| |
Crocheted Jewelry
Crocheted jewelry, clothing, accessories - crochet is undoubtedly enjoying it's moment in the fashion-spotlight right now! But as you probably know, this lovely needlecraft is no trend!
The art of thread and needlework has been around for many hundreds of years. Embroidery is mentioned in the Bible, when, in the book of Exodus, great description is given as to how the Tabernacle in the wilderness was to be constructed. This event takes place almost 1500 years before the advent of Christ, and lets us know that thousands of years ago, people were using needles and some form of yarn for purely decorative purposes.
In her book, The Complete Encyclopedia of Stitchery (Mildred Graves Ryan, copyright 1979), the author asserts that knitted articles dating back to A. D. 200 have been found, which means that this form of needlework has also existed for hundreds of years.
However, it seems no one is able to say exactly where or when crochet needlework began. It doesn't seem to date as far back as embroidery, or even knitting; although we may find a hint at its origins in the fact that the name itself comes from the French word of the same spelling, which means "hook".
It is apparent to me that this particular type of needlecraft has enjoyed great popularity in many Latin American cultures, such as Mexico, for quite some time.
I can vividly recall my grandmother, who is now almost 90, showing me brightly colored crocheted hats and doilies that she had created herself...and no doubt, someone from a previous generation had taught her what she knew!
Today I am seeing crochet used in all sorts of imaginative ways, and after years of making crocheted jewelry myself, it's fun to see how this look is really catching on!
Whatever the historical beginnings might be, it is no wonder that crochet adds such appeal to clothing and accessories -
it is truly timeless!
My own experience with learning to crochet should lend encouragement to anyone who has ever desired to master this needlecraft.
Although I hardly think twice about what I am doing now, I can remember how I struggled to teach myself to crochet from one of those little booklet publications that you pick up at general stores.
I was able to master the basic stitches and "tension" without too much trouble, but then I would encounter some silly obstacle that I just couldn't get around - like watching helplessly as, row by row, my piece of crochet cloth veered hopelessly off to one direction, forming a perfect trapezoid...except it was supposed to be a perfect rectangle!
I guess I wasn't creative enough to figure out a way to piece those trapezoids together into a sweater or shawl!
It would be quite some time before I finally happened upon a much more detailed and illustrated how-to-crochet book that helped me figure out what I was doing wrong: starting my new row one stitch in, and making up the missing stitch by adding one more at the end of the row where it didn't belong!
Something so simple, and yet so frustrating without having a real person there to show me what I was doing wrong!
My halting efforts took a real surge forward when my mother hooked me up (no pun intended!) with a very sweet young woman who was a marvelous crocheter.
Her name was Alejandra. She was small and pretty and soft-spoken; unfortunately, she spoke no English.
She spoke only Spanish, and I, despite my Hispanic heritage, was patheticly NON-bilingual!
But as it turned out, what little Spanish I knew was more than enough, and Alejandra was an incredibly patient teacher.
So we sat side by side, and I learned quite a few handy stitches and techniques while being attentively guided by Alejandra with the few words we had in common: Uno, dos, tres, otra ves...and every now and again, a gentle "No,no" or encouraging "Si!", which I understood readily.
I only had the pleasure of sitting with Alejandra two or three times before, sadly, she was sent back to her South American homeland.
Yes, she was in the States illegally, and had been "housed" by my parents along with several other women who were also waiting to be sent back to their countries of origin...but that's another story from my youth, and has nothing to do with this page.
After Alejandra left, the beautiful shell-stitch sweater I had begun sat in my closet unfinished, and I somehow could not find the gumption to pick it up again.
But for some reason I continued to labor with yarn and crochet-hook, stubbornly determined to finish something - anything - that resembled a real garment.
I must have spent hours hunched over and squinting hard as I muttered to myself, "Uno, dos, tres - otra ves"; and remembering now to look for the first stitch at the beginning of each new row so as to keep my fabric piece straight and even.
And somehow, over the years, it began to be easier; and I found the confidence to try new stitches and patterns; to take on projects that seemed far too difficult. I even dared to purchase my first steel hook and size 10 cotton thread and do the unthinkable - I made a doily!
Not just a little one-hour-project type, but a real 15-inch diameter doily with a "moderate-to-difficult" rating listed next to the instructions!
Although I will confess I have never felt motivated to take on anything else so labor-intensive; maybe I just wanted to be able to say I had done it!
I suppose from all of this, if there is any advice I would give to someone who wishes to learn crochet, or any needlecraft, and who, like me, is not fortunate enough to have a Mom or Granny who can teach them how, my advice would be this:
1. Find a real live person to teach you, even if you have to pay them!
(every teacher deserves to be paid, anyway!)
2. Don't give up! Keep trying, and if one thing isn't working for you shift gears and try something else.
There are so many different types of needlework, and they are all beautiful and versatile.
Today my middle-aged hands are content to keep busy with smaller-scale works.
I hardly ever do large crochet projects anymore. I hardly ever even use aluminum hooks.
Once I picked up the smaller hooks and finer threads, something clicked for me. I can't explain it. But it wasn't long before I was drawn to creating crocheted jewelry with the fine threads and needles. I love the old-world feel that the crocheted cord gives to the jewelry, and the limitless range of colors and patterns! Making crocheted jewelry seems to fuel my creative juices and satisfy my crochet addiction at the same time!
For you, it might be different. Maybe it will be something else that "clicks".
I think the important thing is to simply find that creative outlet, and become the very best you can at that one thing that you love doing the most.
Gee, I think I read something very close to that on a box of Orville Reddenbacher microwave popcorn -
it was something like: "Find one thing, and be the very best at it".
Amazing where pearls of wisdom can be found - sometimes even on a box of popcorn!
In creating a piece of crocheted jewelry, I seem to find that the color thread I use really lends to the overall feeling the piece invokes.
Neutral colors, like ecru or black, lend an earthy, natural feel.
(Of course, add some beaded florets, and perhaps a little dangle, and even a neutral shade can go dressy!)
White, cream, and pastel shades, especially when done with a scalloped edge, lend a dreamy, romantic feel - even when paired with your most distressed jeans!
Whenever I've crocheted something in a dark shade of red, gold, or forest green, it seems to hearken back to the Medeival and Renaissance periods, when those rich colors flourished in tapestries and other needlework.
The wonderful thing is how easy it is to be completely versatile with crocheted jewelry.
I have even seen it used to create a sort of Goth look in open-work patterns of solid black -
which inspired me to start experimenting with more black thread patterns, and I am really loving the look!
Here is just one example of what can be done with crocheted jewelry.
A simple crocheted cord of dark green thread is finished off with an antiqued dangle drop.
I would be more than happy to create something just for you!
Feel free to use the
contact page
to let me know what you are looking for!
You may also use the "Crocheted Jewelry" link, below,
to see more styles that you may choose from and customize...
See Crocheted Jewelry
See All Handmade Jewelry Creations
Return to Home from Crocheted Jewelry
|
