What is crochet?
Did you know that ‘Crochet’ actually means ‘Hook’ in French? No wonder the crochet artists are hooked onto it. Crochet is close to my heart thanks to my wonderful grandmother. I have seen her making beautiful doilies, hats, laces and collars for dresses all my life. As a child I had a few failed attempts of learning from her.
Then I taught myself how to crochet as an Adult. It took me sometime to realize the difference between the stitches because I knew them only as ‘pull through all of them or pull through just one/two’ if you know what I mean. As you might have guessed, my grandmother wasn’t big with the names of the stitches. I don’t think she even knows that they have names. Even I knew it only a few doilies later, with the help of a few YouTube videos. My grandmother is a great crochet artist. She can make anything from small doilies to large tablecloths freehand! I wish I had a picture to show you the huge tablecloth she made for my wedding. I promise you I will post a picture of it one day.
Another reason I’m drawn to crochet is because it’s all about numbers. You need to get the numbers right if you want the design in your mind to transform into a masterpiece. For instance, when you are making a doily, you need to get the numbers right, for it to lay flat. Otherwise you may just end up with a hat instead of a doily. So, crochet just doesn’t keep you calm. It also keeps your mind sharp. I have a great respect for all the crochet artists in the world. Man! They must be really good with numbers.
My First Doily
Obviously the most challenging part of this craft is the flow of the thread to create each stitch. What you need to have is the perfect grip. Not too tight, not too loose, just enough! As a child fearing my stitches would be too loose and thinking it will look like a bunch of tangled thread more than a doily, I used to wrap the thread around my fingers tightly and make tight stitches.
Obviously, I didn’t succeed. Later in my life when I tried to recreate my memories with my grandmother and to acquire the skill, I let the thread be free and loose, and a few stitches later i got the hang of it. So, if you don’t know how to crochet, but you would like to learn, don’t be afraid looking at the hand movements of an expert. Trust me you will get there. No one is a beginner forever, right?
Tip: Don’t be afraid of the thread’s tension. Try to concentrate on the knot you are making and understand the kind of knot you need to make.
Patten Credits: http://freevintagecrochet.com/free-doily-patterns/star137/fern-leaf-doily-pattern
**At the time I knew nothing about reading patterns. My first doily was an attempt of recreating the image I downloaded from
You must be able to see that the ending looks completely different. That was because I couldn’t figure out the stitches used in the original.
Did you see my free patterns? CLICK HERE
19 Responses
Hi this is Saaliha’s friend, Lohitya! I crochet too! This was very inspiring!
Hey Lohitya! That is awesome! We should have a fun crochet time together!
Haha
Now it makes me want to learn Umma!?
Okay! ?
I had no idea about crochet or it’s meaning. I just love looking at the end results. Can’t crochet to save my life but hoping to learn one day 🙂
http://www.diyingmachine.wordpress.com
Thank you so much for the lovely compliments.. it’s not hard as it looks. ?
Looks quite intricate 😛
It does look like that. You will change your mind once you understand the concept. ?
All the best dear,
From the start I couldn’t stop reading it till the end??
Like to hear more from you
Thank you for the encouraging comments Zuwiena.. ❤️☺️
Great effort Safiya! I see the love ❤️ and dedication not just for the art but also your Grandmom! Keep going…. Wishing you a great success ??
Thank you so much Saranya.. ?❤️
Safiya, I am so much of a novice with respect to Crochet that I thought you’d mis-spelt ‘Dollies’ as ‘Doilies’. But man! Once I went down your post, I was amazed by your efforts and intricacies involved. The things that most fascinated us young kids really do travel with us forever. I understand the long way you have come from where you must have started, hats off for staying focused amidst sea of changes. I’m taking away a lesson here 🙂 I have never been a ‘crafts’ person, never at all – infact, the classes I wanted to bunk the most were the ones that involved basket making, stitching and needlework. More than your doilies, your words kept me hooked to this fantastic post. You really have a way with innovative stuff – look at that name; ‘Crafting Wand’. Thumbs up!
Keep them coming! I’m going to be active in this space and see if I can do a few stitches myself. Much luck!
Thank you so much Saranya. Your words means a lot to me.. ❣️❤️
Such a great first post!! ❤ Love the doily and all the tips and facts shared in the post..keep em coming!! Godspeed ?
Thank you Madhuri I will try my best to give more. 🙂
It’s a very informative post to boost up beginners ✌?and to motivate others like me to learn Crochet.. keep posting ???
Thank you Mercy for the encouraging comments. 🙂