Crochet; A Craft From the Past
Hello everyone! Vintage Virgie’s daughter here 🙂 Brynna Finley
While talking with my mom about her blog and all things vintage, it dawned on us, what is more vintage than a craft I’ve been doing since I was under the age of ten? A dying art form taught to me by my great-grandma Pulido: crochet!
With a new skein of yarn and a minimum amount of patience, Grandma Pulido (Nanny, as I affectionately called her) and I went into her paisley living-room and she attempted to teach me the chain stitch (the foundation of crocheting.)
We butted heads the entire time. A sassy little girl and a strong-willed woman doesn’t exactly create a recipe for success. I was confused and my hands felt clumsy with the foreign craft my great-grandma was determined to teach me.
I didn’t exactly leave that afternoon with a complete grasp on the chain stitch. Truth be told, my mom bought me a beginners crochet book not long after that, where I was able to learn the basic stitches at my own pace. (Great-grandma would always brag about how she taught me to crochet though. )
While I didn’t realize it at the time, she gave me much more than a golden hook that afternoon. She gave me a lifelong passion and skill that I have been able to rely on for stress-relief, personal home decor, gifts for friends and family, charitable work, and now fulfilling my dream of starting a business!
It hasn’t always been the most conventional hobby amongst my peers growing up. I’ve gotten used to being referred to as a granny- I embrace it now, along with my 9pm bedtime! But I wouldn’t trade this skill for the world! It has brought me ample joy and calm. I hope you all find a hobby that can bring you the same.
While I was perusing the internet for information on the history of crochet, I stumbled upon this interesting crochet magazine blog that speaks about how Irish women saved their country with crochet! An amazing read that delves into new ways of lace making and feeding their families thanks to crochet.
According to this article, Irish women were able to create a new technique of making lace with a crochet hook that was 10x’s faster than the needlepoint technique previously used.
It became such a lucrative business that each household would create their own signature crochet lace pattern and guard it as though it were a precious family secret. Because it in fact, it was one! Selling their crocheted goods enabled Irish women to help provide income to feed their family during the famine.
Here’s the link to read more about the history of Irish crochet.
https://www.happilyhooked.com/blog/irish-crochet-history/
Hey there everyone, this is Karen, Brynna’s Mom.. She is too humble to say the things I am about to say, so this is where I take over this blog post. She wrote this post and gave it to me as a mother’s day present last year.. That was so sweet and thoughtful! It isn’t always easy creating content for my blog, I have a ton of ideas and projects, but actually getting them down on paper and on the blog with pictures and everything can be a lot of work. Fun work, but work none the less.
My daughter has ALWAYS been so creative! She is one of the most talented people I know! And I know A Lot of talented people! She has the voice of an angel when she sings, she plays the guitar, writes music and poetry, she can cook and bake anything! She draws, paints, crochets, knits, sews, etc… the list goes on and on! Can you tell I am my daughter’s biggest fan! Lol…
When she started to crochet, she made the most unique things, like scarves in the shape of avocados or carrots, or my favorite, buttered toast! YES a buttered toast scarf! When she was 13 she started crocheting halloween hats for the pediatric oncology patients at our local Children’s hospital, she donated about 25 the first year, and it grew each year until she graduated High school. She solicited the help of crocheters from around the country to help, and donated more than 100 Halloween hats to 3 different hospitals. That is the kind of person she is, she does for others, and always is willing to help!
In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, she spearheaded a fundraising drive at a local bakery where she was working. Brynna crocheted dozens of Ukraine flags and with the generous support of the owners of the Bakery and our community they raised over $13,000 for Save the Children, Ukraine.
In 2021 she started her own Etsy business where she sells some of her creations, and some of her own patterns. People rave about their purchases.
Below is a link to her Etsy site, if you are interested in checking out her business. Thank you again for reading my blog, this post was very personal. No matter your age, I hope you are inspired to try a new or vintage craft or pass down your crafting or other skills to your little ones, and see where it takes them.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CultivatedCrochetCo
Teaching is the act of sharing the knowledge we have been give by others, in the hop that someday it will again be passed on. _Unknown
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