Are there actually still new techniques to discover in the world of needlework?

Hi everyone

Does anyone here know anything about the historical development of knitting and crocheting?
How did people originally figure out that you could achieve this effect with a needle that has a hook on it, and that by using several needles at once, you could suddenly knit socks?
Is it all a matter of trial and error—trying things out, making mistakes, and then trying again and again while getting tips from others?
I think sewing has been around for a very, very long time. Even people in the early days of human history had to fix or hold their clothes together somehow, so it stands to reason that they might have experimented with bone needles and animal tendons in the beginning. At least, that’s how I imagine it.
I don’t really know much about it.
I just Googled “history of crochet,” and it said that it’s a millennia-old technique that was probably used initially to make hunting nets.
Well, that makes sense. When it comes to survival or getting food, people are necessarily creative.
This is the article I just read:
http://www.wollplatz.de/blog/die-geschichte-des-haekelns/
As far as I understand it, people used to be practically forced to make their own clothes and scarves because either there was nothing suitable to buy or because they simply couldn’t afford it. It’s fascinating how this evolved socially—how suddenly everyone could do it, or rather, how it became expected that women would master this skill.

Today, handicrafts are more of an expression of individuality. You don’t have to make your own clothes and decorative items yourself—you can just buy them ready-made. But those who do make their own things are consciously making a statement along the lines of: “I enjoy this, and I don’t want anything off the rack.”

But back to the topic
I believe there are now a great many different techniques and possibilities for creating things through handicrafts.
I also think the techniques will continue to become more refined, even though the basic techniques will, of course, remain the same.
You can probably see this with loom bands—they’re trendy and all, but basically, it’s just a kind of knitting dolly principle using a needle that looks a lot like a crochet hook. = Just my opinion—feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. But the guy who invented it is making money from it. A lot of money.

Knooking/Sträkeln—the mix of knitting and crocheting—was new to me personally, but that doesn’t mean much; I’m no pro.

Where do you see further innovations?
Where do you think things are headed?
Can you say anything about that? I mean, many of you do professional handicrafts, so you’re probably well-informed about new trends and developments.
I’d find it really exciting to discuss this, because I don’t think we’ve ever talked about it all together like this before.
 

Are you done with the techniques so far then? ;-)

I’d say I’m a pro after over 20 years of crocheting, and I still haven’t managed to really try all the well-known techniques, e.g. Tunisian crochet

I just haven’t had the time to look into it yet :)

@berlidesign
Tunisian crochet is really great. It feels more like knitting than crochet. I once tried it with a very long crochet hook and a few YouTube videos; you crochet/knit forward first, so in one direction, and then back, and when it goes back like that, it’s really cool. I like the “back” better than the “forward.” Rather unusual for crochet, but it’s a lot of fun. I think there was also a kind of Sleeping Beauty pattern in Tunisian crochet, but it’s been a while since I watched that on YouTube. It’s really awesome.
I think the lady from Redaktion Hug, who has made lots of videos on YouTube and also books, was/is very active on that topic.
As far as I know, though, if you want to crochet larger things, you need some kind of extension for the crochet hook, something you can attach and so on.
But as a pro, you’ve probably looked into that anyway and all.

@Hamster
nope, I’m not done for, just curious ;-)

Hi muetzekatze. I haven’t really looked into it 100% yet. I just don’t have the time. But every year I plan to try it out again. Three or four years ago, I tried double crocheting. I think it’s beautiful. But it was very tiring. My left wrist is quite stiff because I had an accident once. And with double crocheting, depending on the pattern, you do have to turn your left hand quite a lot. Which, of course, was really difficult for me. Two years ago, I combined weaving and crocheting and made a few cool things. Unfortunately, I never got around to writing any patterns, but that’s a lot of fun too. Love, Nicole 

Oh. That was supposed to say “hey,” not “hex.” I’m on my Kindle right now, and it has autocorrect.