On Inclusion and Respect for the Craft
Maybe it’s just me.
There are hundreds of thousands of crocheters in this country and around the world. Yet in this country, in my opinion, there is a lack of respect and gravitas given to this craft. When I get catalogs from higher end and/or luxury yarn brands, particularly from the larger commercial companies, I have noticed that there is a huge focus on advanced knitting projects but only one or two simple crochet projects thrown in almost as an aside. General fiber arts trade magazines often do not include crochet or crocheters as featured subjects. The magazines that do focus on crochet in the US often lack sophistication. I have also had the unfortunate experience of going into higher end yarn stores and receiving a dismissive attitude from store owners when they find out that I solely focus on crochet (along with the not so subtle message that as a Black woman, I didn’t belong there, period). I have gotten the distinct impression that many have an attitude that high quality yarn would be wasted on such a seemingly banal craft.
I believe classism and racism has played into the attitudes regarding crochet and crocheters here in the US. The art of crochet is taken much more seriously overseas than it is here, specifically in several countries in South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and many Eastern European countries as well. Often the crochet designers from these areas create beautiful, intricate and far more complex designs than what I see popularized here in the US. This doesn’t mean we don’t have fantastic designers here as well. On the popular website www.ravelry.com alone, you will find tens of thousands of sophisticated designs created in the USA. Yet, the commercial fiber arts industry as a whole doesn’t seem to acknowledge crochet as a serious artform. I have even heard fellow crafters in passing talk about how they started getting into fiber arts with crochet projects and then turned to knitting which is when they took it “seriously” and became “real artists”.
Frankly, I feel there is an unspoken outlook: Crochet is for the poor and working class. Since class and institutional racism really can’t–and shouldn’t–be separated when viewing US culture, this automatically means that crochet is for “the colored folks”. Although the narrative is changing, knitting is still, in my opinion, viewed as a pursuit of the wealthy, which also means predominantly white.
There are some things about knitting vs crochet that are just true. The simple fact is that crochet uses a lot more yarn than knitting does to make a similar object. This in turn can make it much more expensive to crochet a sweater out of high end yarn than it is to knit one. Also crochet is often used to make more utilitarian objects that need to be durable for their purpose–like blankets, toys and housewares. Cheaper synthetic yarns are just more practical. Crochet also can be easier to learn and quicker to produce finished objects than with knitting. This is why I think you see so many “quick and easy crochet projects for last minute gifts!” around the holidays. But none of this should foster an attitude of disrespect towards the craft.
I started getting interested in knitting and crochet over 15 years ago but it has been in the last 10 years that I seriously began to study fiber arts, specifically, crochet. Unlike a lot of people, I started with knitting first, which I enjoyed, but it really took a toll on both of my wrists. I ended up with severe carpal tunnel syndrome in both of my hands--not solely due to knitting, but it didn’t help. This is what led me to crochet. Somehow, crochet didn’t feel as painful for me to do. So I put down the needles and picked up the hook and have never looked back since.
Over the years I have learned better practices while working with my hands to minimize pain. I could probably knit with little issue if I wanted to, but I don't and I won’t. Not only because I truly enjoy crochet, but I also want to develop a real mastery in this particular craft and help to elevate the perception of crochet in this country. It-and the people who do it–deserve all the same acknowledgement and respect that other artists receive in the larger fiber arts community.
