The History of Crochet: Origins, WWI Survival, Queen Victoria & The Granny Square Revolution

Have you ever wondered where crochet actually came from? When you dig into the archives, you won’t find ancient Roman ruins or Egyptian tombs—instead, you’ll find one of the biggest mysteries in the fiber world. In this episode, we are taking a deep dive into the fascinating, rebellious, and survival-driven history of crochet. From the rugged origins of "Shepherd’s Knitting" in Scotland to the trenches of World War I, we explore how this craft has always shown up exactly when humanity needed it most. In this episode, we cover: The Ancient Mystery: Why crochet appears out of nowhere in the 19th century and the theories behind Shepherd’s Knitting and Tambour Embroidery. Royal Influence: The story of Queen Victoria personally crocheting scarves for soldiers during the Boer War at age 81. Crochet as Survival: How the Red Cross used crochet for WWI trench gear and how soldiers used it to cope with "shell shock" (PTSD). The Revolution: How the humble Granny Square went from a "make do and mend" necessity to a symbol of 1970s counterculture and fashion. For a deeper dive into growing your handmade business, check out my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hooked on Growth ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , which goes into much more detail on scaling! 🔆 ⁠⁠⁠ Join Our Skool Community ⁠ 🔆 ⁠⁠⁠ Join The Next Crochet Kit Club ⁠⁠⁠ 🔆 ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Learn to Crochet Course⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ 🔆 ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ Shop My Crochet Patterns⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ 🔆 ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ Grab The Crochet Snuggle Buddies Pattern Book ⁠⁠ 🧶 ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Grab Some Crochet Merch ⁠