History of Crochet
Crochet:
origin-Old Norse word, krokr meaning hook and the Middle French
word, croc or croche meaning hook.According to the
research, crochet possibly developed from Chinese needlework. This
was an ancient form of embroidery which
was
brought to Europe in the 1700s where it was referred to as
“tambouring” from the French word “tambour” meaning drum.
At the end of
the 18th century, tambour evolved into what the French called
"crochet in the air," In the early 1800s, Mlle. Riego de la
Branchardiere brought crocheting to life by turning old-style needle and
bobbin lace designs into crochet pattern, making it easier for the
public to duplicate. History states that she invented Irish
Crochet.
Since crochet
is made from threads, there is very little evidence of it earlier than
the 1700s. Though glimpses of possible connections are traced back in to
the past, no direct link has been proven that these earlier forms were
actually Crochet. Over the years, crochet has become quite
popular. It is an easy skill to learn. In its simplest form,
it is drawing of thread through a loop. Hooks are more
commonly made from either metal or plastics. Patterns are readily
available for everything from rugs to sweaters, to shawls. Yarns
or threads come in a great variety of color and texture. A variety
of instructional books are also available.
There are a
number of presses that are available for use. As discussed in the last
article, non-glossy paged telephone books are one of the most
inexpensive way to go. One of the detriments to that, however, is
not all flowers will press with the best color possible, or last as long
in color, without fading.
In this article, I will discuss a number of pressing options.
Wood/Botanical/Horticultural: These usually comprise an assemblage
of wood, blotting papers and screws. They can be purchased from
various places. A good one to buy, and one which I highly
recommend, is from the author Cellestine Hanneman (cellestine@verizon.net). (Book
"Glorious Flowers'). This press is innovative as it prevents
flowers from bruising, and has the ability for multiple layers.
You can, of course, build your own. An excellent on-line source
for instructions to assemble a press, as well as other useful pressing
information is
www.pressed-flowers.com.
Microwave
Presses: There are excellent microwave presses on the market.
Microwaving pressed flowers is an excellent, quick and efficient method
for getting the best color.
-Microfleur:
This press is composed of two hard plastic platens, foam, and a cotton
sheets. It comes with clamps, which are microwavable. This
is an excellent press, and widely in use. There are a
number of distributors on-line, but two I highly recommend are: Lynn
Lang:
flwrs4ever@revealed.net and
Pat Smith:
pat@sonshinecrafts.com
-SunWave:
This is a versatile, light-weight press that is comprised of plastic
grids, plastic canvas, foam and felt. The best thing about this
press is you can, with the buckles, leave it in the sun, or in a hot,
dry place, and the flowers pretty much cure themselves.
Alternatively, removing the buckles, and using heavy duty rubber bands,
it can be placed in the microwave and zapped (30 to 50 seconds), and
then left to cure. On-line sources for this microwave are
www.nantic.com and
www.joannasheen.com. Flowers are considered "done" in both
wooden and microwave press when they are dry to the touch, and have no
limpness to them. You should be able to pick them up with
tweezers.
For a
microwave press you don't have to purchase, you can create your own by
the following method (taken from Joanna Sheen's book 'Microwaving
Flowers'):
Supplies you
will need:
-2 heavy duty
pieces of cardboard
-Layers of
non-textured absorbent paper (i.e., tissue paper, Kleenex, napkins or
paper towels. Make sure they are not textured as they lines of the
papers will show on your pressed flowers.)
-2 sheets of
cardstock or 2 sheets of cardstock or blotting paper
-6 Heavy duty
rubberbands (although regular rubber bands can be used, they will, in
most circumstances, break during microwaving).
Compose the
pressing "sandwich" in the following manner:
-Sheet of
cardboard (fit to your computer size)
-Two or three
layers of absorbent material
-Cardstock/Blotting Paper
-Flowers
-Cardstock/Blotting Paper
-Two/Three
layers of absorbent material
You can use
this for two or three layers of flowers;
To finish:
-Last piece
of cardboard
-Secure
sandwich with three horizontal and three vertical rubber bands
Place in
microwave, and zap in 30 second intervals. Check for dryness after
each zap. The number of times you place in the microwave, and the
voltage depend on the wattage of your microwave oven. Take
cardstock/blotting paper, absorbent paper, cardstock/blotting paper and
place in telephone book to cure until completely dry.
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