Crochet vs Knitting (The battle of the stitches)
The need to promote cottage industry in Nigeria.
May 2, 2019
Crenovation, a business spice?
May 8, 2019
KNITTING, CROCHET…SAME CRAFT?
Have you ever seen someone with a ball of yarn/wool and a hook and you go ‘you knit? ‘ then the person goes ‘No, I crochet ‘ then you go ‘uhmmmm…right! ‘ with confusion written all over your face? It’s my utmost pleasure to end that struggle today.
Crochet is a process of creating fabric by interlocking loops of yarn, thread or strands of other materials using a crochet hook. We’ve had a lot of theories as regards the origin of crochet but one thing is certain, the word ‘crochet’ comes from the word croc, or croche, the Middle French word for hook.
Knitting is the process of manipulating yarn with multiple loops called stitches to create a textile or a fabric. The word is derived from ‘knot’, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten which is similar to the Old English cnyttan “to knot”. Most histories of knitting place its origin somewhere in the Middle East, and from there it spread to Europe by Mediterranean trade routes and later to the Americas with European colonization.
The major differences in both crafts are shown in the table below:
| CROCHET | KNITTING |
| Done by hand | Done by hand, with a machine, with a loom |
| 1 crochet hook required at a time | 2 pointed knitting needles needed (for hand knitting) |
| Crochet projects due to technique are usually sturdy | Knitted projects are usually lightweight |
However, both crafts
-require, yarn/wool to make projects
-usually have similar finished works like, sweaters, scarfs blankets, socks, coasters…
-make use of unique patterns and similar terminologies and abbreviations (afghan, blocking, ball, tapestry needle, WIP-work in progress, wrong side, right side )
-require a certain level of patience to achieve a complete project
I’d conclude by saying that the results achieved from a of ball of yarn and a crochet hook or knitting needles/ machine/loom is usually under-estimated. I’d recommend that you take out time to fill your eyes with unimaginably beautiful creations of knitting and crochet in the nearest future. I won’t be wrong to say it’s somewhat therapeutic!
