Browsing by Author "Säe, Jenna"

Crochet is one of the most popular craft techniques. The rich variety of materials, craft books and web pages about crocheting reflects its popularity. Crocheting books have been printed since the 1800s. Today most of the crochet patterns are found in the internet but they still print actual books about crocheting. The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the contents of printed crocheting books. I observed how the books teach crocheting, what is the structure of crocheting books and how the books have changed during the years 1924-2013. I analysed with qualitative content analysis ten crocheting books during the years 1924-2013. I chose by discretionary sampling one book from each decade for my analysis. I collected the key contents for comparing into a table and then reflected their meanings. Many things have stayed the same in crocheting books. Most of the books that were analysed in this thesis teach you the basics of crocheting. The books show you how to hold the yarn and the crochet hook and also how to do the basic stitches. These are taught with text and pictures. The pictures are there to help you understand the instructions better. Since 1980s the crocheting books got coloured pictures and the crocheted products were presented in real environments. Older crocheting books have patterns for bigger products like lace tablecloths and lace curtains. The yarn that was used in crocheting was white cotton. The materials have got more diversity in the newer books. These books have patterns for colourful accessories and other products that are fast and easy to make. Overall the contents of 2000s crocheting books are quite rich, giving a comprehensive idea of crocheting.