the way we learned to crochet

[kmeiding]

well....my friends tried showing me a granny square in worsted weight or baby weight - can't remember. I could figure out how and which way to put my hook, but i couldn't remember the pattern. Anyway, this was right before Christmas break and then during the break, I bought myself some baby yarn and hooks and a crochet book and taught myself again from the book.

[morrigan1974]

I learned with ww yarn and doily patterns. Loved it, too!!

[ErinLindsey]

I remember the first time I ever made a crochet chain.

 

I was about 3 or 4yrs old, and almost every time my parents would take me and my sister out to eat, we'd get balloons. My dad would make a slip knot and we'd have the balloons tied to our wrists that way.

 

For some reason, I was really interested in knots then. I wanted to make a slip knot in the string, so I put the string thru the slipknot my dad made. Did that a couple of times, and then realized I was making a string of knots.

 

I had a lot of fun, making the chain on the balloon strings whenever I got a balloon. I'd make the chain till I ran out of string on the balloon, and then I'd let the balloon fly up to the ceiling while holding the other end of the string and watching the balloon frog the string.

 

A few years later, when I was probably about 6yrs old, my sister was in Girl Scouts, and she had to have some purple yarn for a project. I was stealing a lot of her yarn (I'd go and snip off a few yards a lot of times) and making chains with my fingers, and then using the chains as hair bands. My sister saw that I was making crochet chains, and she was starting another yarn related project. She was learning to crochet. She asked if I wanted to try it too.

 

So my parents took us to Target (Target sold yarn years ago!) and my sister got me a skein of RHSS Pink and a big purple Boye hook. (wrong hook for me to learn on, I hate the hook end of Boye hooks) She taught how to make chains with the hook, and then showed me the slip stitch. (all she'd learned to do) My sister did her GS project and never crocheted again till last year (I think)

 

I, on the other hand, was constantly making bags with the slip stitch. I made purses to carry my lunch money to school. There was a yarn store about 2 blocks from my house, and I bought another hook (a Susan Bates, dont remember the size, I lost that hook) and my crocheting started looking better.

 

I was probably about 10 or 11 when I took my hook and yarn to my grandmother's house one day. She had crocheted all her life, but hadnt crocheted for a couple of years, and that day she had a half finished afghan that she was working on. I saw it, and asked my grandma what she was crocheting and told her I could do it too. She showed me the afghan, and I was confused because her stitches were bigger and didnt look the same as mine. She said I was only doing slip stitches. She asked if I wanted to learn more stitches. I told her yes, so she showed me double crochet (turns out it was half-double, my grandmother was taught by her mom, who was from Luxembourg, so the names for the stitches were different)

 

I did the half-double stitch for years, making small bags and one really ugly scarf that I was going to give to a friend at work for Xmas when I was probably about 16 (the scarf was stolen from our party room at the store Xmas party at Bonanza. I'm kind of glad my friend never got to see it. It was an ugly scarf)

 

My grandma asked me again one day when I was 17 if I wanted to learn new stitches, so she ended up showing me a bunch more, and then all of a sudden I was making afghans and nice looking scarves. My grandmother and I started to mess around with the rectangle granny pattern and I am so glad that we did that when we did, and that I'd memorized the pattern. (never had a written out pattern for that until I got someone to help me write it out just before I posted it to my blog)

 

I didnt learn to read patterns until I was probably in my mid-20's, and that's probably when I started doing more complicated projects. My grandmother started to develop Alzheimer's and I didnt realize it that quick, that if I wanted to learn more, I'd better mine her brain for all her crochet knowledge. Plus, asking her questions probably helped her keep her mind going for awhile longer.

 

Everytime I saw grandma, I took her something crocheted, and I'd ask questions about stuff she'd made, and how she made it. She couldnt always tell me coherently how she did stuff, but I'd usually get enough info to figure it out.

 

When my grandma died in 2004 (2 days before my birthday) I visited her on Mother's Day in the hospital, she'd broken her leg. I took her a little blue doll that I'd crocheted (no pattern). She hadnt recognized anyone for several months. She looked at the doll and said "Erin, you always crochet so perfect". I was super excited about that. She recognized me! I think it's because of the crochet. She always remembered what crochet was, and she must have associated me with crochet.

 

Now that she's gone, I've had to branch out for learning new crochet stuff instead of having her teach me. I consider myself an expert crocheter now, but I'm still learning new stuff...and then there's the knitting. Except that I dont have anyone but my dad to learn knitting stitches, and he only used one pattern, so he's not the biggest help, except that he knits continental and I make him knit and purl a few rows sometimes in vain attempts to figure out how to do the purl stitch continental style.

[Sandy55]

I learned with thread, a steel hook and a pineapple pattern.

[darski]

 

Now that she's gone, I've had to branch out for learning new crochet stuff instead of having her teach me. I consider myself an expert crocheter now, but I'm still learning new stuff...and then there's the knitting. Except that I dont have anyone but my dad to learn knitting stitches, and he only used one pattern, so he's not the biggest help, except that he knits continental and I make him knit and purl a few rows sometimes in vain attempts to figure out how to do the purl stitch continental style.

 

Thank you for sharing this history with us. it is wonderful to know how others got to where they are now.

 

I have BK'ed your rectangle granny to help others who ask how... and if you want an easy view of continental Purling try this site for videos. I can now purl in continental so it says much...

 

http://www.theknittingsite.com/videos.htm

 

I'll leave you to choose dial up or broadband.

[athena]

My mom taught me using a 3.5mm hook ( not sure what's that in US sizing, probably an E) with a slightly thinner yarn.Probably that time i was young and with tiny fingers might be hard to control a big yarn??

[The_Virginia_Hooker]

i learned with worsted weight and a K Boye hook.

[carovan]

I learned a little over a year ago with Bernat Softee Baby yarn and a size F hook. I started making baby hats with a pattern my friend gave me.

[Crocus58]

I have absolutely no recollection of learning - - - I remember making a blue and white striped afghan in jr high (when dirt was new), but can not for the life of me remember learning how . . . . I know my great-grandmother taught me to knit when she visited from Denmark before I started kindergarten, but crochet? Maybe I found a hook in my mothers knitting box and confiscated it?

[Liv]

I got a book for lefties and had some yarn left over from my days as a troop leader and was give a hook think it was a J

[ttinytreasures]

I bought a skein of RH and an H hook and taught myself from a book. I was pregnant with my first daughter and wanted to make a baby blanket for her so bad. That was 30+ years ago and I still love it.

[Angeleyz14]

I actually think I started with a G hook, not H, but close enough.

Mom taught me to make chains when I was 9 or 10 but wouldn't teach anymore.

Taught myself from books about a year ago.

[monkeybabies]

Oh, Erinlindsey....thanks for sharing your story.

I learned with Red Heart yarn and a boye hook. I bought a package of three hooks. My friend taught me how to chain and single crochet and you should have seen my first swatch. It looked more like a hexagon because I was not lining up the stitches right in the rows..

[Real Deal]

I learned on Sayelle ww yarn and a J hook. I'm left handed and my mother was right handed, so I think she wanted to be able to look at fairly large sts while she was teaching me. Sayelle and Wintuk were the popular ww acrylic yarns at that time.

Real Deal

[Melissa]

Some great stories here, and definitely an interesting trend...

[JessyT]

One of the seasonal campers at my parents' campground taught me when I was six or so. The yarn was a horribly scratchy ugly pink and brown acrylic and the hook was green, and too small. I still have one of my first projects, a tissue packet cover I gave to my mom. I didn't crochet much for years, but in college I picked up the 63 squares booklet and taught myself again and it's been fun, fun, fun ever since. Just started playing with thread this past spring and I love it!

[PBLKNP]

I forgot to mention...the reason I wanted to learn how to crochet was that I was a rebellious teenager...my mother thought crocheting was tacky and something that "low-class" people did--so, of course, I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame <g>.

[Alianora]

Inspired by my roommate in college, I decided I would learn to crochet. I went to this cute little yarn shop in town and picked out some nice soft yarn, Dreambaby DK I think it was. I borrowed a G hook from my roommate and sat down with my computer and learned on the internet. I made myself a scarf, and then I was off, buying pretty yarn and eventually my own hooks!

[Granny Square]

I still have my first hook from the early 70's...it was an "I" hook made of opaque plastic, and the "I" has long since worn off....but I can still see the 35 cents stamped on it

[darski]

I forgot to mention...the reason I wanted to learn how to crochet was that I was a rebellious teenager...my mother thought crocheting was tacky and something that "low-class" people did--so, of course, I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame <g>.

 

There is a tagline out there that says..."Come to the darkside, we've got cookies." You found the cookies!!! :yay:yay

[Earthgirl]

I remember on 1st grade we had to make a line chains that was then glued onto a toiletpaper roll. It was a pencil holder or something. I learned to crochet properly on my nanna's floor when I was 8, mum taught me the stitches but can't remember with what sort of yarn. My guess is that worsted weight.

[TonkaMama]

I tried to learn from the book "Learn to Crochet in Just One Day" by Jean Leinhauser, and I used the supply list to buy the worsted weight yarn, H hook, and needle. The book was somewhat useful, but I personally stuggle to learn things directly from books. My husband got me started on a chain (after much frustration on my part), then my sister-in-law taught me more. I also took a class through community ed, but I left that still thinking that I was supposed to crochet though the back loop. I had made several items before I realized that I wasn't crocheting through both loops. Opps! Oh well...all the washcloths I made had nice ridges to them! I wonder how many of us made this same mistake. And then how many of us--for a brief moment--thought we had created a brand new stich! LOL!!

[ErinLindsey]

I tried to learn from the book "Learn to Crochet in Just One Day" by Jean Leinhauser, and I used the supply list to buy the worsted weight yarn, H hook, and needle. The book was somewhat useful, but I personally stuggle to learn things directly from books. My husband got me started on a chain (after much frustration on my part), then my sister-in-law taught me more. I also took a class through community ed, but I left that still thinking that I was supposed to crochet though the back loop. I had made several items before I realized that I wasn't crocheting through both loops. Opps! Oh well...all the washcloths I made had nice ridges to them! I wonder how many of us made this same mistake. And then how many of us--for a brief moment--thought we had created a brand new stich! LOL!!

 

I only crocheted thru the back loops when I first started making afghans. But that's probably because I liked how it looked.

[hooked2]

I voted for the last choice.

 

Approx. 30+ years ago, I learned from a little green "Learn How to" booklet from the 5 and 10. (I still have the book somewhere - still unpacking from our move 2 years ago .) I used acrylic yarn (what else was there then?) and an aluminum Boye hook to make a shell vest for my then little boy. I don't remember the size of the hook though - . What I do remember is the thrill of creating something really cute () for my beautiful baby () with my own hands ()!!

[sheryljak]

I voted for the last choice.

 

Approx. 30+ years ago, I learned from a little green "Learn How to" booklet from the 5 and 10. (I still have the book somewhere - still unpacking from our move 2 years ago .) I used acrylic yarn (what else was there then?) and an aluminum Boye hook to make a shell vest for my then little boy. I don't remember the size of the hook though - . What I do remember is the thrill of creating something really cute () for my beautiful baby () with my own hands ()!!

 

I have that little green book!! My grandma bought it for me so I could learn to read patterns. The first doily pattern I tried is in that book. I found 2 copies at a yard sale and gave them to 2 people learning to crochet.

It also has knitting , embroidery & tatting I believe. I haven't looked at it in a while.

 

Sheryl