Eye Opener

Elisa Rose took a trip to one of if not the largest antique malls in the country, and went looking for vintage crochet and how much the dealers are charging for it. If you want to see some incredible bargains (as well as some overpriced clunkers) watch the video. I also love something she did toward the end of the video (no spoilers!)

We don't have nearly as much vintage crochet in our antique malls here; I see maybe a couple of throws and some doilies at most places. This is because Florida has a humid subtropical climate, especially down south. Here where I live we get a decent amount of cold weather every winter, but not enough to justify having a bunch of blankets (which I already make anyway!)

Elise mentioned that most of the crocheted items she found were made from acrylic yarn, which did not surprise me. Wool crochet attracts moths and can become felted or damaged with careless laundering, so less of that survives. While vintage acrylic crochet is more plentiful, the old varieties of the yarn were definitely not the softest. Acrylic becomes stiffer with age, so any truly vintage throw you might buy is likely going to be good for display purposes only.

Here's a crocheted throw that came in a lot of crazy quilts I thrifted online. It's expertly made, and I'm happy to have it in my collection, but it's so fragile that I have to hand wash it, so it's not practical for actual use.

Vintage doilies and crochet thread items can be ridiculously cheap or insanely expensive. I like to thrift lots of vintage linens, which often include a few pieces of crocheted thread items for basically a song.

Some tips on taking care of vintage crochet:

Handwash everything that can withstand being immersed in water and laundered with a gentle detergent. Otherwise (or if you're not sure it can withstand laundering) spot clean or take the item to a dry cleaner with expertise in cleaning vintage textiles.

Never put any vintage crochet in the dryer or hang to line dry (this causes stretching.) Dry flat on a towel. I also do not put vintage crochet out where there is any sun because sunlight can fade them or damage the fibers. This goes for displaying them, too.

When storing vintage crochet don't leave in an area that becomes hot like a garage or an attic.

Collecting vintage crochet is fun, especially when you can find some lovely work at bargain prices. You can use smaller pieces as lovely embellishments for purses, junk journals, soft shoes and even garments. Preserving a little piece of the past also feels great, too.