Crochet Trends: 2017
There are some things that seem to go hand-in-hand with crochet: baby blankets, baby hats, comfortable afghans, amigurumi toys; but as crochet becomes more and more popular, there are a lot of crochet trends that I’ve noticed popping up. Now, I’m not an expert in forecasting or anything like that, but I prowl Pinterest and Ravelry and other sites enough to notice there are a few crochet trends that are becoming more and more common. I’ve included some links to patterns within each trend, just click on the photo caption to take you to the pattern. Also, all the patterns are free except where otherwise noted.
Hygge
The word of the season – both in crochet, and on every other front it seems (try typing it into Pinterest), is hygge. Hygge, pronounced “hoo-gah”, is a Nordic term that is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” This is the kind of warm and fuzzy feeling that I associate with being safe and warm in my comfortable home, surrounded by family and the things that I love. While hygge is more of a state of mind, as an emerging trend, it has come to encompass the its own style as well. Far from the cries of minimalism, or cold, structural modernism, the hygge style embraces sorts of things like candles, family dinners, homemade teas and pies, softness, and warm blankets and woolies.
Besides the fact that crochet and blankets go together like peas and carrots, there are crochet patterns that are dedicated solely to hygge. My favorite thus far, and one that I’m most excited about, is the Hygge Crochet-Along hosted by Scheepjes. This beautiful wrap is made by cross-stitching on top of rows of single crochet. Some of the projects in progress are just wonderful – I can’t wait to get started on mine!
Messy Bun Hats
Bun hat patterns seem to have exploded this past winter. These hats, which have a hole at the top of the head for a ponytail or bun to stick out, are so fun. I wear my hair up out of my face a lot of the time, and having one of these (yes, it’s in my queue) would help alleviate the big bulge where my clip is under my hat or my avoiding wearing one all together. Anyway, there are a lot of really cute patterns for these crochet bun hats – they’re not too complicated and I think they’d make great gifts for the holidays next year (yep, I’m always planning ahead for Christmas gifts!) Here are a few that I like:
Octopuses (Octopodes? Octopi?)
Owls have always been a common trend in crochet. I’ve made an owl bookbag, there are owl baby cocoons, owl hats, and page after page of other owl patterns. But lately, octopuses have been taking over. Amigurumi octopuses are popular, from the realistic to the cute miniatures. Perhaps bolstered by the news that crocheted octpuses seemed to help some babies born prematurely, “octopuses for preemies” has also become a common pattern with a lot of fun variations. I’d love to crochet some octopuses for little babies! I may have to call hospitals around in my area and see if they’ll accept donations.
Here are some of my favorite octopus crochet patterns so far:
Mermaid Tail Blankets
Some months back, I started being tagged by a lot of my friends on Facebook, where they would all lead me to a Mermaid Tail Blanket, usually with a hinting question like “can you make one of these?” Since then, many variations have popped up, and they are definitely a hot crochet trend right now. I have yet to make one for my daughter, but the Mr has mentioned that he wouldn’t mind the shark version. Perhaps another Christmas gift? Here are three such patterns:
Mandalas
Okay, so mandalas have been making the crochet rounds for a few years now, but they are becoming more and more popular as crochet patterns. The circular symmetry of crochet motifs is a perfect medium for mandalas, and so they’ve been showing up in blankets, squares, wall hangings and all sorts of other unique ideas.
Have you noticed any crochet trends that I forgot? If so, let me know in the comments! I love watching these kinds of trends emerge, and how they play out through all different parts of life, including what we crochet.
~Mellie
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