Need lefty help

[Ber]

I have taught my dd to crochet and I noticed last night she is doing her doily clockwise. For any lefties out there is this okay? Will it effect the pattern. She said it is difficult to read the pattern because she reads it and then goes backwards to how it is to go.

It looks fine but I haven't looked closely at the direction or the way the stitches lay.

Ideas, hints, etc and more are all welcome.

Ber

[Katchkan]

Us lefties always go our own way. She is doing it correct. Just follow what the stitches say and don't worry about the direction. Normally it won't make a difference. Only on some wearable can it be a problem but not insurmountable. Tell her to enjoy. Notice this little guys a leftie also.

[pinknightmare]

the only time i have had trouble is when trying to do a graphed pattern. it comes out backwards. if you hold a mirror up to it and read the pattern from the mirror it should turn out correctly.

[jeng]

there is no problem with a written pattern.

 

but she might be a little bit confused with graphs or diagrams. i taught myself to read it right to left while crocheting left to right. i am sure your daughter will get used to "mind switching" in due time.

[Katchkan]

graphs and charts are only a problem if they are a one way design. It doesnt matter if it is symetrical, then you can read it any way you like. It's only the one way designs you have to figure out which way to read the first row. Then it's back and forth anyways to get it correct.

[artemis]

i taught myself to read it right to left while crocheting left to right. i am sure your daughter will get used to "mind switching" in due time.

 

We lefties have the most marvelous brains, don't we?

Yeah for us!

[Dejhia]

I knit and crochet left handed. I have never had any problems with patterns. I read graphs the wronge way accross in order for things to turn out right. And, I have to watch shapeing in some wearables, but that isn't to bad if you take afew minutes to think about it.

 

When I'm working in the round, I normally don't flip the pattern around at all. Most doillis and such are the same all the way around so there is no need to flip things....

[rddugan]

It's great to see all the lefties here. I am doing a doily pattern too, now. As everyone says, it is normal for lefties to go clockwise.

 

If your daughter is a new crocheter, and the pattern is simple, she probably will be fine.

 

However, if there is a more complicated stitch in the pattern (as in the one I am doing) she may have some trouble, not with the direction of the doily, but with the stitches that go in a certain direction. For example, my pattern has special stitches called a left double treble and a right double treble crochet. For these stitches, lefties have to go in the opposite direction - go right for the "left double treble" and left for the "right double treble". I hope I didn't make things more confusing, but this does come up in doilies.

[Ber]

Well,

 

Her doily came out beautifully. She won't stay with the easy ones she has her mother's tenacity for just bullying through. She even changed colors and so forth on this one. She is fifteen and just seemed to take to it.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I am very glad I found this board.

 

Ber

[moonspinners]

I, too, am a lefty and of course the only time I have difficulty is right at the beginning where I have to do the mirror image of the directions. Quite often I confuse the heck out of myself, but once I get used to the mirror image directions (and frogged a few gazillion times) I'm good to go for the rest of the pattern. Sounds like your daughter is doing fine.

[Beaglelady]

I usually follow patterns as written and don't have a problem. I've done doilies, afghans. I do agree with a 'gragh' some might make a difference and sweaters too with a front - having to reverse the peices when done. I have a knack for reading a pattern and can picture in my mind how it's going to work.

Any one else do that?

Us lefties are in our right minds

[Dejhia]

I usually follow patterns as written and don't have a problem. I've done doilies, afghans. I do agree with a 'gragh' some might make a difference and sweaters too with a front - having to reverse the peices when done. I have a knack for reading a pattern and can picture in my mind how it's going to work.

Any one else do that?

Us lefties are in our right minds

 

 

I always figure out what it is supposed to end up like, and plan out how to flip the pattern around, if needed... Though, often, not much is needed... I guess that is one of the reason I use patterns as guides and suggestions and not follow them word for word since that doens't always work as a leftly. But, it's the same as anything else, sometimes you have to flip things around to work left handed and sometimes you don't...

[crochetingfool]

I too crochet left to right....I just ignore the pattern when it says starting at the right hand side....I know I start on the left side....

 

If the pattern is a graph I read it from the left to the right ... If the 1 for row 1 is on the right hand side I just know that's the end of my row.

 

As you can see by my work that the stitches look the same but if you look closely you'll see that my double crochet stitch or single crochet stitch is opposite of a right handers...

 

I taught myself how to read patterns also. Maybe all of us lefty's should get together for a lefty convention...that would be different. Righty's could come too but I for one would enjoy seeing all those lefty's crocheting in a big room.

 

Linda

 

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