Comments on: Crochet – It Might Be In The Genes

By: Kittalia

Kittalia — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 01:58:37 +0000

That’s interesting. I learned crocheting from my friend when I was 11, but both of my grandmothers crocheted.

By: Lizzie

Lizzie — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 09:48:08 +0000

My mother could sew and knit any and every thing BUT she could not crotchet to save her life. She did teach me to knit, but not till I was older (24 or 25 yoa). Perhaps that’s part of the learning. My mother told me she would never had tried to teach me to knit when I was younger, because I had no patience to sit still long enough to learn. I knit, sew, cross stitch, but I love to crochet. Now I have a granddaughter who’s 5 years old and she asks me if I would teach her…I said “Yes, when you’re older…” If you can teach…do it…most crafts are not being passed down to the next generation. It would be a shame if this knowledge is lost. Happy Hooking to one and all!!

By: Veronica Smith

Veronica Smith — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 22:41:41 +0000

I love all your comments. It is really interesting to see how certain talents are passed through families. It is also heartwarming to know that so many of the “old crafts” are still flourishing.

By: Varsha suraiya

Varsha suraiya — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:54:33 +0000

Yes yes yes!craft runs in the blood I .feel it is genetic as it comes in every generation.My grand ma could knit stitch,crochet and bead- crochet elaborate designs.My mom improvised on knitting by learning to hand and machine knit.She could also crochet sew almost anything,do batik,paint,embroider and make ribbon flowers.I too crochet all the time plus can paint ,sew,embroider. Now my daughter can create paper craft,knit,sketch and illustrate on the net.she designs gorgeous personalised cards for weddings,birthdays,baby- books almost anything with paper.Genetics and creativity do link very closely only the form changes with different exposers of different generations.So glad to read your blog. I find myself waiting for the next one every week!

By: MIchelle

MIchelle — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:48:32 +0000

Your article was very interesting to me because it is a lot like my family- my maternal grandmother can sew, crochet and do any handicraft with perfection. I am always blown away with how talented she is. Anything she makes always turns out better than anything you could buy in a department store. My mother on the other hand does not sew or, but she is quite crafty in other ways putting things together and painting, but has never picked up crochet. Then comes me, I am quite adept at crocheting, my grandmother taught me the basics when I was 13, and the rest I self-taught from books. I like to sew, but without a sewing machine I don’t get much practice. I’d like to think that one day I could be as good as my grandmother. For now- I’ll stick with my crochet. I have 3 small sons, maybe some day one of them will want to learn, but I can barely get them to sit still long enough to eat dinner so I’m not holding my breath that they will sit still long enough to learn some day.

By: Jan

Jan — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:57:20 +0000

My grandmother (my mom’s mother) taught me how to embroider as that was what she did, I don’t ever remember her knitting but when she did crochet, she made doilies. I learned how to knit from my mom, who is left-handed and as much as she tried, she could never teach me how to crochet. I did teach myself and now crochet all the time. When my grandchildren were little, they always wanted to learn how to crochet, even the 2 boys. So, I gave them all a hook and some yarn and they were happy just making chains. Then they all grew up and the oldest girl went away to college. When she was home this summer, she came over one night at 9:30 pm, and said “Gram, I want you to teach me how to crochet, now!” I gave her a hook and some yarn, (not even a full skein) and taught her how to make a granny square. Well, in just a week, she made an entire afghan, just one big granny square. She loves it.

By: Betty

Betty — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:05:13 +0000

My mom could crochet anything, and gave up trying to teach me when I was younger. She died when I was 19, so I didn’t get the chance to try again till many years later. My daughter and I wanted to find a class to learn how to crochet, and we were lucky to find a lady to teach us a couple of years ago. I was almost 50, and it was so weird that everything just clicked this time. If I have any trouble I just google it, and sit here with my laptop and crochet. My daughter, who is 26, is so uncoordinated that she still cannot jump rope, can barely ride a bike, and has always been so clutsy that the emergency clinic knows her by name, picked it up pretty quickly also. The strange thing is that while I can’t crochet without a pattern, she can’t usually follow one, and ends up just doing her own thing. It is something we both enjoy, and I am so glad we were able to learn together.

By: Eve Sison

Eve Sison — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 00:30:42 +0000

Hello Veronica,

I enjoyed reading your article as it reminds me of another featured article here in Crochet Spot, entitled “From umbrellas to rainbows” (http://www.crochetspot.com/from-umbrellas-to-rainbows/) where I wrote about my personal experience when my mother taught me how to crochet.

Then in one of my personal blog posts entitled “Does it really run in the blood,” found in http://gardenchefsneedleandpen.blogspot.com/2011/11/does-it-really-run-in-blood.html, I wrote about how my younger daughter learned how to crochet.

Well, isn’t it nice to talk about how the skill runs in different generations in one’s family?

By: Bev Wylie

Bev Wylie — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:13:24 +0000

Hi Veronica,

What an interesting thought: Crochet and genetics. I crochet too–self-taught from books–and it’s about the only thing I’m really “good” at. I also embroider and cross-stitch. My grandmother (my mother’s mother) crocheted and tatted. (I wish she had taught me to tat while her eyesight was still sharp.)

My mom doesn’t do anything “crafty” at all except basic sewing. She has no patience for anything else.

My sister has an artistic flair but has never really developed her talent–she has a very short attention span. She knows basic crochet but she’s never finished a project. Needlework generally bores her to tears whereas I love the intricate patterns and details.

Now I’m wondering if it is “in our genes” and where I got it . . .

Bev