I Gave My First Crochet Lesson

I feel it quite a privilege to inspire others, so on being asked if I could teach crochet, my immediate thought was … wow I’d love to teach you but then I wondered how to explain and show someone how to do something which I found so effortless and methodical. I pondered the thought and decided to give it my best shot.

First things first I thought back to my first crochet lessons and they were the granny square, something I had learnt as a Brownie. We would all crochet granny squares which would be joined together to make blankets to gift to the local Nursing Homes.

Ok, so I felt my best course of action was to start the square and work one round, which I did, and I then taught the double crochet stitch. Well not as easy as I thought because there’s an art to holding both the hook and the yarn. Once my lovely student had mastered the stitch I picked up my own crochet and continued with it while she was working her own way around the granny square. It was at this point I realised I could give more insight into how both hands worked together because it wasn’t until I was crocheting, I could better explain and teach. I also valued the importance of teaching the stitches by their names and the importance of learning to read and follow a simple pattern.

It was fun teaching crochet and my first student was a very quick learner who spent the entire following day, from waking, with crochet hook in hand. She became so hooked that she considered what she would like to make with her newfound hobby. A couple of days later she came up with the beautiful idea that she wanted to make baby beanies which she would donate to hospitals. She is a travel nurse so spends time in various locations throughout Australia. Such an inspiring idea and I felt blessed to have been able to contribute to her generosity.

It’s such a wonderful addiction and heart warming to see younger people interested in learning the craft.

Quick Reference to Common Crochet Stitches

Crochet is a wonderful handicraft in which yarn is made into a textured fabric by means of a hooked needle. There are several stitches used in crochet and when crocheting from a pattern, a stitch you are not familiar with or haven’t used in a while might pop up and so I’ve prepared a quick reference to the most common stitches and their corresponding abbreviation.

My goods are crafted using a variety of these popular stitches.

Chain Stitch (ch)

Make a slip knot, bring yarn over hook from back to front, grab with hook and draw hooked yarn through slip knot.

Single Crochet (sc)

Insert hook through stitch, yarn over, draw yarn through stitch, yarn over again and draw through two loops on hook.

Double Crochet (dc)

Yarn over, insert through stitch, yarn over and draw back through stitch, yarn over draw through two, yarn over draw through remaining two stitches.

Half Double Crochet (hdc)

Yarn over, insert through stitch, yarn over draw back through stitch, yarn over draw through all three stitches on hook.

Treble Crochet (tr)

Yarn over twice, insert hook through loop, yarn over draw back through stitch, yarn over draw through two, yarn over draw through two, yarn over draw through remaining two stitches.