teaching a left hander crochet

[darned&amused]

I'm trying teach my left handed boyfriend to crochet and i'm not very good at it being that im right handed. any advice?

[Flia]

Sit down opposite to him and have him follow your movements, step by step.

[darned&amused]

thank you so much!

[da-tamsta]

I'm left handed and learned by mirroring my moms stuff. Sometimes it is best to just do the activity repeatedly to see if that helps. Generally lefties are adept at altering activities to match their needs. (Or else we'd be in trouble...try opening a can with your left hand instead of your right!)

[mclendon1]

My right handed daughter taught me. I got an instruction book, she howed me how she did each stitch, then it was easier for me to understand the instructions.

 

My left handed mother learned by sitting opposite of her right handed friend.

[TurtleLvr]

I'm left handed and learned by mirroring my moms stuff. Sometimes it is best to just do the activity repeatedly to see if that helps. Generally lefties are adept at altering activities to match their needs. (Or else we'd be in trouble...try opening a can with your left hand instead of your right!)

 

We were talking about this the other day at the LYS. Most lefties can learn from righties and without thinking figure out how to reverse what the rightie is doing. I'm going to teach a crochet class there and being a leftie we were thinking about how to teach righties (store owner is a leftie too).

 

[darned&amused]

He's learning well. Thank you guys bunches

[shazzade]

I am hoping, as crochet has risen from the depths of the brightly coloured seventies to shine and be recognized for its true worth, that Lefties might also get a better deal. I'm tired of being told to get a mirror and figure it out that way. I would like to see more books and video tutorials consider the Left-handed crocheter as a person to be catered to as much as the Right-handed person. I find the mirror technique confusing and have never been able to figure it out that way. There are several excellent, new books out that show both Left and Right-handed stitches and a couple of websites that have left-handed video tutorials and that is a great start. I am hoping, though, that they will increase the stitches to the harder ones that I have problems with. The point is, we lefties deserve better. We are consumers, and learners, and crocheters and teachers of crochet. Why does everything always have to be harder for us? Over the years as I have been learning, there were times I have given up on patterns and a few times on crocheting because I couldn't quite figure out how to do things. My mother, who only managed to teach me to chain and had no patience for that, so anything more complicated was out of the question, was right-handed and short tempered. When I found a book that taught left-handed crochet I almost framed it and hung it on the wall, I was so happy. To finally be able to understand how a stitch worked and see diagrams that made sense was amazing. Now if it can be taken just that one step further and provide Left-handed instructions and diagrams with every pattern. Lessons and tutorials that automatically include Lleft-handed instructions. To me, that would be a perfect world.

[leeeo]

learning as a leftie has never been a problem for me. Till i started to do irish crochet. Joinings. Figured that out now as well. As you said you learn to resverse everything. i teach right handers all the time. I crochet right handed for it. slow but steady.

[mva5493]

We were talking about this the other day at the LYS. Most lefties can learn from righties and without thinking figure out how to reverse what the rightie is doing. I'm going to teach a crochet class there and being a leftie we were thinking about how to teach righties (store owner is a leftie too).

 

 

 

I was attempting (with another fellow lefty) to teach a group of 5 women how to do some basic steps (how to do a slip knot, make a chain, and then do a sc) to make a basic scarf. I have found that perhaps I am not a teacher. We had lots of fun trying, and I think at least part of the problem for me was all the women were my inlaws, but I was working specifically with my mother in law. She just couldn't grasp holding and tensioning the yarn. I told her that I had trouble with it in the beginning and that the best thing to do was practice. All of the women were right-handed with two left handed teachers.

[CrochetAmore]

Why does everything always have to be harder for us?

 

It's only as hard as you allow it to be. I learned to adapt early. I often joke that I look at everything backwards, but essentially that is just what you have to do. When I see something new, I automatically begin to turn it around and look at it "backwards" in my mind.

 

The fact is there are far more right handed people than there are left handed people. I am a leftie myself so I do understand. I learned from my right handed mother by sitting across from her. I also taught my right handed daughter by holding the hook in my right hand and showing her which way she should be holding the yarn, etc... it was quite awkward for me, but it worked. She's been crocheting for over 15 years!

 

That said, to make things easier on a more tangible level, when you come across a diagram, picture, or even symbol chart, just copy it and reverse the image. Most photo copiers will allow you to reverse an image when you are making hardcopy, and if it's a computer graphic, just flip it horizontally in your graphics program and it will be as if the diagram or picture was made for a left handed person. I learned that little trick a while back when I was making a pineapple bag from a symbol chart that was directional.

[crafty126]

I am a right-handed crocheter and I am proud to say that I taught my leftie sister-in-law how to crochet. She has been crocheting for about 2 years now. I taught her by holding the yarn and hook the way she felt comfortable and working through the stitches. It was slow going for me but was really nice for her because my hook wasn't flying. She has made quite a few afghans, placemats and scarves. Also, found some videos on you-tube.

[adagio]

I've taught a couple of left handers how to crochet. I've used a how-to-crochet book that has instructions for left handers. And with one young lady, I picked up the hook, and actually did a single-crochet myself lefthanded, just to figure out what to tell her!

Both young ladies have turned into amazing crocheters!

[badrhinogillett]

I've taught a leftie to crochet. I sat next to her and demonstrated the stitch so she could see if from my perspective - then sat opposite of her so she could follow my movements.

[kellywombat]

Hi All....

 

Another leftie here... it took me YEARS to learn to crochet! My G'ma started teaching me at about 7 yrs old. When I was 12 my G'pa asked what we were doing and when my G'ma explained the frustration in trying to teach me as she was right handed... my wonderful G'pa said "well here.. we'll fix that"... and promptly took down the mirror off the living room wall .. put it on the floor leaning against the wall... and wa-la... I was crocheting!! Over the years whenever I needed to learn a new stitch and I was having a hard time.. we would get that mirror down! Now all these years later... I keep up w/ my crocheting... but my dear G'ma isn't here anymore to help me. But it makes me feel close to her. And how 'bout my wonderful G'pa?? He was one smart cookie!!

 

So.. short story long... try the mirror..

 

Kelly