by Cathy Mcclellan

Created on: January 10, 2009

My mother was the ultimate crafter. She loved doing crafts but her favorite was crochet. Even though she worked 6 days a week, she always found time to crochet every evening. She made it look so easy because she was extremely fast and watched television at the same time. She could usually finish a large afghan in a couple of weeks.

While in high school, I wanted my mother to teach me to crochet. I was really excited and so was she since she was teaching me something that had been passed down through my family for years.

She picks an easy pattern and hook, I pick the color. As she starts showing me how to hold the hook and yarn, we realize we have a problem. The problem? My mother is right handed and I am left handed. Since the pattern stitches are shown right handed, my mother decided I needed to sit directly in front of her and mimic her stitches. Well, maybe for some people this would work, but it didn't for me! It was so frustrating that I didn't try to crochet again for years.

After I married and was pregnant, I decided I wanted to try again. My mother bought a book for left handed crochet stitches. This was literally my bible for crochet. I also learned that while reading the pattern I would read one set of instructions at a time. This worked. I now have made many things by crochet.

Left handed people should not think they can't crochet. It's a matter of adjustment. Naturally, in a world that is geared more toward right handed things, there is not many instruction manuals for left handed people. In earlier days, school teachers would try really hard to re-teach kids to use their right hand. Somehow left handed use was wrong!

Today, you can find a few pattern books that are for left handed use. Naturally, you can start there but don't be afraid to try patterns in other pattern books. I have found it is easier when learning a new stitch to just read the instructions instead of looking at the picture. The instructions tell you step by step how to make the stitch so if you do one step at a time you can make the stitch. This holds true whether you are using a right handed pattern or left handed.

When starting, you hold the hook like a pencil or whatever is comfortable for you. Holding it like a knife works best for me. Using your right hand, control the tension on the yarn using again a technique that is most comfortable to you. The instruction book will have pictures and instructions. Generally, you will start off with a chain totaling so many chains, then turn and start your pattern where instructed. When learning to crochet, try something easy and only one color to get the hang of it. As you progress you will want to do more complicated patterns and you will find the patterns you like to do and the ones you won't want to do. So, get started and have fun!

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