by Trikel

Created on: May 27, 2007

I have been crocheting since I was about 7 years old, and I STILL do not understand why people recommend starting kids with finger crochet. It is loose and sloppy and hard to control.

My wonderful grandmother, may she rest in peace, taught me how to crochet and knit. I found crocheting to be easier because it took less coordination. The first thing she did was teach me about tension and gage. No hooks, no string, just about the concept. Once I understood that, she showed me how to hold the yarn in my left hand and how to control tension. Then she explained that gage was determined by the size of the hook. She also had me wind balls of yarn from skeins. She explained how when a ball is wrapped too tight, it will stretch and then your gage will be off. I wound a lot of balls of yarn that summer!

I have read the other submissions, and they all recommend starting a child with a large hook. I disagree. My grandmother started me with an F hook and butcher's string. Butcher's string is very strong, and cannot stretch out of shape. Once I learned how to hold the string and hook correctly, she started by teaching me how to make the slip knot at the beginning of a piece of work. I must have made that knot a hundred times before she let me move on to a chain. When I started the chain, she had me make miles and miles of it. She had me chain specific numbers of stitches, and would check to see if I counted right. If I didn't, she ripped it out and I started again. If my gage wasn't even, she ripped it out and I started again. It went the same way once I learned single crochet, double, and how to read patterns.

I must admit, to this day I do not like following patterns. However, thanks to my grandma, I know how to create my own patterns and stitches. I even make my own doily patterns. Every single piece of work I make is perfect. My grandmother taught me that if it isn't right, rip it out, and I do, every time.

The first completed project I made with my grandmother was a handbag. It was triangular and made of butcher string. I used it to carry my yarn and hooks to her house every chance I had!

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