Learn English – When did British and American crochet terms diverge

etymologyhistoryterminology

In crochet basic stitches are called different things. For example a single crochet in America is called a double crochet in the UK, a double crochet in America is called a treble crochet in the UK, etc. I think (and this is a guess) that they are both consistent, with the American versions named after the height of the stitch and the UK version named after the number of loops on the crochet hook.

When did they diverge?

Crochet feels like an old craft that must have been commonplace around the time that Europeans settled America. Describing crochet stitches must have been similarly commonplace so what would cause these two usages to develop – is there a history of crochet terms that would chart this out?

Best Answer

You're making an incorrect assumption about how old the craft is. From Wikipedia:

Lis Paludan theorizes that crochet evolved from traditional practices in Arabia, South America, or China, but there is no decisive evidence of the craft being performed before its popularity in Europe during the 19th century.

So the terms are presumably different for the same reason that the terms used in the US and the UK for parts of automobiles (bonnet, hood, boot, trunk) are different: the terms were settled on independently on different sides of the Atlantic.

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