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Crafts
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Arts and crafts comprise a whole host
of activities and hobbies that are related to making
things with one's own hands and skill. These can be
sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts"
(doing things the old way) and the rest. Some crafts
have been practised for centuries, while others are
modern inventions, or popularisations of crafts which
were originally practiced in a very small geographic
area.
Additionally, this term refers to the Arts and Crafts
movement which was a design movement of the late 19th
and early 20th century, whose proponents included William
Morris and Edwin Lutyens. They believed that medieval
craftsmen achieved a joy in the excellence of their
work, which they strove to emulate.
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Arts & Crafts
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These activities are called crafts
because originally many of them were professions under
the guild system. Adolescents were apprenticed to a
master-craftsman, and they refined their skills over
a period of years. By the time their training was complete,
they were well-equipped to set up in trade for themselves,
earning their living with the skill of their hands.
The Industrial Revolution and the increasing mechanisation
of production processes gradually reduced or eliminated
many of the roles professional craftspeople played,
and today 'crafts' are most commonly seen as a form
of hobby.
Most crafts require a combination of skill and talent,
but they can also be learnt on a more basic level by
virtually anyone. Many community centres and schools
run evening or day classes and workshops offering to
teach basic craft skills in a short period of time.
Many of these crafts become extremely popular for brief
periods of time (a few months, or a few years), spreading
rapidly among the crafting population as everyone emulates
the first examples.
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Knitting
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The first references to true knitting
in Europe date in the early 14th century, the first
knitted socks from Egypt might be slightly older. Knitted
liturgical gloves and altar garments are some of the
surviving examples of this ancient knitting. Regardless
of where the craft began knitting is the textile infant.
The thinking goes that knitting grew out of the knitting
of fishing nets.
Different types of knitting originated
in different parts of the world. From the beginning
the art of knitting was an occupation for women. For
this reason, knitting has received little attention
from textile historians.
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Crochet
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No one is quite sure when and where
crochet got its start. Some of the earliest evidence
of crochet came from South America, where a primitive
tribe was said to have used crochet adornments in the
rites of puberty. It seems likely that the earliest
crochet was made using fingers, rather than the hooks
used today.
Originally the crochet hook was one
of a number of tools used in the intricate process of
lace making. In fact during the Renaissance, women crocheted
several strands of thread producing fabric similar to
lace. As time went on a repertoire of stitches and designs
evolved, and crocheting graduated into a separate and
pleasurable art. Lavish crochet emerged alongside other
forms of elaborate needlework in the 19th centurey.
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Crafts
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Craft Kits
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Other Crafts
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Craft Tools
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Children's Crafts
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Books / Videos
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