The prodigal daughter has come home. My youngest child (the one who gave me three stretch marks- but I’m over almost over it) asked me to teach her to knit. I demonstrated, and then handed the sticks to her. She grabbed them like bayonets, stuck her tongue out, hunched her shoulder and dug in! Why oh why did I not take a picture? After twisted, dropped and mangled stitches she asked if it frustrated me that she was so awkward at it. I could honestly answer that it did not. Has she forgotten who toilet trained her? Now that was frustrating. Yuck!
After an hour she said it didn’t feel right and could I teach her to crochet instead? I assured her that I could. I taught her older sister and recently, her sister in-law. I reminded her that the hat a blanket I made her son for Christmas were both crocheted. We made a date for tomorrow.
My grandmother taught me to crochet. She said I was too clumsy to knit. It seems to skip a generation. I am really fortunate that it didn’t skip me and that I get to be the one to teach both of my daughters and my daughter in-law. I have learned to appreciate their determination to succeed, their humility to be taught and to learn. I can’t wait to watch their creativity and self expression begin in a new medium.
I’ve been crocheting for about 10 years now (I taught myself out of a bunch of old magazines) and I always wanted to have some guidance… but sadly no-one that I knew at that time could crochet.
Now I’m in the happy position of being able to help my future mother-in-law and my older sister with crochet… but where do I begin? I’ve tried going through the basics with them and I’ve lent them a few of my books… but as I was never ‘taught’ I don’t know what the best advice for a beginner is!
What do you go through when you start a beginner off?
Hi Jessica, We begin with yarn! And so the love afair begins….
1. I show examples of the different thickness and texture and how to read a ball band.
2. Hooks-sizes and material they can be made of.
I have found that if we are familar with the tools the acutal process is better understood.
3. We begin with a slip knot and chain.
4. Single crochet a swatch and measure guage.
5. From here we add a few more stitches.
6. Finally we pick a pattern for a face/dishcloth. This starts them with a quick gratification project and they begin to read patterns.
Keep me posted. I would really like to here how it goes.