability of memory
Drawing a bead on the arrival of crochet in Germany
The preceding essay considered differences between the descriptions of crochet by Elisabeth Bayle-Mouillard (writing as Madame Celnart) and Charlotte Leidenfrost, in their books published respectively in 1826 and 1828. The German text followed the disposition of the earlier French one and used the same illustrations. In her preface, Leidenfrost explained the otherwise extensive substantive differences… Continue reading Drawing a bead on the arrival of crochet in Germany
French crochet and non-crochet in 1826
A comment on the preceding post about the status of crochet in the 1820s sent me back to revisit Elisabeth Bayle-Mouillard (the second of the early 19th-century authors on whom this blog focused shortly after its inception). The first edition of her “Young Ladies’ Handbook or Arts and Crafts” (Manuel des Demoiselles ou Arts et… Continue reading French crochet and non-crochet in 1826
German crochet instructions from 1828
Several posts during the first months of this blog provide translations of Dutch instructions from 1823 for a number of purses made with different looping techniques. They include three that are crocheted and mark the first use of the word crochet to designate the craft now widely known by that name. That term isn’t attested… Continue reading German crochet instructions from 1828
Flat hooks in Medieval and Neolithic Europe
NOTE: This post initially appeared on April 1st and complies with the guidelines for loop-related humor issued by the Coalition for Responsible Loopography. * * * The History of Knitting Before Mass Production by Irena Turnau, published in 1991 (trans., Historia dziewiarstwa europejskiego do początku XIX wieku,… Continue reading Flat hooks in Medieval and Neolithic Europe
Very raised round shapes
Many of the stitches that crocheters regard as fundamental to their craft were described in non-English publications before the Victorian fancywork press had begun to roll. Naming conventions differed both across and within language boundaries, as is still witnessed by the misalignment of the UK and US glossaries. Diffuse nomenclature also attached to Tunisian crochet… Continue reading Very raised round shapes