Although some textile scholars argue that crochet evolved from traditional practices in Iran, South America and China, the first evidence of the craft emerging in pop culture starts with a 17th century London draper named Doiley. A creative soul, she introduced crochet as a ‘cheap and genteel’ form of summer wear. Gradually crochet shifted from a holey form of clothing and made its way into napkins and tablecloths, acquiring the moniker ‘doily’. By the early 1900s, crochet was popular throughout Europe, with complicated stitching and pale, refined threads being all the rage at the most fashionable dining tables. Read Less