Irish Crochet is a tradition in my family dating back to my great grandmother on my mother’s side. Catherine Gibson Nethery Turner, my great-grandmother, immigrated from County Tyrone, Ireland, in the late 1880s. She was already a master of lace. You may have learned the tradition from one of the masters who taught the Irish how to make lace during the Great Famine. She and her husband Christopher Turner settled in New York.
Catherine continued to crochet small yarn items with tiny hooks that are barely visible to the naked eye, while raising four children in her brownstone apartment. I have surviving examples of his work, and also of his hooks, that my grandmother passed to me. It was a great honor to receive the hooks and other Irish crochet tools that came from this part of the family. Some of the hooks are barely visible to the naked eye.
Some of them were used for crochet and some were used for drum lace fabric, which is a form of cut embroidery that is done using a hoop to hold the fabric, so that a hook can be passed through the fabric to create loops. around the areas. of fabric that has been cut. Wire bridges are also made across the open areas. Great care was taken in designing and creating a piece of this type of fabric.
Lace was an important indicator of status in previous centuries. Those who were able to create large amounts were able to support their families at higher levels of prosperity than those who could not.
The time and energy spent in this craft by our ancestors is indescribable. Along with all the other tasks a woman was expected to perform, decorating her home was a direct reflection of her skill in the arts of needlework.
Fine craft tools are highly prized and durable, in this case they are kept in good condition and very usable, over a hundred years. Irish sewing traditions focus heavily on the importance of good workmanship. The quality of the design and its execution are considered a direct reflection of the character of the manufacturer. Therefore, items can and do last for generations.
Tablecloths, bedding of all kinds, clothing, curtains, anything that could be made more beautiful or more durable, was subject to ornamentation. Piping made with fine thread with a dense texture could add years to the life of a piece of fabric and were widely used.
Caps, booties and all kinds of baby clothes were and are the favorite items to make in Irish crochet.
Bookmarks for the family Bible and prayer book could be made from the finest threads to express the devotion that was an ever-present driving force in the lives of needlewomen. In an imperfect world, sometimes surrounded by truly horrible conditions, women continued to create items of beauty that outlive their own lives, and even generations later, they can inspire us to wonder at the tenacity and skill that was being expressed.
Our ancestors really knew how to make the most of what was coming. A little thread can go a long, long way.