There ought to be a law...

The phrase "This ain't your grandmother's crochet!" should nevermore be allowed to be used in regards to modern patterns. (Just bought the 2005 issue of BHGH Simply Creative Crochet.)

First of all, I don't see anything wrong with my grandmother's crochet. Well, not my grandmother's, per se, as I don't think either actually crocheted (which begs the question of where my mother got it from). But old crochet. I know that phrase means "break free of doilies!" And I'm certainly no fan of doilies. But I'm starting to agree with Annie Modesitt's editorial in the crochet mag from Interweave Knits that grandma's crochet is in many ways preferable to the stuff we have now.

Really, no one needs another doily. But dear God, does anyone really need another blasted scarf made with "novelty yarn" either?

I think that anyone who decries "grandmother's crochet" obviously hasn't taken a look at any vintage patterns. Celt's Vintage Crochet is my most easily accessible source...The Crocheted Blouse from 1942 should be enough to give anyone an appreciation for Grandma's crochet. Or, for those of us like myself who adore making baby stuff, how about the Baby Rompers from 1952? That last is definitely the match and then some of the "Snuggle-Up Hoodie":
Really, does the world need this? I somehow think not. And it's hardly the worst thing in the magazine. The inexplicable shell-and-cardigan set is much worse. I wish I could get a decent picture of it. The shell by itself isn't too bad, but whoever decided to include the clownish ruffles on the cuffs of the cardigan deserves to be slapped. Oh how I wish I could get a decent picture of it...

And, of course, there is the incredible irony in the "In the Groove" section of the magazine, considering the expressed disdain for vintage crochet. Not that vintage deserved the treatment they gave it...

Luckily, there's still hope. My trip to the bookstore last night also netted the following:
So Simple Crochet. The poncho patterns are refreshingly few (though I don't understand the "chenille cowl", nor do I particularly want to), as are the gigantic-yarn patterns. There's a shrug pattern that's an actual shrug (most these days are bolero jackets, & there's a huge difference), a long cardigan that makes great use of doilies (OK, motifs, but you look at them & they look like doilies), and an absolutely gorgeous "ruffled mohair wrap" that is so much more than the mere scarf it appears (this is what's on the cover). I'm not positive it's truly as simple as it claims, but it sure is purty.