The Wild and Wonderful World of 1970s Crochet
I’m excited to welcome back the incredibly talented Dora Ohrenstein, my dear friend and favorite Tunisian crochet designer, for another insightful dive into the world of crochet – this time with a focus on 1970s crochet. It’s always a pleasure to share her expertise and passion with you. Enjoy this special guest post! Find Dora’s fabulous designs on her website – LINK– Toni L.
Granny Squares: The Iconic Symbol of 1970s Crochet
Today, when we think of 1970s crochet, the granny square is often the first thing that comes to mind. Taylor Swift’s colorful granny stitch dress recently went viral in the yarn world, and it is, for many fashionistas, THE quintessential seventies look.
If you’d like to see how grannies were actually worn in the seventies – fifty years ago! – here are a few published by McCall’s, a leading publisher at the time.
Three designs from McCall’s Crochet Treasury, 1977 edition
To me, what is exciting about seventies crochet is its edgy creativity. It was a moment when crochet became a way for crafters to display daring individuality. That approach was informed by the unique social climate of the time.
The political upheavals of the late sixties led to civil unrest and a spirit of rebellion among the young. Conventions were being bucked in every facet of society, from politics to family life, music, art, and, of course, fashion. For the first time, street fashion dominated style, not haute couture. Rock stars became fashion icons. Outrage, boldness, and creativity were the guiding themes. 1960s fashion was defined by Jackie Kennedy’s elegance, British designers like Mary Quant’s kookiness, and hippies in Eastern-inspired flowing garments. The seventies absorbed these influences and built on all of them, but it was the last – hippie clothing — that became closely associated with crochet.
Hippies were crafty. They yearned to “get back to the land”, live in communes where they could develop self-sufficiency and become independent from societal constraints. Not since Victorian times had so many become enamored with knitting, crochet, weaving, macrame, jewelry making — all of which were thriving crafts in the seventies. Crochet was particularly friendly to these trends, being easy to learn and adaptable to many materials, not only yarn but raffia, plastic, string, and wire.
The 1975 book, A New Look at Crochet, by Elyse and Mike Summer, illustrates the growing fascination with crochet’s creative possibilities. The authors aim to “enable all craftsmen-artists to make beautiful sculptures and hangings, whimsical puppets and other toys, unique pinafores and vests, sumptuous capes and shawls, elegant rugs” and much more, with explicit instructions for creating unusual shapes and working with unconventional materials.
Breaking Boundaries: Crochet as High Art in the 1970s
During this time of defiance against prevailing norms, the world of high art changed dramatically as well. Works of art were moving off the walls of museums and into new forms created with unusual materials. At the fine art school Pratt Institute in New York City, a group of students focused on crochet as their primary medium. Here are some examples of the extraordinary crochet these artists – all in their early 20s at the time — produced in the 1970s. If you want to see more, a stunning book titled Art to Wear (published in 1986) can be found online. In 2020, the Philadelphia Museum mounted a show featuring many of the garments from that book, and seeing these marvelous pieces up close was a real thrill.
Photos by Sharon Hedges
In high fashion, designer Loris Azzaro gained prominence with his mouth-watering crochet pieces composed of luxurious fibers and glittering beads. Born in Tunisia and trained in Paris, Azzaro dressed celebrities like Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Raquel Welchs and Tina Turner. Here’s a typical Lazzaro.
I’ve seen a few vintage Azzaro garments selling online – wouldn’t it be fun to flaunt something like this at a glamorous gathering?
Pattern books for crafters from this period show the varied ways crochet was being worn – from chic and business-like, to whimsical and wild. One of the best books from this period, Design Crochet (1978), edited by Mark Dittrick, features patterns by the star designers of pattern magazines at the time.
Left: Lush coats by Lillian Bailey. Middle: Coat and collar/cuffs set by Del Pitt Feldman. Right: Shawl, pillow top and wall hanging by Jacqueline Henderson
Jacqueline Henderson’s butterfly shawl shows the artistry and creativity she brought to designing for crafters. She was also one of the first African American women to gain prominence in the yarn industry. Women’s Day devoted an entire hard-cover book to her designs, and it overflows with innovation, employing techniques way beyond the usual. I had the privilege of speaking with Ms. Henderson, now in her 80s, not long ago. She confessed to me that some publishers considered her ideas too challenging for most crocheters. How unfortunate! Why are publishers always underestimating crocheters?
On the other side of the pond are two more essential figures from the seventies: James Walters and his creative partner Sylvia Cosh. Both were tremendously gifted, James being the math wizard and Sylvia the fashion queen. They collaborated on several books (writing the original Harmony Guides) and taught classes internationally. James was a pioneer of the freeform method called “scrumbling”. Here’s a photo of the cover of his 1979 book, which has a freeform creation in progress on his desk. Wow!
For anyone who is fascinated by numbers, shapes, and design theory, this book is total nirvana. There are no patterns, but pages like the one below. I’ve enjoyed many an “aha moment” studying these images.
In the early seventies I was a young adult living in a tiny houseboat in the city of Amsterdam. A friend gave me a bunch of yarn in bright colors from her weaving shop. Knowing nothing about crochet or garments, with no pattern but filled with the spirit of the time, I made a cape, a skirt, and a dress, and then sold them to a nearby shop. After that I stopped crocheting for many decades, pursuing other dreams. I believe experiencing that burst of creativity as a young person has been essential to my later career in crochet design. Once you’ve seen what heights crochet can achieve, you aspire to that standard as much as possible.
That is why, for me, the outstanding feature of seventies crochet is that it empowered regular folk to make their own fashion statements with their own hands, unencumbered by conventional ways of dressing or making. It showed us how to be fearless in the face of the unknown and conceive making as a celebration, a self-expression that needs no one’s approval but our own.
In the decades following this extraordinary flourishing, crochet gradually yielded some of its popularity to knitting, especially as a vehicle for garment making. The funky aesthetic that dominated the seventies were replaced by other looks and trends. Rebellion was no longer cool. The hippies grew up and became yuppies, and a booming economy gave them plenty of money to spend on clothing, which now was focused on status and professionalism, not home-grown inventiveness.
Right now, crochet is enjoying immense popularity and is again being recognized as an excellent craft for garment-making. We are currently experiencing considerable sociopolitical turbulence as well. Is there a connection? Do people turn to crochet when times are tough? Whether exploring something new and challenging, or seeking the comfort of the familiar, crochet is a great antidote to stress, a way to calm the soul, and a means of connecting to others. All this reinforces the seventies creative spirit among crochet makers. That bodes very well for our beloved craft.
Dora Ohrenstein is a crochet fashion designer, teacher and the author of seven books, including Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary and Top Down Crochet Sweaters, both of which have editions in multiple languages. Her designs have appeared in all the crochet magazines, and she is currently developing a line of indie patterns, soon to be released. She’s also working on her eighth book, focusing on Tunisian Crochet garments. Discover over 200 of Dora’s designs on Ravelry.
Read Dora’s other guest post, all about the origins of Tunisian crochet – TAP HERE!
To wrap up this wonderful journey through the creativity of 1970s crochet, let’s keep the conversation going:
Do you still have any pieces your grandmother or family made in the 70s? What’s your favorite style from that time period, and what would you love to make today? Let’s start the conversation below!
