A little crocheting history .....

As stated in my profile, I am (almost) a history teacher.  All things historical interest me.  Here is a little crochet history I found in my research ......



On August 7, 1900, “The Queen’s Scarf” is awarded to Colour Sargeant F. F. Ferret, a member of Queen Victoria’s Royal West Surrey Regiment as a “personal token” of the Queen’s regard.  It is one of only 8 scarves hand-crocheted by the Queen herself to be awarded to soldiers & is on display in the Nat’l Army Museum in London. 

Crocheting was considered a pastime of the upper class to make things decorate their homes. They believed the lower classes did not need pretty things for their homes so lower classes were discouraged & even prohibited from crocheting. Instead they were encouraged to knit basic necessities such as socks.  

Queen Victoria enjoying the craft of crocheting.

During the potato famine, crocheting was taught to encourage a cottage industry of selling lace to the upper class, but crocheting was much faster than knitting and an overabundance of lace resulted, making it seem “common and and undesirable”.  When Queen Victoria was sent a crocheted lace collar, she not only wore it but began crocheting herself, removing the “stigma” from the art.

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