25 Colorful Crocheting Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published August 30, 2019

Crochet helped pull the Irish out of the depths of the devastating potato famine (1845–1850). A group of Ursuline nuns taught local women thread crochet, which became known as "Irish Crochet." It became incredibly popular and provided much-needed income._[11]
The first printed crochet pattern appeared in an early 19th-century Dutch magazine named Penelope._[13]
In the late 1800s, men's and women's hairstyles required the use of oily pomade. Consequently, crochet became more popular as people put little sewn pieces on top of expensive furniture to protect them from the pomaded heads._[13]
Crochet became increasingly popular in the 1920s when women stopped wearing corsets and began to crochet lacy underwear._[13]
Because crocheting takes up so much thread, the popularity of crochet tends to decline during an economic downturn._[13]

Watch those crochet hooks

After drinking and spending the night with an ex-girlfriend, a man woke up with a crochet needle stuck up his urethra. He said he did not know how it got there. Doctors at the hospital X-rayed the man and then removed the crochet hook._[8]
While the popularity of crocheting waxes and wanes, at no time in the 20th century was it more popular than it was in the 1960s and 1970s, when it became associated with the hippie movement._[13]
A non-profit company called "Knots of Love" has donated over 300,000 crocheted hats to those going bald due to chemotherapy. They also donate blankets to premature babies._[9]
Artist Nathan Vincent crocheted and knitted an entire locker room. He has also knitted taxidermy busts, urinals, guns, and tools. His goal is to represent masculine objects in a new and softer medium._[12]
A charity named "knitted knockers" creates handmade breast prostheses for women who have undergone mastectomies and other procedures. They even offer a free pattern for crocheted boobs._[7]
A woman who crochets and sells Donald Trump voodoo-doll pincushions regularly receives death threats from Trump supporters. While her pincushions are meant to be humorous, she notes that it seems his supporters really believe in voodoo._[1]
Over 2,000 women from 14 countries met in India to create the world's largest crocheted blanket. The mega-blanket measured approximately 120,000 square feet, or about the size of one-and-a-half football fields._[5]
The main difference between crocheting and knitting is that in crochet, each stitch is completed before moving onto the next. In knitting, a large number of stitches may be kept open at once._[13]
While spinning is the oldest fiber craft (20,000 BC), the earliest known written reference to crochet is from 1812. Crochet may have arrived late onto the fabric-creating stage because people preferred more economical weaving techniques. Crochet typically uses more thread than other techniques._[10]
While crochet has proven health benefits, injuries do occur. Health professionals even have a medical code to note when a crochet injury has occurred: CODE Y93D1._[3]

Crochet is more than just a fun pastime; it also provides many health benefits

Although crochet dropped in popularity after the 1970s, its popularity is increasing in the early 21st century since more people are interested in handcrafts, and yarn quality has improved._[10]
Crocheting has been proven to help with insomnia, stress, anxiety, and depression._[14]
Crocheting can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by 30–50%._[14]
Artist Shauna Richardson crochets life-sized brown bears, tigers, donkeys and more in what she calls "crochetdermy."_[2]
The way a crocheter holds a crochet hook is called the "knife hold way."_[10]
The Weldon Company in London published the first known granny-square pattern in 1897. It is one of the longest crochet patterns in print._[10]

Graffiti we can get behind

Yarn bombing (yarn graffiti) is a type of street art in which any type of yarn is crocheted or knitted onto an object in public. It's a type of temporary graffiti that uses yarn._[6]
In a study about brain-penetrating wounds, crochet hooks are mentioned as a risk factor. Indeed, in 1876 a two-and-a-half-year-old somehow got a crochet hook lodged in her head. While it was pulled out with no bleeding, she subsequently died from the hook penetrating her brain._[3]
Famous crocheters include Patricia Arquette, Anne Bancroft, Clara Barton, U.S. President James Buchanan, George Washington Carver, Jane Seymour, and Madonna._[4]
One woman specializes in crocheting unconventional items, such as replicas of human feces, toilet paper, and sex toys._[15]