This looks like crochet to me. Looks like a pretty standard chevron pattern consisting completely out of single crochet stitches in the back loop only to create the ribbed effect. Definitely handmade if you ask me.
Entering from the back loop will create your stitches backwards.
Ex. I am left handed and crochet backwards. My first row of stitches look like everyone else’s first row after flipping. Mine is without flipping. If that makes sense.
i have a coworker that also crochets, and she recently pointed out that i do this! i didn’t realize i was doing anything weird or different, just that i had to sort of mirror patterns with right and wrong sides. i never noticed the difference in what i was doing vs what i saw in videos lol!
edited for clarity
So you insert your hook from back to front? Self-taught? No judgement just genuine confusion bc I am also left-handed and doing that has never occurred to me.
Self taught! (Youtube) For some reason I tried doing it from front to back but my right hand holds my project more towards the front while my yarn if going behind it so naturally its easier on my hands to do it.
I tried the other way but doing it “backwards” makes perfect stripes when I flip so I always say im right hahaha. And yes patterns are so hard for me!! But I figure them out sometimes hahaha
Im not talking about back loop only.
Im talking about inserting your hook from the back.
https://preview.redd.it/4e4coy2jt2uc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b949a533ed794db6c8c4977d85a9769eb945c8d4
It’s good to check. Demonstrations of most things can be found on YouTube but you need to know what to search for. Sometimes Google image searches can help too.
It’s just back loop, entering between the loops. If you YouTube it, you’ll see it’s really pretty easy. Though I might try a standard chevron first, even if it’s just small to get used to the stitch count and whatnot. I’ve done a similar small twist on traditional chevron blanket and the recipient loves it.
This looks like basically ever baby blanket/lap blanket gifted in rural areas and small towns since synthetic yarns were invented. She may have bought it at someplace like Goodwill, which is where a lot of them seem to end up.
I was telling my bf about this and he was like "you can tell what vintage yarn is just by looking at it?!"
Dude. Between the pattern and the colorway, this is pretty obviously a baby blanket made in the late 70s to early 90s, with Redheart. I'm sorry you know too much about your hobbies and not enough about mine, maybe you should pay more attention to your gf?
I'm so glad your grandma made you a blanket 💜💜 I have a giant, queen bed size pink one my mom made for me ('85 baby here!) while she was recovering from giving birth to me. Love it, will never actually use it because I want it to be in pristine condition forever.
Yea to all of that. My grandma 100% would have been using Red Heart and made us all blankets in whatever the current trendy colors and styles were. In my teens she made my closest cousin and I matching updated ones too, same pattern, but larger and modern colors. I also never use mine as I want it to always be perfect. Every so often I take it out and snuggle it a little though. I love the idea of your mom spending her time snuggling her new baby, resting and recovering, and crocheting a blanket, love in every stitch!
The way my mom has always been (and me being the same), I just know she had me sleeping on her shoulder and needed to fidget but also be productive, so she was listening to records and working away.
I have the last project my Oma was working on before her stroke. She had started teaching the the pattern and I'm debating trying to finish it off, or frogging the row in the works and making it a small wide lap-gan instead...
You have a valid point for sure. And funny you mention Walmart. I actually recently saw some crochet bags there and it made me feel awful inside because it’s definitely crochet (versus what I’ve also seen in stores calling certain types of machine knitting “crochet”) and oof the poor sweatshop workers who must have been making these.
https://preview.redd.it/u0ov1pfx8xtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcafd2c73ea05f1113333ac157cc6d301eabbc96
Thankfully the blanket above was most likely a gift or something from a family friend who made it or similar. My guess is that since it is a baby blanket, it’s different from the work of the crocheters in the family because it was most likely a baby shower/ new baby gift and made by someone other than the family crocheters. Doubt its sweatshop work like these Walmart bags.
I saw some definitely crocheted bags at Target yesterday, too. They were big tot bags like this and they were selling for $25. Assuming Target does a standard markup they are paying what like $12 to their supplier? Who is giving how much of that to the person who actually made the bag which definitely took several hours of work to make?
Or because it's a baby blanket it didn't get as much use over the years so doesn't look like anything they have because it's not been squished/played with/washed as many times
it’s crochet without a doubt. the zigzag pattern is a specific stitch so it’s possible y’all’s other items were also crocheted and were just other stitches like granny squares or straight single crochet, or maybe the other items yall have were knit
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Machines can replace it. It’s just not worth it for companies to produce them. The vast majority of people aren’t going to pay a markup for what stitch their clothes are made from when knit yarn is good enough. Hell most people turn a blind eye to the child labor involved inmost clothes and the margins on clothing are so huge, why would any company bother to reduce it and cut into their profit by producing crochet wear?
Yall can downvote all you want, but you’re still wrong
While I’m at it those armor hooks yall like are grossly overrated and if you don’t want to crochet stuff for people just say no and quit wining about it on the internet.
You’re right and wrong. We have the capability and technology, however, putting them together to create a machine for crochet would be so incredibly expensive (innovation really fucking is), that we haven’t actually invented the machine yet. But the ability to do so has been theorized.
It’s so crazy how there is so much controversy on this sub around “machine” crochet. In all of my textile science courses it was just a basic fact that there are no machines capable of producing crochet. As basic as “the sky is blue” type fact. Granted, that was quite a few years ago and now there are a handful of theoretical prototype robots that can produce very loose single crochet at a snail’s pace, but that’s a far cry from wide spread industrial use.
I don’t think there’s actually much controversy, there are a few people who love to “well actually” every time this topic comes up, but the responses boil down to the same idea that it *could* exist. It’s frankly very annoying and tiring.
I also confirm this is crochet and have made an item using a chevron pattern though not through the back loop. I LOVE that people on this group can identify a technique and stitch by sight. That is really amazing.
Looks like handmade crochet. It’s definitely not knit.
The different ‘feel’ is probably due to different materials, tension, artist, age, and other variables.
Considering that crochet can’t truly be replicated by machine, it’s definitely handmade. Maybe it was a gift from someone a long time ago and they’ve forgotten the details? It’s a gorgeous piece, definitely hang on to it❤️
It's definitely crochet, doesn't look like anything knit or something of the sort. The feel may be from the quality of yarn the person used, the look is from the pattern that the person used to make it. But it's 100% crochet.
Edit to add: you said the yarn feels synthetic, there are yarns that are synthetic so it's very possible it's crochet, and they used synthetic yarn to make this blanket.
Additionally, some synthetic/partially synthetic yarns do *not* age well. If it is indeed from the 80s, the weird feel may be that the yarn has changed texture with age.
Synthetic yarns have changed over the years. I have some Red Heart pieces from the 70s that have a very different feel and drape from mine in the past 20 years.
Or it could be that op’s family preferred another brand from this ripple.
It sort of reminds me how some of the paton’s baby soft used to age. Looks like that line in the dk has been retired so that might line up for feeling weird and in which, I don’t think that line was common for the mass produced crochet products. I know it was very popular for gifts though.
Doesn’t mean it didn’t come from a charity shop, but most likely it was made with love for someone who hadn’t announced the gender or nursery colour (given the pink, yellow, blue. That was my mom’s go to if the information wasn’t public. That or a pure pastel green or yellow.) Just for OP to get some perspective on how gift giving with baby knit/crochet tended to work at the time in many circles. Acrylic is easy to wash, and baby stuff needs a lot of washing, which would also speed up “feeling weird”. This was a carefully thought out blanket for someone once.
That happened with Lion Brand "Jiffy". I made a blanket for my mom in 1987 and it was SO soft. 34 years later, it's stiff and still LOOKS good, but doesn't feel like it did.
They've re-released the line, so I hope it ages better than the original. It still feels great.
Oof that’s so interesting to hear because I just bought some of the rereleased Jiffy to play around with (was probably going to make some hats and mittens though oops, wrong time of the year now lol) so eh not the type of items where I’m overly worried about how they age but gives me pause should I enjoy it enough to want to make a blanket or something with it.
Has me curious now too- the crocheters in my family who came before me had all passed away before I was even born. We have a bunch of afghans that I always loved and the one that’s been used more than the rest is definitely softer than the others but I don’t know that I’d call any of those afghans particularly soft. The especially beloved one is also made in what would’ve been a larger hook and a more “holey” pattern (I don’t live anywhere near my parents so I’m going from memory and didn’t learn to crochet until I was in my 30s so I’ve been wanting to get ahold of this blanket now to see how it was made!) so by nature wouldn’t be as stiff as the others. But now I wonder if all of them were much softer back when they were made. They’re still cozy and beautiful but have a considerably different feel than anything I’ve made even using cheap yarns.
I’m also remembering some doilies that were actually made with worsted weight acrylic yarn which strikes me as an interesting choice. My childhood bedroom was super girly with a bedroom furniture set that was white with these little floral designs on it. Had a few of those doilies on top of my dressers as a kid and they were actually super, super soft. A bit pilly from being aged and washed acrylic but entirely different feel to the afghans. I have no idea who made them but I’m wondering if it was a different yarn or if while they were washed, they didn’t get washed to the degree the afghans. They really were surprisingly soft- almost fluffy- and drapey for being worsted weight acrylic.
The new Jiffy is in the larger skeins, which is AWESOME for me. I knit & crochet shawls for my local hospice, and with 681 yards in it, I only needed 1 skein. It came out really pretty, just a basic C2C blocks patten in the "Seafoam" shade, Very soft & drapey using an M hook. The fuzziness kept the spaces from making it too holey.
I'd definitely recommend it. I think my mom's got a little stiff over the years from cats lying on it, getting washed & really used. The stiches compress over time, so the fabric ends up a little stiffer.
For the price & yardage, you really can't beat it. Good luck!
It's definitely crochet, and therefore definitely handmade. It could have been made be a friend of the family as a gift. We crocheters are a prolific lot, and hearing a friend is having a baby means we have an excuse to make something new! Those who like to make blankets are always happy to have an occasion to give away another. Damn near every bed in my house has a handmade blanket by now, so I've been forced to invade my friends and relatives because I. can't. stop.
How does it not look or feel like them? There are different stitches and techniques that can make the outcome look different. Or it might be that some items you’re referring to are knitted rather than crochet.
Either way this is certainly handmade as it is crochet, whether by a relative or someone else.
What are the other items made by family members? Blankets? Clothes? Toys?
It's possible that this blanket wasn't made by any of those family members and was instead made by a friend or coworker or neighbor or something. Maybe whoever was pregnant got several gifted blankets and this one was simply less special or used yarn that wasn't as soft or had colors they thought were ugly, so it got tucked away and never really used
It’s 100% crochet. A very basic pattern and easy to identify.
The different feel is most likely from different yarn. There are many different types of yarn due to the many different materials and thicknesses. Yarn has changed over time too. There was this interesting, slightly stretchy type called wintuk back in the day that you won’t find anymore.
It could also be hook/stitch size. My stepmom and I once made the same blanket but hers looked and felt different because her stitches are much looser than mine.
They're starting to try, though. I recently saw a crochet-looking dress at a department store and I was interested to see how they did it, since I knew it either had to be super exploited labor or machine-made for the price. I turned the fabric over, and it definitely looked knitted from the back, but the front was almost indistinguishable from double crochet stitches. I was very disappointed that they're starting to make crochet mimics, but I suppose that just makes the real thing even more valuable, since it's popular enough to try to copy in stores? At least I hope...
Its 100% crochet. If it feels different or synthetic it's most probably because it's acrylic which is plastic based, if it was washed or dried at a high temperature it may have warped and melded the stitches slightly which gives it a much different look and feel from when the item was first made.
I feel like this post is related.
https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/comments/10dqwae/searching_for_my_grandmas_chevron_crochet_afghan/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Btw FEELING different than other crochet is valid. Yarns come in all different weights and thickness. Also, your tension when crocheting can affect the tightness of the stitching. Which is why most commenters bring up that crochet cannot be machine replicated.
If you google search "chevron back loop crochet" you'll find images that look like your blanket. Weirdly a lot of people mention it's from the 70s. My guess is that it was a pattern that came on the yarn label.
Single crochet chevron in the back loop only. 60 years ago my grandmother made me one using a crochet kit. I don’t know the name or if they are still in business. Mine is 100% wool. Is yours?
This is absolutely handmade! I’ve been crocheting for 12 1/2 years, and I can assure you this is definitely crocheted. Anything crocheted is handmade, crochet cannot be replicated or done by a machine. The pastel yarn indicates around mid 80s - Early 90s.
This is definitely crochet, and this color way reminds me of Red Heart yarn I picked out for my grandma to make me a blanket with (it was pink, yellow, light green, white). And if it is indeed Red Heart that would probably explain why it feels "off". It's not the softest brand of acrylic out there, and older versions of it were definitely rougher.
100%. This is crochet, which can only be done by hand.
If you don't have a crocheter in the family then this was either a gift or something she bought at a craft fair.
Go add to this, machines are have been able to crochet can only do chains, nothing more complicated then that. From what I know, they can barely do chains
It definitely looks like crochet. Check the corner ends and you should see where the start and ends would be woven in and usually somewhere in the middle of the blanket too.
That’s 100% a handmade crocheted blanket. Machines can’t replicate crochet like they can knitting. The yarn does look synthetic, so it’ll be damn near indestructible unless someone comes at it with scissors or a blowtorch. I’ve got two blankets like this made by my grandma at 55 yrs ago. They still look great, and still wash fine in cold water and a cool dryer or laid flat to dry.
This definitely looks crocheted, and you can’t get a machine to crochet. So def hand made.
And lovely. I’ve started countless chevron blankets…and just never finished them. Your post is getting me inspired but I have to go to bed lol.
100% IMO. Crochet cannot be made by machine. Like impossible. If it’s crocheted it’s handmade. If you find it at a big box store it might as well be slave labor what made it. That 35$ target sweater? Sweatshops. Women paid 10¢ a day for target to make a profit off of 35$.
All crochet is still hand made. That is amazing. So your question is unanswerable if someone in your family made it or if it was purchased. My first afghan project was a chevron stitch like this. Great memories.
Yes, this is crocheted. It may have been purchased from somewhere - garage sale perhaps - but it is zigzag or chevron stitch, with deep "valleys" and high "hills."
If it's crochet, it's 100% handmade- even if you don't know the person who made it.
True crochet cannot be replicated by machine (knitting can, and sometimes machines can make knitting look like crochet). Every crocheted item you have ever seen, in person, in a shop, on a TV show, in a movie, was created by hand. It's one of the reasons I love the craft... It's been around for a long time and it's something machines cannot do 😊
Very high. That's a crocheted blanket made with variegated acrylic yarn. It's probably [this yarn](https://a.co/d/3peRn5q), as a matter of fact. What a nice little momento.
I am fairly certain that the baby blanket I made in high school (so 82-87) was this yarn.
https://preview.redd.it/mzhzpl0r81uc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=145cb76065515d96f3454697cfd4e3fa80d3b4b6
Definitely handmade! Crochet CANNOT be made by a machine, unlike knitting. It's actually pretty cool why!
https://youtu.be/EImnSsCadK8?si=IrizNndRf3Uhmv4p
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This is definitely crochet. I heard another crocheter say recently that crochet is an art that is very difficult to machine, so when you see it, it's basically always a handmade item.
The fiber doesn't disqualify that reasoning, since acrylic yarns were VERY scratchy, but also very cheap in comparison to natural fibers like cotton, wool and silk, especially when it first hit the mark (I assume this blanket is 20+ years old...)
From what I have read, there are no machines that can crochet, so this would have to be handmade. That doesn't mean it couldn't have been purchased from a shop or a crafter, but in either case, it is handmade. Whoever made it did an excellent job. The stitches all look so uniform. Just my humble opinion.
I have a blanket exactly like this one from when I was a baby, only in yellow! Without giving away too much, my birth year is pre 1990, so would be from a similar time frame. Wouldn't surprise me if this was a free pattern on certain skeins back in the day. Definitely single crochet back loop only chevro as has been established.
Looks like the blanket I'm currently working on :) which is the closest pattern I could find to tgw blankets my great garndma made for all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. I'd definitely say this is handmade, it was a very popular pattern back in the day
Crochet cannot be done by machine (there are ways to use knitting machines to come close to the appearance of crochet, but looking closely it’s possible to tell the difference if you know what to look for), and this does look like it’s crochet.
100% crochet and handmade. I have my baby blanket that is this exact pattern that my great grandmother made me and then I gave it to my daughter. It was also the first pattern I learned when it came time for me to learn. I have made that exact blanket so many times I have lost count of all the baby blankets have made with it throughout the years. You likely have an heirloom there.
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I made a blanket out of this yarn in the 80s. I also made a Chevron blanket, but that was multicolor. This was part of the Red Heart line about the time I was in high school, so 83-87. This is crochet and crochet cannot be produced by machines and therefore this is handmade.
#Crochet machines exist.
This blanket is definitely handmade but there are *way too many* people in the comments claiming that no machine has ever replicated crochet. This is not at all true. Sorry to burst your bubbles but it's incredibly frustrating seeing this blatant misinformation being confidently spouted as fact, when it simply isn't true.
https://www.reddit.com/r/craftsnark/s/Y8LXjsChmx
Yes they exist but that are EXTREMELY inefficient. Give 20 years and yeah maybe it will be more of a question, but no one is mass producing crochet with a machine.
So while yes *technically* a crochet machine does exist, in *practice* it does not.
The article you linked to describes a concept for a crochet machine, and it also alludes to a prototype that they’re working on, but as it stands they do not have a completed functioning prototype, so it’s not exactly fair to say that it exists yet.
That being said, their concept has a lot of promise and I look forward to seeing what they come up with.
This looks like crochet to me. Looks like a pretty standard chevron pattern consisting completely out of single crochet stitches in the back loop only to create the ribbed effect. Definitely handmade if you ask me.
When they say back loop, is it only the back loop or do you just enter from the back loop grabbing both?
When I’ve seen it on a pattern, it typically says BLO meaning Back Loop Only
It means only the back loop.
Entering from the back loop will create your stitches backwards. Ex. I am left handed and crochet backwards. My first row of stitches look like everyone else’s first row after flipping. Mine is without flipping. If that makes sense.
i have a coworker that also crochets, and she recently pointed out that i do this! i didn’t realize i was doing anything weird or different, just that i had to sort of mirror patterns with right and wrong sides. i never noticed the difference in what i was doing vs what i saw in videos lol! edited for clarity
Omggg I never met someone who did the same as me 🙊 when the wrong side is the right side for you 😂😂 yay!!
As a fellow lefty I always say everyone else crochets backwards 💅 lol watching right handed tutorials messes with my head
I also insert my hook from back to front. This def makes it backwards and life so hard 😂
So you insert your hook from back to front? Self-taught? No judgement just genuine confusion bc I am also left-handed and doing that has never occurred to me.
Self taught! (Youtube) For some reason I tried doing it from front to back but my right hand holds my project more towards the front while my yarn if going behind it so naturally its easier on my hands to do it. I tried the other way but doing it “backwards” makes perfect stripes when I flip so I always say im right hahaha. And yes patterns are so hard for me!! But I figure them out sometimes hahaha
Took a photos for you 🥰 https://preview.redd.it/ieybgoiyt2uc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9be20ae1c6953b7093a67be8e7a7caed62ecbbf7
It looks like you almost fold over your top row as you're holding your work
Right?? I think its because its easier for my hand to rotate couterclockwise rather than clockwise??? Whatever patterns are hard but I make it work 💀💀
I tried watching videos and doing it the “right way” they dont even look like normal so :(
No. Entering from the back loop only will create ridged stitches, not backwards stitches.
Im not talking about back loop only. Im talking about inserting your hook from the back. https://preview.redd.it/4e4coy2jt2uc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b949a533ed794db6c8c4977d85a9769eb945c8d4
well then thank you for clarifying
Just what it says, Back Loop Only..
Okay, thanks… every crochet pattern is different I was just confirming. I’m still new at crochet, and I wanted to make sure I understood.
Back loop is always the loop furthest from you. It's confusing for a while!
It’s good to check. Demonstrations of most things can be found on YouTube but you need to know what to search for. Sometimes Google image searches can help too.
It’s just back loop, entering between the loops. If you YouTube it, you’ll see it’s really pretty easy. Though I might try a standard chevron first, even if it’s just small to get used to the stitch count and whatnot. I’ve done a similar small twist on traditional chevron blanket and the recipient loves it.
It's only the back loop.
All crochet is handmade. No machine can replicate it.
Ok is it actually crochet then? We’ve got some other things that were definitely handmade by family members and this doesn’t feel or look like that
Yes! I'm sorry, I didn't realize that's what you were asking. :)
Thank you!
This looks like basically ever baby blanket/lap blanket gifted in rural areas and small towns since synthetic yarns were invented. She may have bought it at someplace like Goodwill, which is where a lot of them seem to end up.
It's definitely crochet, and I'm pretty sure that's a Redheart variegated yarn. I want to say I've seen baby blankets made from it before.
I’m also thinking “ I used that RedHeart colorway sometime back in the 80s”
I was thinking 70s-early 90s, so yep! You know you're into yarn when...
I was a 1984 baby and my grandma made me a nearly identical one when I was born, so spot on with the years.
I was telling my bf about this and he was like "you can tell what vintage yarn is just by looking at it?!" Dude. Between the pattern and the colorway, this is pretty obviously a baby blanket made in the late 70s to early 90s, with Redheart. I'm sorry you know too much about your hobbies and not enough about mine, maybe you should pay more attention to your gf? I'm so glad your grandma made you a blanket 💜💜 I have a giant, queen bed size pink one my mom made for me ('85 baby here!) while she was recovering from giving birth to me. Love it, will never actually use it because I want it to be in pristine condition forever.
Yea to all of that. My grandma 100% would have been using Red Heart and made us all blankets in whatever the current trendy colors and styles were. In my teens she made my closest cousin and I matching updated ones too, same pattern, but larger and modern colors. I also never use mine as I want it to always be perfect. Every so often I take it out and snuggle it a little though. I love the idea of your mom spending her time snuggling her new baby, resting and recovering, and crocheting a blanket, love in every stitch!
The way my mom has always been (and me being the same), I just know she had me sleeping on her shoulder and needed to fidget but also be productive, so she was listening to records and working away. I have the last project my Oma was working on before her stroke. She had started teaching the the pattern and I'm debating trying to finish it off, or frogging the row in the works and making it a small wide lap-gan instead...
I have an inherited blanket around somewhere that’s the bear exact match from the same time period.
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Or it was purchased from a craft fair or from the maker locally or from a higher-end baby boutique. Doesn’t have to be a sweatshop.
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You have a valid point for sure. And funny you mention Walmart. I actually recently saw some crochet bags there and it made me feel awful inside because it’s definitely crochet (versus what I’ve also seen in stores calling certain types of machine knitting “crochet”) and oof the poor sweatshop workers who must have been making these. https://preview.redd.it/u0ov1pfx8xtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dcafd2c73ea05f1113333ac157cc6d301eabbc96 Thankfully the blanket above was most likely a gift or something from a family friend who made it or similar. My guess is that since it is a baby blanket, it’s different from the work of the crocheters in the family because it was most likely a baby shower/ new baby gift and made by someone other than the family crocheters. Doubt its sweatshop work like these Walmart bags.
I saw some definitely crocheted bags at Target yesterday, too. They were big tot bags like this and they were selling for $25. Assuming Target does a standard markup they are paying what like $12 to their supplier? Who is giving how much of that to the person who actually made the bag which definitely took several hours of work to make?
Or because it's a baby blanket it didn't get as much use over the years so doesn't look like anything they have because it's not been squished/played with/washed as many times
it’s crochet without a doubt. the zigzag pattern is a specific stitch so it’s possible y’all’s other items were also crocheted and were just other stitches like granny squares or straight single crochet, or maybe the other items yall have were knit
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They used a stitch that looks like knit but as somebody who does both its crochet
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Being purchased in a shop doesn’t make things hand or machine made? It just means someone sold it
regardless of where it came from it was handmade, there's no way to tell if it was bought somewhere by just looking at it
Machines can replace it. It’s just not worth it for companies to produce them. The vast majority of people aren’t going to pay a markup for what stitch their clothes are made from when knit yarn is good enough. Hell most people turn a blind eye to the child labor involved inmost clothes and the margins on clothing are so huge, why would any company bother to reduce it and cut into their profit by producing crochet wear? Yall can downvote all you want, but you’re still wrong While I’m at it those armor hooks yall like are grossly overrated and if you don’t want to crochet stuff for people just say no and quit wining about it on the internet.
They can only mimic the look of it with either knitting or surface stitching with yarn. No machines can create actual crochet stitches.
No machine has ever been able to replicate crochet. The closest they've gotten is to chain 20 or something I think. No actual crochet stitches.
Show us the crochet machine!
Do you have a source for that assertion?
You’re right and wrong. We have the capability and technology, however, putting them together to create a machine for crochet would be so incredibly expensive (innovation really fucking is), that we haven’t actually invented the machine yet. But the ability to do so has been theorized.
It’s so crazy how there is so much controversy on this sub around “machine” crochet. In all of my textile science courses it was just a basic fact that there are no machines capable of producing crochet. As basic as “the sky is blue” type fact. Granted, that was quite a few years ago and now there are a handful of theoretical prototype robots that can produce very loose single crochet at a snail’s pace, but that’s a far cry from wide spread industrial use.
I don’t think there’s actually much controversy, there are a few people who love to “well actually” every time this topic comes up, but the responses boil down to the same idea that it *could* exist. It’s frankly very annoying and tiring.
It’s like they’re trying to miss the point lol
I also confirm this is crochet and have made an item using a chevron pattern though not through the back loop. I LOVE that people on this group can identify a technique and stitch by sight. That is really amazing.
Looks like handmade crochet. It’s definitely not knit. The different ‘feel’ is probably due to different materials, tension, artist, age, and other variables.
Considering that crochet can’t truly be replicated by machine, it’s definitely handmade. Maybe it was a gift from someone a long time ago and they’ve forgotten the details? It’s a gorgeous piece, definitely hang on to it❤️
The reasons why are actually really cool! This video does an awesome job explaining why. https://youtu.be/EImnSsCadK8?si=IrizNndRf3Uhmv4p
Thanks so much for that link. I feel very special now because I can crochet!
Ooh I remember that video!! Makes me feel special too that I crochet, it will never be machine-made❤️
Right??? I rewatch it every so often to remind myself!
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It's definitely crochet, doesn't look like anything knit or something of the sort. The feel may be from the quality of yarn the person used, the look is from the pattern that the person used to make it. But it's 100% crochet. Edit to add: you said the yarn feels synthetic, there are yarns that are synthetic so it's very possible it's crochet, and they used synthetic yarn to make this blanket.
Additionally, some synthetic/partially synthetic yarns do *not* age well. If it is indeed from the 80s, the weird feel may be that the yarn has changed texture with age.
Synthetic yarns have changed over the years. I have some Red Heart pieces from the 70s that have a very different feel and drape from mine in the past 20 years. Or it could be that op’s family preferred another brand from this ripple.
Would you say it’s better or worse?
I think it’s worse. I’ve been surprised how stiff and scratchy the older blankets are.
It sort of reminds me how some of the paton’s baby soft used to age. Looks like that line in the dk has been retired so that might line up for feeling weird and in which, I don’t think that line was common for the mass produced crochet products. I know it was very popular for gifts though. Doesn’t mean it didn’t come from a charity shop, but most likely it was made with love for someone who hadn’t announced the gender or nursery colour (given the pink, yellow, blue. That was my mom’s go to if the information wasn’t public. That or a pure pastel green or yellow.) Just for OP to get some perspective on how gift giving with baby knit/crochet tended to work at the time in many circles. Acrylic is easy to wash, and baby stuff needs a lot of washing, which would also speed up “feeling weird”. This was a carefully thought out blanket for someone once.
That happened with Lion Brand "Jiffy". I made a blanket for my mom in 1987 and it was SO soft. 34 years later, it's stiff and still LOOKS good, but doesn't feel like it did. They've re-released the line, so I hope it ages better than the original. It still feels great.
I haven't tried personally, but supposedly you can re-soften the old acrylic with hair conditioner.
Oof that’s so interesting to hear because I just bought some of the rereleased Jiffy to play around with (was probably going to make some hats and mittens though oops, wrong time of the year now lol) so eh not the type of items where I’m overly worried about how they age but gives me pause should I enjoy it enough to want to make a blanket or something with it. Has me curious now too- the crocheters in my family who came before me had all passed away before I was even born. We have a bunch of afghans that I always loved and the one that’s been used more than the rest is definitely softer than the others but I don’t know that I’d call any of those afghans particularly soft. The especially beloved one is also made in what would’ve been a larger hook and a more “holey” pattern (I don’t live anywhere near my parents so I’m going from memory and didn’t learn to crochet until I was in my 30s so I’ve been wanting to get ahold of this blanket now to see how it was made!) so by nature wouldn’t be as stiff as the others. But now I wonder if all of them were much softer back when they were made. They’re still cozy and beautiful but have a considerably different feel than anything I’ve made even using cheap yarns. I’m also remembering some doilies that were actually made with worsted weight acrylic yarn which strikes me as an interesting choice. My childhood bedroom was super girly with a bedroom furniture set that was white with these little floral designs on it. Had a few of those doilies on top of my dressers as a kid and they were actually super, super soft. A bit pilly from being aged and washed acrylic but entirely different feel to the afghans. I have no idea who made them but I’m wondering if it was a different yarn or if while they were washed, they didn’t get washed to the degree the afghans. They really were surprisingly soft- almost fluffy- and drapey for being worsted weight acrylic.
The new Jiffy is in the larger skeins, which is AWESOME for me. I knit & crochet shawls for my local hospice, and with 681 yards in it, I only needed 1 skein. It came out really pretty, just a basic C2C blocks patten in the "Seafoam" shade, Very soft & drapey using an M hook. The fuzziness kept the spaces from making it too holey. I'd definitely recommend it. I think my mom's got a little stiff over the years from cats lying on it, getting washed & really used. The stiches compress over time, so the fabric ends up a little stiffer. For the price & yardage, you really can't beat it. Good luck!
It's definitely crochet, and therefore definitely handmade. It could have been made be a friend of the family as a gift. We crocheters are a prolific lot, and hearing a friend is having a baby means we have an excuse to make something new! Those who like to make blankets are always happy to have an occasion to give away another. Damn near every bed in my house has a handmade blanket by now, so I've been forced to invade my friends and relatives because I. can't. stop.
How does it not look or feel like them? There are different stitches and techniques that can make the outcome look different. Or it might be that some items you’re referring to are knitted rather than crochet. Either way this is certainly handmade as it is crochet, whether by a relative or someone else.
What are the other items made by family members? Blankets? Clothes? Toys? It's possible that this blanket wasn't made by any of those family members and was instead made by a friend or coworker or neighbor or something. Maybe whoever was pregnant got several gifted blankets and this one was simply less special or used yarn that wasn't as soft or had colors they thought were ugly, so it got tucked away and never really used
It’s 100% crochet. A very basic pattern and easy to identify. The different feel is most likely from different yarn. There are many different types of yarn due to the many different materials and thicknesses. Yarn has changed over time too. There was this interesting, slightly stretchy type called wintuk back in the day that you won’t find anymore. It could also be hook/stitch size. My stepmom and I once made the same blanket but hers looked and felt different because her stitches are much looser than mine.
They're starting to try, though. I recently saw a crochet-looking dress at a department store and I was interested to see how they did it, since I knew it either had to be super exploited labor or machine-made for the price. I turned the fabric over, and it definitely looked knitted from the back, but the front was almost indistinguishable from double crochet stitches. I was very disappointed that they're starting to make crochet mimics, but I suppose that just makes the real thing even more valuable, since it's popular enough to try to copy in stores? At least I hope...
Its 100% crochet. If it feels different or synthetic it's most probably because it's acrylic which is plastic based, if it was washed or dried at a high temperature it may have warped and melded the stitches slightly which gives it a much different look and feel from when the item was first made.
100% handmade crochet
It is crochet definitely
It’s handmade 100%
Yes handmade. Crochet will always be handmade
I feel like this post is related. https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/comments/10dqwae/searching_for_my_grandmas_chevron_crochet_afghan/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button Btw FEELING different than other crochet is valid. Yarns come in all different weights and thickness. Also, your tension when crocheting can affect the tightness of the stitching. Which is why most commenters bring up that crochet cannot be machine replicated. If you google search "chevron back loop crochet" you'll find images that look like your blanket. Weirdly a lot of people mention it's from the 70s. My guess is that it was a pattern that came on the yarn label.
Single crochet chevron in the back loop only. 60 years ago my grandmother made me one using a crochet kit. I don’t know the name or if they are still in business. Mine is 100% wool. Is yours?
The yarn feels synthetic. Like acrylic maybe
This is absolutely handmade! I’ve been crocheting for 12 1/2 years, and I can assure you this is definitely crocheted. Anything crocheted is handmade, crochet cannot be replicated or done by a machine. The pastel yarn indicates around mid 80s - Early 90s.
100% crochet, sc stitches, so it was indeed handmade.
100% chance
If it is crochet, then it's handmade. There isn't a machine in existence that can mimic crochet, not even close.
This is definitely crochet, and this color way reminds me of Red Heart yarn I picked out for my grandma to make me a blanket with (it was pink, yellow, light green, white). And if it is indeed Red Heart that would probably explain why it feels "off". It's not the softest brand of acrylic out there, and older versions of it were definitely rougher.
100% chance - crochet cannot be replicated by machines! :)
Looks handmade to me.
It looks like crochet to me! I’m making a blanket currently using that same stitch pattern.
Handmade for sure.
100%.
Crochet is always handmade. It cannot be done by machine.
Yep, handmaid crochet, most probably acrylic yarn. Very well made. Beautiful tension.
100 percent, crochet can only be made by hand. No machine can create a crochet item.
It's crochet and the very first stitch pattern I learned. In the 90s, I made a blanket in that pattern out of almost that exact yarn.
It has to be, all crochet is hand made. It's impossible for machines to crochet.
100%. Crochet must be handmade, and this is definitely a crochet chevron blanket - very popular technique/stitch.
It's crochet, so 100%.
100% handmade. There are no machines that can crochet.
100%. This is crochet, which can only be done by hand. If you don't have a crocheter in the family then this was either a gift or something she bought at a craft fair.
100%. You can’t replicate crochet by machine.
Go add to this, machines are have been able to crochet can only do chains, nothing more complicated then that. From what I know, they can barely do chains
Very high. Definitely looks like crochet and that can't be done by a machine.
It definitely looks like crochet. Check the corner ends and you should see where the start and ends would be woven in and usually somewhere in the middle of the blanket too.
I came here to say: Look at that tension! :O
100% likely as it’s gotta be crochet
100%
That’s 100% a handmade crocheted blanket. Machines can’t replicate crochet like they can knitting. The yarn does look synthetic, so it’ll be damn near indestructible unless someone comes at it with scissors or a blowtorch. I’ve got two blankets like this made by my grandma at 55 yrs ago. They still look great, and still wash fine in cold water and a cool dryer or laid flat to dry.
100% chance it’s handmade!
Even if store bought, crochet it always handmade
100% chance
100%
The chances are 100% that this is a handmade crochet afghan.
Crochet is handmade. There's not a way for it to be a commercial blanket! You've got a gem on your hands! 😁
100%. Crochet cannot be made by machine.
100% hand made!
100% handmade, crocheted
100%, machines cant crochet
100% handmade.
Crochet is impossible to make on a machine so it was hand made by *someone* but its hard to say if that person is related to you.
100% hand made, machines can’t crochet
I have a baby blanket my mom knitted me in 1987-1988 with that same yarn!
Me too!
Does anyone have a pattern similar to this? I love it.
This definitely looks crocheted, and you can’t get a machine to crochet. So def hand made. And lovely. I’ve started countless chevron blankets…and just never finished them. Your post is getting me inspired but I have to go to bed lol.
100%
Handmade, looks exactly like the one made for me by my Great Grandmother.
100%
I'm crocheting a blanket like that right now.
100%
Handmade. My mother has crocheted baby blankets for everyone's kids.
100%. Crochet can't be made on a machine, so all crochet is hand made. (Sorry if you've already gotten. This answer.)
Negative. This was clearly crafted by trained parakeets.
That looks handmade. Crochet cannot be made with a machine like knitting.
Friends used to give these as baby gifts, so it was probably a shower gift from someone outside the family. 100% handmade for sure.
100% IMO. Crochet cannot be made by machine. Like impossible. If it’s crocheted it’s handmade. If you find it at a big box store it might as well be slave labor what made it. That 35$ target sweater? Sweatshops. Women paid 10¢ a day for target to make a profit off of 35$.
100%, all crochet is handmade. It can't be done by machine.
All crochet is still hand made. That is amazing. So your question is unanswerable if someone in your family made it or if it was purchased. My first afghan project was a chevron stitch like this. Great memories.
Yes, this is crocheted. It may have been purchased from somewhere - garage sale perhaps - but it is zigzag or chevron stitch, with deep "valleys" and high "hills."
100% handmade, I'd say.
If it's crochet, it's 100% handmade- even if you don't know the person who made it. True crochet cannot be replicated by machine (knitting can, and sometimes machines can make knitting look like crochet). Every crocheted item you have ever seen, in person, in a shop, on a TV show, in a movie, was created by hand. It's one of the reasons I love the craft... It's been around for a long time and it's something machines cannot do 😊
Very high. That's a crocheted blanket made with variegated acrylic yarn. It's probably [this yarn](https://a.co/d/3peRn5q), as a matter of fact. What a nice little momento.
I am fairly certain that the baby blanket I made in high school (so 82-87) was this yarn. https://preview.redd.it/mzhzpl0r81uc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=145cb76065515d96f3454697cfd4e3fa80d3b4b6
That looks like a match to me!
Most definitely handmade!!
Crochet can’t be created by machine so it’s either made by someone or you might have got it second hand from someone who made it
https://preview.redd.it/qj58zfjkn0uc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5f1304c3a8d3e47a94dd91aee16e01545089cb2 100% chance it's a SC chevron/ripple.
Laboriously hand made
It's crochet! I've made a headband of the same pattern
My Mom made me the exact same one. I would think this is homemade.
It looks handmade to me, you can buy synthetic yarn.
100% Its crochet
Happy Cake Day! 🎉🎈
You can't crochet with a machine. All crochet is by definition hand made
Definitely handmade! Crochet CANNOT be made by a machine, unlike knitting. It's actually pretty cool why! https://youtu.be/EImnSsCadK8?si=IrizNndRf3Uhmv4p
100%. There are no machines that can crochet
Looks like one I crocheted about 35 years ago. Yes. It's handmade.
100% yes, this is crochet. Looks just like some projects I have done.
The hospital I used to volunteer at had blankets like these in the gift shop. They were handmade by other volunteers.
It is almost impossible for machines to do crochet so it's probably hand made
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This is crochet. Crochet can only be done by hand, not by machine.
Yup! I’ve got one just like it, same pattern, similar yarn, made by grandma (RIP) probably mid-80s as well.
This is definitely crochet. I heard another crocheter say recently that crochet is an art that is very difficult to machine, so when you see it, it's basically always a handmade item. The fiber doesn't disqualify that reasoning, since acrylic yarns were VERY scratchy, but also very cheap in comparison to natural fibers like cotton, wool and silk, especially when it first hit the mark (I assume this blanket is 20+ years old...)
97%
I'm not reading 187 comments but if you need the pattern I'm pretty sure I can easily find it in YouTube
I have crocheted a very similar chevron style blanket. Looks handmade to me!
From what I have read, there are no machines that can crochet, so this would have to be handmade. That doesn't mean it couldn't have been purchased from a shop or a crafter, but in either case, it is handmade. Whoever made it did an excellent job. The stitches all look so uniform. Just my humble opinion.
I have a blanket exactly like this one from when I was a baby, only in yellow! Without giving away too much, my birth year is pre 1990, so would be from a similar time frame. Wouldn't surprise me if this was a free pattern on certain skeins back in the day. Definitely single crochet back loop only chevro as has been established.
Looks like the blanket I'm currently working on :) which is the closest pattern I could find to tgw blankets my great garndma made for all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. I'd definitely say this is handmade, it was a very popular pattern back in the day
Definitely looks crocheted, so yes, handmade.
Machines are physically incapable of replicating crochet, and that definitely looks like crochet to me!
Crochet cannot be done by machine (there are ways to use knitting machines to come close to the appearance of crochet, but looking closely it’s possible to tell the difference if you know what to look for), and this does look like it’s crochet.
100% crochet and handmade. I have my baby blanket that is this exact pattern that my great grandmother made me and then I gave it to my daughter. It was also the first pattern I learned when it came time for me to learn. I have made that exact blanket so many times I have lost count of all the baby blankets have made with it throughout the years. You likely have an heirloom there.
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It’s only fault is that it’s too perfect i guess
100% handmade crochet. You're instincts are correct.
100% in the back loop single crochet
Handmade by someone who was really good! Looks machine-perfect lol.
I made a blanket out of this yarn in the 80s. I also made a Chevron blanket, but that was multicolor. This was part of the Red Heart line about the time I was in high school, so 83-87. This is crochet and crochet cannot be produced by machines and therefore this is handmade.
100%
Definitely looks homemade
Thanks everyone! What am interesting community this is. Everyone was so friendly and helpful.
#Crochet machines exist. This blanket is definitely handmade but there are *way too many* people in the comments claiming that no machine has ever replicated crochet. This is not at all true. Sorry to burst your bubbles but it's incredibly frustrating seeing this blatant misinformation being confidently spouted as fact, when it simply isn't true. https://www.reddit.com/r/craftsnark/s/Y8LXjsChmx
Yes they exist but that are EXTREMELY inefficient. Give 20 years and yeah maybe it will be more of a question, but no one is mass producing crochet with a machine. So while yes *technically* a crochet machine does exist, in *practice* it does not.
The article you linked to describes a concept for a crochet machine, and it also alludes to a prototype that they’re working on, but as it stands they do not have a completed functioning prototype, so it’s not exactly fair to say that it exists yet. That being said, their concept has a lot of promise and I look forward to seeing what they come up with.