A yarn about a craft becoming an art
GRIN AND WEAR IT The author poses with sweaters of her own design, above and below. Photos courtesy of Adriana Serafino
By Adriana Serafino | Manor Ink
One might think of crocheting as a practical way to make blankets, hats or scarves for the winter. This may be how crocheting began, but today it is also seen as an art form.
The various techniques of crocheting started way back in the late 1700s. Some people believe it originated in Arabia, but it could have also started with Chinese needlework techniques. In the early 19th century, crocheting spread to the United States and no longer is seen as solely a traditional craft but is also recognized as fiber art.
Today crocheting has become very popular, and the latest generation of crocheters have found their own creative style as fiber artists. Once creators started seeing yarn’s potential as art, possibilities opened up for a whole new creative genre of museum-worthy installations.
I was first introduced to the idea of crocheting by a family friend whose sister was an amazing fiber artist. She gave my family crocheted blankets, hats and even stuffed animals. When I was around seven years old, I was shown how to crochet, but I became frustrated learning the skill because I didn’t really understand how making stitches worked.
In 2020, my crochet art journey started up again when the craft store Michaels held a zoom class on how to crochet granny squares. The granny square stitch is a great place to start for beginners, because you only need to know two techniques called the “chain stitch” and “double crochet stitch.”
After that, I became obsessed with finding YouTube beginner tutorials on how to crochet many different things, from frogs and rats to bees and bears. Learning beginner stitches gave me the basics of how to crochet.
One of the most helpful steps I’ve taken on my fiber art journey is talking to other artists in the medium. I went into a yarn store in Port Jervis called Grumpy Goat Fine Yarn and there I had a wonderful conversation with the owner, who told me about a website called Ravelry.
Ravelry is a place where people can post free or paid patterns for different fiber media, from crocheting and knitting even to loom knitting. Learning how to read written stitches opens up a whole new world with many more creations to make. After years of crocheting only stuffed animals, I began to make blankets and then my own clothing designs for garments that I often wear.
If you’re interested in starting your own crocheting journey, I highly recommend using Ravelry. To learn more, visit the store’s website at ravelry.com.
Dolls by Adriana Serafino
