Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

I hesitate to place the “hobby” of crochet on a continuum with the many other crochet niches such as teaching, design and production where it would fall at the bottom with crochet art at the top. It is not my intention to discriminate against crochet hobbyists. In fact, hobbyists are indeed the backbone of this craft genre. For anyone who has even given thought to the illustrious history of crochet in Ireland, the concept of crochet as the tool that contributed to saving a nation from starvation is poignant and memorable story.  Working in unspeakable conditions by candlelight sometimes resulted in the workers losing eyesight! Crocheters developed fine skills which contributed to the production of exquisite crocheted laces sought after by the wealthy classes. Crochet became a business and a successful one at that. People were taught to crochet and urged to teach another in order to save the nation from starvation during the Potato Famine from 1845 to 1851. Celtic Crochet ...