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The Rise and Rise of Crochet
Listed under: One Voice
Published: Thursday, August 26, 2010
With some of the country's top fashion magazines confirming crochet is the new big thing, Jane Platts of hookedyarn.co.uk gives us her take on what's hot right now
How do you think the market is performing at the moment?
The economy is obviously affecting everything at the minute and that includes crochet. People are generally being much more careful with their money and are now less willing to pay for a scarf that has been handmade, despite it often being of better quality and design, and the fact that it won't be seen on every high street in the UK.
Having said that, the economy has also had a positive effect on the industry and there are currently a lot of knit and crochet garments in the shops right now for the winter 2010/11 season, which many people simply can’t afford to buy and are learning to recreate from scratch.
Have you noticed more people taking up the pastime?
There is definitely more interest in crochet and we now have several UK magazines entirely dedicated to the pastime, as well as a range of more general ones featuring articles on it.
One of the biggest problems for consumers in the past has been the lack of decent patterns available over here, which has meant many people have had to get their magazines and patterns from America. But now, albeit very slowly, some of the big pattern designers are producing small selections of fashionable patterns. There are also an increasing number of groups being formed, such as the Stitch and Bitch ones, that are helping boost its profile all over the world!
What are the most popular things people are making?
Amigurumi – Japanese crocheted dolls – are definitely still very popular and a good project for introducing consumers to the pastime as they are so small, meaning the only limit imposed on crafters is their own creativity.
What are the biggest factors influencing trends?
Crochet fits in perfectly with the whole lifestyle being portrayed at the moment. For instance, vintage is huge right now – something the pastime fits right into – and all the leading shops, books and home magazines seem to be highlighting the benefits of baking and the pleasure of creating things with your own hands. What's more, prestigious fashion designers, such as Dior and Julien Macdonald, are also featuring many knit and crochet pieces in their winter collections, generating further interest in the sector, and popular blogs and sites like Etsy and Folksy are also helping keep up the momentum.
What would you say are the biggest trends in the market at the moment?
Accessories are definitely very much in vogue, as are big scarves and bags, and anything that is easy to make.
What do you think is going to be the next big thing?
I’d like to think the crochet world is going to continue to grow and, with that popularity, there will be better quality patterns written. There are so many benefits to the pastime; it has even been introduced into prisons as a way of calming and focusing the male prisoners!
The economy is obviously affecting everything at the minute and that includes crochet. People are generally being much more careful with their money and are now less willing to pay for a scarf that has been handmade, despite it often being of better quality and design, and the fact that it won't be seen on every high street in the UK.
Having said that, the economy has also had a positive effect on the industry and there are currently a lot of knit and crochet garments in the shops right now for the winter 2010/11 season, which many people simply can’t afford to buy and are learning to recreate from scratch.
Have you noticed more people taking up the pastime?
There is definitely more interest in crochet and we now have several UK magazines entirely dedicated to the pastime, as well as a range of more general ones featuring articles on it.
One of the biggest problems for consumers in the past has been the lack of decent patterns available over here, which has meant many people have had to get their magazines and patterns from America. But now, albeit very slowly, some of the big pattern designers are producing small selections of fashionable patterns. There are also an increasing number of groups being formed, such as the Stitch and Bitch ones, that are helping boost its profile all over the world!
What are the most popular things people are making?
Amigurumi – Japanese crocheted dolls – are definitely still very popular and a good project for introducing consumers to the pastime as they are so small, meaning the only limit imposed on crafters is their own creativity.
What are the biggest factors influencing trends?
Crochet fits in perfectly with the whole lifestyle being portrayed at the moment. For instance, vintage is huge right now – something the pastime fits right into – and all the leading shops, books and home magazines seem to be highlighting the benefits of baking and the pleasure of creating things with your own hands. What's more, prestigious fashion designers, such as Dior and Julien Macdonald, are also featuring many knit and crochet pieces in their winter collections, generating further interest in the sector, and popular blogs and sites like Etsy and Folksy are also helping keep up the momentum.
What would you say are the biggest trends in the market at the moment?
Accessories are definitely very much in vogue, as are big scarves and bags, and anything that is easy to make.
What do you think is going to be the next big thing?
I’d like to think the crochet world is going to continue to grow and, with that popularity, there will be better quality patterns written. There are so many benefits to the pastime; it has even been introduced into prisons as a way of calming and focusing the male prisoners!
