afghan blanket history

Did you know that in the early 1800’s, the Afghan blanket became popular in the United States?  During this time, Afghan rugs and textiles were popular in Europe and America, admired for their craftsmanship and intricate designs. The name “Afghan” likely arose from a Western fascination with Oriental and exotic goods, particularly Afghan rugs, which were widely in demand. 

As women in the U.S. adopted crochet and knitting as popular crafts, the blankets they made—often with geometric patterns and bright colors, similar to Afghan textiles—began to be called “Afghans.” The first known uses of the term “Afghan” to refer to a blanket in American English date back to the mid-19th century, appearing in newspapers, women’s magazines, and craft books.

One of the earliest recorded uses of “Afghan” as a blanket term appears in Godey’s Lady’s Book, a popular American women’s magazine of the 19th century that often published crochet and knitting patterns. In the 1840s and 1850s, the magazine included patterns for crocheted blankets referred to as “Afghans,” suggesting that the term had already entered common usage by then. The Afghan stitch, often referred to as a “Tunisian” stitch today, is a technique that blends elements of knitting and crochet.  In Afghan culture, this stitch was traditionally used to create items like blankets, shawls, and rugs, which often featured intricate patterns and vibrant colors. The Afghan stitch creates a dense fabric with a unique texture, which is well-suited for making sturdy textiles for practical use.

Afghan blankets continued to grow in popularity through the 20th century, solidifying its place as a household name for colorful, crocheted or knitted blankets (insert some photos and videos about Afghan blankets in popular culture including Golden Girls + Roseanne).

The name of the Afghan stitch changed to Tunisian crochet for reasons that are not entirely clear, but it seems to have been adopted as part of a trend of using North African or Middle Eastern names to make the craft seem more exotic, despite the lack of direct historical connection to Tunisia. This renaming was largely a Western development, and the technique remained consistent regardless of what it was called.

Today, the Afghan blanket is now referred to as “Granny Square”. Granny squares, colorful squares sewn together, emerged as a way to use leftover yarn economically in the mid-20th century. They were crafted by older women, often grandmothers, who had both time and interest in making handmade crafts. 

As granny square designs surged in popularity through mainstream media and crafts culture, especially with the famous Afghan blanket in the show Roseanne, the "granny" association became more prevalent than the traditional term "Afghan blanket" for this specific style of crochet blanket.