Crochet thread

 is specially formulated thread usually made from mercerized cotton for crafting decorative crochet items such as doilies or filet crochet. Crochet thread produces fabric of fine gauge that may be stiffened with starch

Differences from yarn and sewing thread

Crochet thread is almost always produced from cotton and has a denser pile and smaller diameter than ordinary yarn. Most crochet threads are thicker in diameter than sewing yarn. Crochet thread can withstand considerable stresses from pulls with sharp hooks.

Crochet manufacturing conventions treat thread and yarn quite differently: manufacturers designate different sizing scales for thread and yarn. Thread is generally packaged on spools instead of skeins or hanks and is offered for sale in a separate section from ordinary yarns or threads. Crochet hooks for use with thread are also sized according to a different scale from yarn hooks. Thread hooks are also manufactured differently from yarn hooks: modern yarn hooks are usually aluminum or plastic, while thread hooks are made of steel and have smaller hook heads and shorter shanks.
The division between yarn and thread is somewhat arbitrary: crochet thread at its thickest is similar in diameter and behavior to fine cotton yarn. The largest sizes of thread crochet hooks overlap with the smallest sizes of yarn crochet hooks.


Sizing
Crochet thread comes in sizes from 3 to 100, although historically it came in much finer sizes, down to 200. Diameter is inversely proportional to number, so size 3 is nearly as thick as yarn and size 100 is as fine as sewing thread. Thread may also be categorized by number of plies and size 10 thread is known as bedspread weight. Smaller sizes (40 and up) are rarely used anymore.

Hairpin lace

is a crochet technique done using a crochet hook and a hairpin lace loom, which consists of two parallel metal rods held at the top and the bottom by removable bars. Historically, a metal U-shaped hairpin was used, from which the name originates.

Hairpin lace is formed by wrapping yarn around the prongs of the hairpin lace loom to form loops, which are held together by a row of crochet stitched worked in the center, called the spine. The resulting piece of lace can be worked to any length desired by removing the bottom bar of the hairpin and slipping the loops off the end. The strips produced by this process can be joined together to create an airy and lightweight fabric. Various types of yarns and threads can be used to achieve different color, texture and design effects. Examples of items made with hairpin lace include scarves, shawls, hats, baby blankets, afghans, and clothing. Hairpin lace can also be added to sewn, knitted, and crocheted works as a decorative accent.

Broomstick lace

 is a historic crochet technique from the 1800s which is done using a crochet hook and another long slender item such as a knitting needle.

It is also known as jiffy lace and peacock eye crochet. Traditionally a broomstick was used, hence the name, but the modern variant is a lightweight plastic knitting needle or smooth wooden craft dowel.

A larger knitting needle or dowel will result in a lacier effect, while a smaller will provide a more closely woven effect. Because the fabric created is soft yet stable, it is well suited for clothing and blankets.

Technique

As with other forms of crochet the base of the pattern is a chain stitch. The number of stitches in this beginning chain are normally counted in multiples of 3 through 6, depending on the desired effect.

The first row can either be immediately done in Broomstick lace, or instead incorporate a single or half-double crochet stitches. The "broomstick" or knitting needle is then used in the next row, as you pick up a loop through each of the stitches in row one and transfer it from the crochet hook onto the needle or dowel.

This part of the process is similar to knitting as all stitches in the row are being picked up and held at one time on the knitting needle being used. Once a loop has been pulled up through every stitch, the loops are then worked back off the dowel by sliding them off in groupings of 3, 4, 5, or 6 loops (depending on the desired effect) at a time and working the same amount of single or half-double crochet stitches through the top of each group of loops at the same time.

The overall appearance of the work will vary based upon the number of loops in a group, the size of the knitting needle being used, as well as the type of yarn being used. Experimenting with variations is encouraged so that the most desirable effect for the item being made will result. Typical items made using this technique include afghans, baby blankets, scarves, shawls, and other items where an unusual lacy effect may be desired.

Filet Crochet

 is a type of crocheted fabric. This type of crocheted lace is gridlike because it uses only two crochet stitches: the chain stitch and the double crochet stitch (U.S. terminology; known in some other countries as chain stitch and treble).

Chain stitches use less yarn than double crochet stitches, which results in a visual difference in appearance between the two kinds of stitch. Filet crochet forms patterns by filling in parts of a mostly chain stitch mesh with double crochet stitches.

 Filet crochet is usually constructed from monotone crochet thread made of Mercerised cotton in white or ecru, and worked in rows. Filet crochet is used for decorative applications such as window curtains, tablecloths, and place settings such as coasters and placemats.

Filet crochet is most often worked from a graph or a symbol diagram. Patterns are created by combining solid and open meshes, usually working the design in solid meshes and the background in open meshes.

The size of the space is determined by the number of chain stitches between each double stitch. Filet crochet may also be worked by alternating chain stitches with another type of crochet stitch such as (U.S. terminology) half double or triple crochet, and may be worked from yarn instead of thread.

Tunisian Crochet

 also known as Afghan crochet, is a type of crochet that uses an elongated hook, often with a stopper on the handle end, called an Afghan hook. It is sometimes considered to be a mixture of crocheting and knitting. As such, some techniques used in knitting are also applicable in Tunisian crochet. One example is the intarsia method.

The work is begun with the traditional starting chain, a series of slip stitches. Once the chain is completed, the first row is worked by inserting the hook back into the previous link of the chain, and a loop from the free end of the yarn is grabbed with the hook and pulled back through the link.

 Unlike traditional crochet, however, this new loop is not then pulled through the initial loop. Both remain on the hook and then the process is repeated, working from right to left, until each link in the chain has been worked. At the end, there will be as many loops on the hook as there are stitches required. This process is called casting on. This is the first of two parts for creating a row.

The work is never turned. Once the correct number of loops is obtained, the process is reversed with each loop being worked off from the hook by pulling a fresh loop of yarn through each stitch, working from left to right. It is both parts of the process which form a completed row.

There are a variety of stitches than can be created, dependent on how and where the hook is inserted and how the working yarn is held. Tunisian stitches include variations on knit, purl, post stitch, and entrelac, to name a few.

Amigurumi

 (編みぐるみ^?, lit. knitted stuffed toy) is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures.

The word is derived from a combination of the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll.

Amigurumi are typically animals, but can include artistic renderings, and inanimate objects endowed with anthropomorphic features.

Amigurumi are usually crocheted or knitted out of yarn. The simplest designs are worked in spirals. In contrast to typical Western crochet the rounds are not usually joined.

They are also worked with a smaller size hook in proportion to the weight of the yarn in order to create a very tight-looking fabric without any gaps through which the stuffing might escape.

 Amigurumi are usually worked in sections and then joined, except for some amigurumi which have no limbs, only a head and torso which are worked as one piece. The extremities are sometimes stuffed with plastic pellets to give them a life-like weight, while the rest of the body is stuffed with fiber stuffing.

The pervading aesthetic of amigurumi is cuteness. To this end, typical amigurumi animals have an over-sized spherical head on a cylindrical body with undersized extremities.

The History of the Afghan

According to a crochet pattern published by the Spool Cotton Company in 1941, "the thrifty womenfolk of our early American days carefully saved odds and ends of yarn, leftover colors, ravellings from sweaters and socks — all to be made into a robe for the family's general use.

As fast as the yarn accumulated, it was crocheted into small squares — the colors tastefully combined from whatever yarn was available at the time. When sufficient squares were completed, they were sewed together to make a colorful blanket useful for many purposes — as a bedspread, for a shawl, as a leg and lap covering, for sleighing, for "bundling," as a throw over a rocking chair, and a colorful decoration around the house.

Because grandmother played the major role in its making,

the robe was affectionately called the "Granny."

Because granny's robe originally was made of many colors, it resembled a particular type of colorful rug brought from Afghanistan to this country by the gallant sailing ships of colonial times. So the nickname, "Afghan," came into popular use!

 

 

Today, "Afghan" is used to describe various kinds of robes and blankets which are crocheted or knitted of soft wool yarns in the beautiful shades suggested by style and made available by modern thread and yarn manufacturers."

When did Crochet begin?

Why crochet did not show up until the 19th century could
probably be explained by the fact that people at the time
preferred more economical fabric-creating techniques.

Crochet uses an enormous amount of thread to produce pieces of
fabric which were much more economically produced by the
ancient
techniques of netting, sprang, nalbinding or knitting.

It was while Ireland was developing its lace industry that the
US took up crocheting. It soon became a household activity
that
was loved by many American settlers.

While sewing was considered a function, crochet was
entertainment. When America went to World War II in 1941,
there
was no such thing as time and innovation for fashion, so the
idea
was to make it short and sweet.Crochet was
therefore saved for special things like a touch of lace.

When the war ended, crochet was back in the limelight and women
turned it into a hobby to create luxuries they desired:
tablecloths, edgings for pillowcases, handkerchiefs and towels.

into something more ambitious and non-traditional. All of a
sudden, all kinds of finished fabrics were arriving at the
scene, manifestations of the innovation fever that
characterized
the wealthy period that the US was experiencing. Since this
time, 21st century crochet has had a different face, a new
look.

ABC's of Crocheting

T:
tch/t-ch = turning chain
tog = together
tr/trc = treble/triple crochet
tr tr/trtrc =triple treble crochet/triple triple crochet(s)


W:
WS = wrong side


X:
X-st = cross-stitch


Y:
yd = yard(s)
yo = yarn over
yoh = yarn over hook

ABC's of Crocheting

P:
pat(s) = pattern(s)
PC(s) = popcorn(s)
pm = placemaker
prev = previous


R:
rem = remain
rep = repeat(s)
rev sc/reverse sc = reverse single crochet
rnd(s) = round(s)
RS = right side


S:
sc = single crochet
sc2tog = single crochet 2 stitches together
sk = skip(ped)
sl st = slip stitch
sp(s) = space(s)
st(s) = stitch(es)

International Crochet Diploma

Wow, I never thought that I would see the words
International Crochet Diploma
I think this is cool, anyone can get a Diploma for Crocheting over the net.


Here is the link, Check it out...
http://www.crochet.co.uk/diploma/index.html

More Facts

An early form of crochet was used in France and other Western European countries in the late 1700's. However, crocheting as we know it today did not become widely popular until the 1840's. At that time, books and women's magazines contained printed patterns for crocheted doilies, tablecloths, pillow covers, and edgings. Since the 1960's, people have explored the crochet technique and applied it to wall-hangings, window treatments, sculptures, and wearable art.

According to a study done by Research Inc. for Craft Yarn Council of America, 34 million women in 1994 crocheted or knitted. In 2002, some 38 million women do.
Although primarily thought of as a "woman's hobby," men are starting to crochet for its relaxing qualities and satisfying results. (Some men reportedly like to crochet because the stitches have a mathematical quality which leads them to artistic creations.)

Young children are taught the art of crocheting to increase their fine motor skills, aid in counting and instruction following, to bolster self-confidence, to introduce "quiet time," to learn a family tradition, and more.

ABC's of Crocheting

L:
lp(s) = loop(s)
lp st = loop stitch

M:
MC = main color
m = meters
mm = millimeters

O:
oz = ounce(s)

Designing crochet patterns software and instructions

I found this site with a software for designing Crochet patterns.

Just click on the link >http://www.crochetdesigns.com/

Here are some Instructions on how to create your design.

Step 1
Decide the kind of item for the pattern. This can be an afghan, sweater, doily, cap or any of the many things that lend themselves to crochet.

Step 2
Use a pattern template. Any crochet pattern you create will provide the template that shows exactly how to set out the pattern so others can follow it. Simple software for designing patterns on a computer is also available at a reasonable price.

Step 3

Crochet the item. Every time the stitch changes, stop and make note of it in the template. This can be done by making notes on paper, then typing into the template or software later on.

Step 4

Create the item a second time once all the steps have been entered into the template. This time, follow your own written pattern instructions to the letter. Make notes of any errors in your pattern, then correct on the official pattern or software.

Step 5

Take a photograph of the finished product to go with the pattern to help sell it. Patterns can be sold on various Internet sites or through local craft stores and craft fairs.

Do you Know?

why most crocheters in earlier eras held the crochet hook in their hand like a pencil?

In the 1800s, this hand positioning was thought to be more feminine and graceful. Many crocheters now hold their hooks in the palms of their hands (often called the "knife hold") to reduce carpal tunnel.

ABC's of Crocheting

G:
g = gram
grp(s) = groups


H:
hdc = half double crochet(s)
hk = hook


I:
inc = increase

ABC's of Crocheting

D:

dc = double crochet

dc2tog = double crochet 2 stitches together

dec = decrease

dtr/dtrc = double triple/treble crochet

E:

ea = each

est = established

F:

FLO = front loop only

foll = follow

FP = front post

FPdc = front post double crochet(s)

FPsc = front post single crochet(s)

FPtr/FPtrc = front post triple/treble crochet(s)

FL/ft lp = front loop(s)

Crochet Trivia Quiz

I came across this site and I took the quiz just to see how I did..I got two of the questions wrong. but other then that I did good. You should give it a try...
Just Click on the link below.....

http://www.braingle.com/trivia/18180/crochethtml

ABC's of Crocheting

A:
alt = alternate
approx = approximately

B:
beg = begin(ning)
bet = between
BL/bk lp = back loop(s)
BLO = back loop only
bo = bobble
BP = back post
BPdc = back post double crochet(s)
BPsc = back post single crochet(s)
BPtr = back post triple crochet(s)

C:
CA = color A
CB = color B
CC = contrasting color
ch(s) = chain(s)
ch- = refers to chain previously made/worked
ch-sp = chain space
CL(s) =cluster(s)
cm = centimeter
cont = continue

International crochet Terms and Notations

In the English-speaking crochet world, the basic stitches have different names.

The differences are usually referred to as UK/US or British/American. Examples of these differences and their usual abbreviations are:

UK double crochet (DC) = US single crochet (SC)

UK treble crochet (TR) = US double crochet (DC) and so on.

To help counter confusion when reading patterns, a diagramming system using a standard international notation has come into use (illustration, right).