In both crochet and knitting, loops of yarn are pulled through other loops to make fabric. Crochet makes use of a crochet hook, while knitters use knitting needles, and in most cases, only a single thread loop is active at a given time in crochet. The increasingly efficient production of cotton thread in America contributed to the craft's popularity, as crochet uses more thread than other fabric-m
aking techniques and is particularly suited to cotton. In the early 19th century, crochet emerged as a relatively cheap and simple method of lace manufacture. It was adopted by women who made fabric for a living as well as by young women of the upper classes, who crocheted as a hobby. During the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s, women in Ireland produced great quantities of crocheted lace for export.
