Overhearing a class that was being conducted in the shop, I kept hearing…tulips…tulips…two loops!

It was just Master Jeff (ravelry link) doing what he does best, teaching others to crochet.  March is National Crochet month and in celebrating, we had a few wonderful crochet classes at The Local Needle. 

Jeff has created the perfect beginner class.  Using single crochet, students learn how to make a rolled brim hat.  They work around and around and about a week later, ta-da!…they have a great hat to wear.  

Nobody really knows where crochet originated, a writer/researcher, Lis Paludan mentions a few theories: a primitive South American tribe was said to have used crochet adornments in rites of puberty and in China, early examples were known of 3-dimensional dolls worked in crochet.  Amigurumi?  Perhaps.

A great many sources state that crochet has been known as far back as the 1500s in Italy under the name of ‘nun’s work’ or ‘nun’s lace,’ where it was worked by nuns for church textiles.

Regardless of it’s origins, I personally have learned a new respect for the craft.  Jeff has shown me and other Local Needle customers that crochet does not have to look…for want of a better word, tacky.    I can only assume that most of the crochet I have seen in my lifetime was made by a beginner and also made with poor quality yarn.  I have now been exposed to expert workmanship and use of lovely yarns, the difference is unbelievable.  

To show you what I mean, here is a dresser scarf made from JaggerSpun Zephyr laceweight, and Jeff’s favorite…the pineapple stitch.  It’s simply gorgeous.

So thank you Jeff for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us at The Local Needle, we are now a Retail member of The Crochet Guild Of America and cheers to National Crochet Month, may this craft continue to grow in popularity and technique!