Crochet Symbols Decoded: The Not-So-Universal Language of Crochet Charts | S2 Ep16

Crochet Symbols Decoded: The Not-So-Universal Language of Crochet Charts | S2 Ep16

In this episode of Exploration Crochet, ReRe decodes the world of crochet symbols and crochet charts, exploring why international crochet symbols are helpful but not always universal. Inspired by a German crochet pattern question, the episode explains how charts help crocheters move beyond written language and bridge differences in crochet terminology. Listeners will learn how common crochet chart symbols work and how Japanese crochet charts helped influence global chart literacy. The episode also explains why special stitches, amigurumi shorthand, designer preferences, and regional notation make the pattern key essential. Whether you are new to reading crochet charts or already chart-literate, this episode shows why crochet symbols are a shared visual language, and while they may not be universal law, they are a powerful visual tool that helps patterns travel across borders. 🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned | * The Crochet Translation Project - Crochet Terms | https://oombawkadesigncrochet.com/u-s-and-german-crochet-terms/ [https://oombawkadesigncrochet.com/u-s-and-german-crochet-terms/] * How to Read Crochet Charts: Free Symbols Quiz & Printable Guide | Download your printable chart-reading cheat sheet and test your skills here: https://yarnoverhook.com/how-to-read-crochet-charts-quiz/ [https://yarnoverhook.com/how-to-read-crochet-charts-quiz/] Thank you for listening to Exploration Crochet! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your favorite yarn craft bestie. Remember: Read the chart. Read the key. Respect the dialect! 🎶 Sound Attribution | * YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.html [https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.html] * theatticdude13 | https://pixabay.com/users/attic13-35207983/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164785 [https://pixabay.com/users/attic13-35207983/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=164785]

Crochet’s Long History of Being Problematic — to Somebody | S2 Ep15

In this episode of Exploration Crochet, ReRe explores why crochet has historically been viewed as controversial, overly decorative, too feminine, too homemade, and even “hostile to feet.” Comparing crochet to knitting across multiple historical eras, the episode examines how knitting was often associated with practicality and utility while crochet became entangled in debates about labor, class, domesticity, art, and taste. Topics include Irish crochet lace during the Great Famine, Victorian decorative culture, industrialization, gender expectations, modern fiber art, and online crochet discourse. ReRe also examines how crochet continues to face assumptions about acrylic yarn use, granny squares, crochet garments, and crochet socks in both yarn shops and internet culture. Ultimately, the episode argues that crochet itself was rarely the true controversy — crochet simply became a visible site where larger social anxieties played out. This week we’re exploring why crochet has spent so long being ‘problematic’ — to somebody. LINKS | Join the conversation for FREE | YarnOverHook.com [https://YarnOverHook.com] Subscribe for FREE | ExplorationCrochet.com [https://ExplorationCrochet.com] Suggest a Crochet friendly yarn Shop | CrochetYarnCrawl.com [https://CrochetYarnCrawl.com] SOUND ATTRIBUTION | YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.html Piano Synth Loop by EEE3333E -- https://freesound.org/s/854558/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Yarn Bombing: From Door Handle to Wall Street and Everywhere in Between | S2Ep14

Yarn Bombing is a global fiber art movement that transforms public spaces through knitted and crocheted installations. While the term emerged in 2005 with Magda Sayeg and Knitta Please, the act itself predates the name, with earlier artists using fiber in public and environmental contexts. Over time, yarn bombing evolved from small “micro-tagging” interventions to large-scale installations, including iconic works like the Wall Street Bull and international community projects. Artists like Lauren O’Farrell expanded the practice into narrative storytelling, while Stephen Duneier brought it into wilderness spaces through temporary, permitted installations. Today, yarn bombing continues to function as art, protest, and public expression—demonstrating the power of fiber to reshape how we see the world. Sound Attribution | YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.html Music by Dmitry Taras | https://pixabay.com/users/soundgallerybydmitrytaras-11640913/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=500170 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 📅 Explore Crochet Events https://crochetevents.com [https://crochetevents.com] 📬 Subscribe to The Stitch Newsletter https://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/ [https://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/] Play Name That Stitch 🎮 https://namethatstitch.com [https://namethatstitch.com] Explore Yarn Over Hook 🧶 https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/ [https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/] Watch on YouTube 📹 https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial [https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ABOUT YARN OVER HOOK Yarn Over Hook is the global home of crochet — a platform built to help crocheters create, learn, and connect through tutorials, podcasts, livestreams, events, stitch libraries, crochet games, and community resources. Built by makers, for makers. 🧶 🌍 https://yarnoverhook.com [https://yarnoverhook.com] Exploration Crochet is a podcast hosted by ReRe and produced by Yarn Over Hook. © 2026 DesignOps as a Service DOaaS LLC d/b/a Yarn Over Hook. All rights reserved.

The Great Crochet Stitch Debate: The Council of Brussels | S2Ep13 (4126 Edition)

Did crochet almost get standardized in 1911? Discover the “Council of Brussels” and why U.S. vs U.K. stitch terms split and confuse crocheters to this day. In this episode of Exploration Crochet, we dive into the forgotten story of a 1911 international effort to standardize crochet terminology. Known as the Council of Brussels, this gathering of pattern writers, teachers, and textile thinkers set out to unify how crochet stitches were named across countries. But what started as a push for clarity quickly unraveled into debate—specifically over one deceptively simple question: should a stitch be named for how it looks… or how it’s made? LINKS | 4126Edition-Brussels.com [http://explorationcrochet.com/] ExplorationCrochet.com [https://ExplorationCrochet.com] Sound Attribution | YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.html Alexander's Ragtime Band - Early Intermediate Piano Solo ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 📅 Explore Crochet Events https://crochetevents.com [https://crochetevents.com] 📬 Subscribe to The Stitch Newsletter https://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/ [https://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/] Play Name That Stitch 🎮 https://namethatstitch.com [https://namethatstitch.com] Explore Yarn Over Hook 🧶 https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/ [https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/] Watch on YouTube 📹 https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial [https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ABOUT YARN OVER HOOK Yarn Over Hook is the global home of crochet — a platform built to help crocheters create, learn, and connect through tutorials, podcasts, livestreams, events, stitch libraries, crochet games, and community resources. Built by makers, for makers. 🧶 🌍 https://yarnoverhook.com [https://yarnoverhook.com] Exploration Crochet is a podcast hosted by ReRe and produced by Yarn Over Hook. © 2026 DesignOps as a Service DOaaS LLC d/b/a Yarn Over Hook. All rights reserved.

Who Made the Rules? The Craft Yarn Council and Modern Crochet | S2Ep12

Who made the rules that help modern crochet make sense? In this episode of Exploration Crochet, ReRe explores the history of the Craft Yarn Council of America and its role in shaping modern crochet. Founded in 1981, the CYC was created by the yarn industry to standardize communication, improve education, and support the growing yarn-craft market. The episode explains how the Council influenced crochet through the Standard Yarn Weight System, hook and label conventions, and the wider use of standardized crochet chart symbols. It also examines the CYC’s role in teaching, promotion, and industry support, including its connection to the Crochet Guild of America and Warm Up America! This episode reveals how one industry organization helped make crochet easier to publish, teach, learn, and understand across modern American craft culture. LINKS | *FREE* Reading Basic Crochet Charts Cheat Sheet | https://yarnoverhook.com/crochet-stitches [https://yarnoverhook.com/crochet-stitches] Craft Yarn Council | craftyarncouncil.com [https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Crochet Guild of America | crochet.org [https://crochet.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] SOUND ATTRIBUTION | YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.html Jazz Lounge Elevator Music by Mykola Odnoroh - | https://pixabay.com/users/ikoliks_aj-48415707/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=332339 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 📅 Explore Crochet Events https://crochetevents.com [https://crochetevents.com] 📬 Subscribe to The Stitch Newsletter https://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/ [https://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/] Play Name That Stitch 🎮 https://namethatstitch.com [https://namethatstitch.com] Explore Yarn Over Hook 🧶 https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/ [https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/] Watch on YouTube 📹 https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial [https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ABOUT YARN OVER HOOK Yarn Over Hook is the global home of crochet — a platform built to help crocheters create, learn, and connect through tutorials, podcasts, livestreams, events, stitch libraries, crochet games, and community resources. Built by makers, for makers. 🧶 🌍 https://yarnoverhook.com [https://yarnoverhook.com] Exploration Crochet is a podcast hosted by ReRe and produced by Yarn Over Hook. © 2026 DesignOps as a Service DOaaS LLC d/b/a Yarn Over Hook. All rights reserved.