When my mom is asked how she learned to crochet she loves to tell the story of how her mother only taught her the chain stitch. My grandmother likes things done well and she didn't want to teach her anything else until she made a perfect chain. After weeks of chain stitches, my mom became impatient and taught herself how to single crochet, double crochet and pretty much every other crochet stitch except for maybe the popcorn stitch. When I expressed an interest in crochet, she taught me how to chain and then quickly taught me the simple stitches. I am grateful that I didn't have to make yards and yards of crocheted chains but for some reason I had a hard time figuring out where to put my stitches. In my childhood I had made a few crocheted things but mostly round doilies that rippled instead of laying flat. My mom is a truly amazing crocheter who rarely follows a pattern, I think I always worried I wouldn't be able to make anything as beautiful as her pieces. Some of her crocheted table cloths and doilies are the most beautiful pieces of crochet I have ever seen.
As I got older, though, I started to feel bad that my mom's amazing talent and knowledge would not have a legacy. Maybe it's a bit melo-dramatic but I think it is a tragic thing if this yarn crafting skill dies out with my mom. So, during several trips home I asked her to teach me to crochet again. I would like to say that it went well and I never got frustrated or yelled at her and became an accomplished crocheter after a couple lessons from Mom. Well I would like to say that. I did learn how to single and double crochet and she did teach how to read a pattern. The problem was when I would come home I had no one to ask questions to or to look over my work to confirm I was doing things right. After a few years of trying to teach myself in a vacuum and trying to get the motivation to actually do a whole project I was invited to my first Stitch & Bitch. All the other ladies in the group are knitters so I didn't have feedback but what I did have was motivation to get better. I wanted to hang out with ladies every other Sunday but I didn't want them to see that I didn't know what I was doing. So, I bought several books, looked at videos on line, and crocheted while watching TV. I watch a lot of TV so I was able to whip out projects like hats and wash cloths by each Stitch & Bitch. The book that really gave me the confidence to crochet in front of people and to even give some of my work as gifts was Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker. There isn't a book out there. in my opinion that better explains how to work into a chain, decrease, and work in the round. The writing is so clear and engaging, so I am actually reading through the instructions and not skimming them for the main points like I have been known to do with instructional books. After the Happy Hooker and a year of the Stitch and Bitches I am now a fairly confident, competent and helplessly addicted crocheter. Now it is hard for me to believe there was a time I watched TV and didn't do anything. That just doesn't sound fun anymore:).
For anyone learning to crochet I cannot recommend both the Happy Hooker and a Stitch and Bitch group enough. Even if no one in the group crochet's, like my case, just having a time set aside every month that you dedicate to crochet is a great way to improve and the girl time is just as relaxing or maybe more so than the craft itself.
As I got older, though, I started to feel bad that my mom's amazing talent and knowledge would not have a legacy. Maybe it's a bit melo-dramatic but I think it is a tragic thing if this yarn crafting skill dies out with my mom. So, during several trips home I asked her to teach me to crochet again. I would like to say that it went well and I never got frustrated or yelled at her and became an accomplished crocheter after a couple lessons from Mom. Well I would like to say that. I did learn how to single and double crochet and she did teach how to read a pattern. The problem was when I would come home I had no one to ask questions to or to look over my work to confirm I was doing things right. After a few years of trying to teach myself in a vacuum and trying to get the motivation to actually do a whole project I was invited to my first Stitch & Bitch. All the other ladies in the group are knitters so I didn't have feedback but what I did have was motivation to get better. I wanted to hang out with ladies every other Sunday but I didn't want them to see that I didn't know what I was doing. So, I bought several books, looked at videos on line, and crocheted while watching TV. I watch a lot of TV so I was able to whip out projects like hats and wash cloths by each Stitch & Bitch. The book that really gave me the confidence to crochet in front of people and to even give some of my work as gifts was Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker. There isn't a book out there. in my opinion that better explains how to work into a chain, decrease, and work in the round. The writing is so clear and engaging, so I am actually reading through the instructions and not skimming them for the main points like I have been known to do with instructional books. After the Happy Hooker and a year of the Stitch and Bitches I am now a fairly confident, competent and helplessly addicted crocheter. Now it is hard for me to believe there was a time I watched TV and didn't do anything. That just doesn't sound fun anymore:).
For anyone learning to crochet I cannot recommend both the Happy Hooker and a Stitch and Bitch group enough. Even if no one in the group crochet's, like my case, just having a time set aside every month that you dedicate to crochet is a great way to improve and the girl time is just as relaxing or maybe more so than the craft itself.
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