RARE PHOTOS: Crochet designs pics | Vintage Vibes

A member of the r/crochet team shed some light on the fact that all of the moderators there are volunteers who are doing what they do for the love of the craft.

"We're fortunate to have multiple sweet moderators who can spend anywhere from 7-14 hours/week moderating r/crochet," they shared with Bored Panda.

"Our greatest challenges are keeping up with community-voted rules and encouraging people to follow them so everyone can enjoy time spent in the sub."

We were curious about what advice the mods would give someone who's entirely new to the craft but finding it difficult to progress as fast as they'd like.

"Whenever a novice crocheter expresses frustration with learning, we have lots of suggestions!" the moderator said.

"While video tutorials are popular, like any other subject there are fabulous written, photo, and individual (hands-on) learning resources. All they need to do is search and ask and keep trying to connect with their own creativity!" the redditor told Bored Panda.

"There are so many facets of crochet, it takes time and effort to get all of these in sync."

Meanwhile, we asked the internet user about the most popular crochet trends in 2023.

"There are at least 20 different types of crochet, so it's challenging to pick one popular trend!" they shared with us.

"Crocheting customized items for family, friends, charity, and ourselves involves limitless aspects from wearables to home decor to toys and many practical patterns, too."

The online group was first created in September 2008. Over the past 15 (yes, that’s right, 15!) years, the r/crochet subreddit has grown by leaps and bounds to the behemoth of crafty creativity that it is today.

At the time of writing, the sub had already swelled to 738k members. And there’s no sign that the supportive community is going to stop growing any time soon. There’s just too much yarny wholesomeness concentrated in that group for that to happen.

There is, however, a mystery surrounding the roots of the community. Its birth, to put it dramatically, is shrouded in shadow.

“No one currently on the moderation team knows how the sub began in 2008,” one of the members of the friendly moderator team shared with Bored Panda during an interview a couple of years ago.

However, it’s quite likely that someone who was a big fan of crochet created the group to share their designs and invite others to do the same. For one reason or another, the founder may have stopped being active on Reddit and the control of the community passed to other internet users who picked up the moderator mantle.

Whatever the case might be, these days, the subreddit is thriving beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. 

A huge part of the subreddit’s success comes down to the type of content it’s focused on. Colorful, creative, and eye-catching designs are bound to make you stop while scrolling through your feed.

And the thing is, anyone can try to copy these designs at home. If you have any questions, you can always go to the subreddit’s incredibly extensive Wiki or pose a query in the Question Hub.

"Crochet is definitely the most beginner-friendly between crochet, knitting, and sewing. This is because, in part, it’s the easiest to rip apart (called frogging) and go back to fix a mistake," one of the moderators running the r/crochet community explained to Bored Panda just how approachable the hobby really is.

"Most beginners often find difficulty in knowing where to place the hook in each stitch and figuring out how to coordinate holding the yarn, hook, and work all at the same time!" they mod pointed out that there are some challenges that do crop up. They are, however, very surmountable. All it takes is a bit of patience, dedication, and the willingness to learn from mistakes.

The moderator was kind enough to explain the crossover between crochet, knitting, and sewing. The first two are actually quite similar. "They’re both yarn crafts that create fabric. Other similarities include knowing how to count stitches and read written patterns. There is no real crossover with sewing, except perhaps that advanced sewers may have an advantage in understanding how garments drape and fit," they shared with us.

"Learning to crochet, like everything else, has a learning curve! Luckily, it’s pretty easy to get started—all you really need is a hook and a skein of yarn," the representative of the r/crochet moderator team said, emphasizing that all you need to start are just these two things. Though, of course, a pair of scissors will come in handy, too!

"Most people find it easiest to learn from YouTube videos, and they are a fantastic resource for learning new stitches and patterns. There are also some wonderful books out there that can teach every conceivable stitch—you want to look for something called a 'crochet stitch dictionary' or similar. Other than that, have fun, and don’t be afraid to experiment! And of course, visit the sub for help or advice!" they urged.

Though learning a new skill can be tons of fun, depending on how (un)successful you are at the start, you may start feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and demotivated. What helps is embracing a growth mindset not being afraid of mistakes early.

You have to understand that being kind of bad at something is the path to getting sort of good at the skill later on. If you’ve got a supportive community to boost your mood and help you out, it can get you through some rough patches! At the end of the day, it also helps if you enjoy the process of crochet, not just the outcome and praise.

For some more awesome crochet designs and ingenious creativity, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s previous articles about the online community.