Glossary

CROCHET GLOSSARY

This is a glossary of terms you might hear when you read about crochet. This is not a complete glossary yet, as I am adding to it all of the time. Also, this is not the traditional crochet glossary that includes crochet abbreviations (such as ss = slip stitch). Instead it is a dictionary of words that crocheters tend to use.

Amigurumi. The cute little Japanese-inspired crochet animals.

CAL. This acronym stands for Crochet-along. As the name suggests, this is a project in which a number of people each crochet the same pattern at the same time, often from different locations. It’s a great way to gain a sense of community while crocheting and to create some deadlines for yourself.

Cro-hook. This is a special crochet hook that has hooks on both ends. It is used to create “double-sided crochet” which is similar to Tunisian crochet (see below).

Color Flashing. When patterns (such as zigzags) appear in your crochet work because you are using variegated yarn (see definition below). This may be intentional or unintentional.

Filet Crochet. A type of crochet that looks lace-like. It uses only two stitches – chains and double crochet stitches – and the lace design is created by making groups of stitches separated by spaces.

Freeform Crochet. Artistic, creative crochet that you do for self-expression. It is not pattern based and may not follow standard rules of crochet.

Frog. When a crocheter says that she is frogging her work, it means that she’s ripping out all the stitches. (Note that frog can also be a noun referring to button-like closure added to some crochet work but typically frog is used as a verb in crochet.)

Guerilla Crochet. Guerilla art refers to art that is taken into the streets and placed publicly. The most well-known guerilla art is graffiti. Guerilla crochet specifically refers to the act of doing this with crochet (rather than spray paint, for example). Similar to yarn bombing.

Irish Crochet. This is a lacy style of crochet typically made with fine threads and small hooks (but not always). It is characterized by making separate motifs and then connecting those motifs atop a netted or mesh fabric that you crochet.

LYS. Short of “local yarn shop” or “local yarn store”.

Plarn. This word comes from the combination of “plastic” and yarn”. May people use rceycled plastic bags to crochet (especially to crochet eco-art). Plarn is the material that is used.

Scrumble. A small portion of crochet that is joined with other scrumbles in freeform crochet art (see definition above).

Stashbusting. All of the yarn that you have that you have not used is your “stash”. Stashbusting means working on a project that uses up some of this stash, especially the leftovers from other projects.

Tunisian Crochet. This type of crochet (also sometimes called afghan crochet) uses hooks that are longer than traditional crochet hooks. It involves holding loops on the hook as you work (so it is sometimes called a blend between knitting and crochet). It creates a dense, thick fabric.

Variegated Yarn. Yarn with color variations throughout the skein. There are many different types of variegated yarn (such as self-striping and dip-dyed yarn) but variegated refers to all of them as a whole.

WIP. This acronym stands for “work in progress” which of course many of us have several of going on at once!

Yarn bombing. This is street art or “fabric graffiti” that uses yarn as its medium. It is also called Yarnbombing and yarnstorming. Similar to guerilla crochet.

Yarn crawl. An event in which a group of people go from one yarn store to the next all throughout a city. It’s similar to a pub crawl with yarn instead of drinking.

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Kathryn

San Francisco based and crochet-obsessed writer, dreamer and creative spirit!

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