Teaching Blind to Crochet?

[dubbee]

My sister has retinitis pigmentosa. She's been losing her sight since she was 15. She's almost totally blind now. But I would love to teach her to crochet. Is is possible to teach crochet to someone that is blind? I would hope that she would find it as relaxing as the rest of us do. Any help & ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you:manyheart

[Mrs. Principal]

I would think using a big hook, like a q, and regular yarn (not extra textured stuff) she would be able to feel each stitch and where to insert the hook. You'd have to do items were she counted stitches, not following a pattern (scarves?)

[RoseRed]

Maybe try with an N. She's going to have to learn by feel. Mu mom's friends husband lost his sight. Before he was totally blind he had a big magnifier with a really bright light that clipped to the table. It helped him a lot. I don't know how far your sisters sight has gone.

 

If she's going to learn by feel then I think she'd be better off with an H or I hook. Something that fits the yarn well. It's hard enough trying to keep tension on 1 strand when you're just learning and you need 2 or 3 with a Q hook.

 

(I made 1 o-n-e 1 blanket with a Q and that was more than enough for me.)

[The_Virginia_Hooker]

MARJORIE'S BRAILLE KNITTING & CROCHET PATTERNS & RECIPES

 

Lion Brand website says it also offers pattern in Braille.

 

http://www.prleap.com/pr/24334/

 

http://andyshell.com/shell/knit1.htm

[MimiFL]

A lot of crocheting is done by feel as much as by sight, so I definitely think it's possible. Plus, being blind, she's probably got more developed senses than sighted people, so that should help. Give it a try and let us know how she does!

[DesertCrocheter]

I agree, I'm sure she can learn, no problem. I had a student in college once who was blind since birth, and his tactile skills were far superior to mine. I'd start with the larger hooks suggested, too, find which one she's comfortable with, and I bet she can work her way down to an H (my favorite hook size). There used to be a little article on the national Project Linus website about an elderly lady who had gone blind and still crocheted her blankets by touch. Very inspiring! Patty

[mpmuskie]

This isn't something I advertise, but, I am totally blind. While I had the advantage of being tauught to crochet when I was 8, it was 19 years before I picked up a hook again. So, yes, it is possible for a blind person to learn to crochet. I would honestly start her with a J or a K hook, that way she get used to a more "normal" size. I'm not saying that N or Q aren't normal, but they are used a lot less frequently. I would first make a foundation chain for her and then let her feel it. Then teach her how to do a foundation chain either by letting her hold your hands as you do it, or by just explaining it to her. By letting her feel what a foundation chain feels like before teaching her, she'll be able to know what the chain should feel like when done correctly. I would do this for each stitch. Another thing that I have found extremely helpful is the fact that each stitch has a "mountain" and a "valley" The "mountain is the main part of the stitch that is going horizontal. The "valley" is created by the vertical bar that seperates the stitches. This makes it a lot easier for me to count my stitches. As for patterns, just about every website I have used for patterns is accessible for computer screen reading programs. Even Adobe Acrobat Reader, if it doesn't work with the screen reader, has a built-in text to speech program.

That's about all I can think or right now. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. Also, if you and/or your sister have any questions, just send me a pm. I'll try the best I can to help you both.

[dubbee]

You are all wonderful. I can't thank you enough for the ideas and support that you have shared and shown. You've shown why I exclaim that Crochetville is the best! I will keep everyone updated on the progress.