How do I tell crochet from knitting?

Knitting shows a grid of V shaped stitches in rows. Crochet shows chained loops worked in spirals, so the rounds read as a spiral across the surface.

Tension varies by hand from round to round. A perfectly even crocheted surface reads as machine made, which crochet cannot be.

Should the seams show?

Yes, faintly. Pieces are crocheted separately and sewn together, so a visible join at the neck or the limb is honest and adds a great deal of credibility.

Crochet

crocheted
amigurumi
chain stitch
granny square

Chained loops worked in spirals, so forms are round, chunky and slightly lumpy.

Draw this style

Opens an image model with the prompt in it. The price is on the page before you sign in.

What it is for

Crochet builds in spirals rather than rows, so it naturally makes closed rounded volumes: a ball, a head, a limb. That is why crocheted characters are always chunky, and why the technique produces toys more readily than garments.

How it works

Chained loops are worked in spiral rounds that follow the form. Shapes come out rounded with no flat planes. Tension varies slightly, so the surface is a little lumpy. Pieces are made separately and joined, leaving a visible seam.

When to use it

Use it for toys, craft and warmth. Avoid it for anything angular, because the technique fights a straight line.

Told apart from its neighbours

Knitted uses a regular grid of rows and columns and reads flatter. Needle Felt has no loops at all. Plush is sewn from cut cloth panels.

Where it is used

It suits a toy render, a craft advertisement, a book illustration and any picture that should look handmade in an evening.

Craft illustration and toy design
Advertising and editorial

The prompt

Replace the blanks with your own character, keep the rest. Then run it on an image model.

<character> crocheted from thick yarn, the surface made of visible chained loops worked in spiral rounds that follow the form, chunky rounded shapes with no flat plane anywhere, the spiral of the rounds clearly readable across each surface, slightly uneven and lumpy where the tension varied, a small visible seam where two pieces were joined, matte fuzzy yarn with a soft rim light, a plain ground

Run it

What goes wrong

A knitted object comes back with a regular grid. Ask for chained loops in spiral rounds and for chunky rounded forms with no flat plane.

Leave out

flat planes, sharp corners, a regular stitch grid, machine perfection, a smooth surface, fine detail

Watch for

Ask for the spiral. Crochet is worked in rounds rather than rows, and the spiral reading across a surface is what separates it from knitting at a glance.

Questions

The Japanese practice of crocheting small stuffed creatures in spiral rounds. It is the reference most people have for crocheted characters, and it is why they are always round.