Right hand only?

[SaxDragon]

I found out why one of my friends knits but won't crochet. Not because she's a knit snob, but because her aunt was a right handed snob :-) My friend's a lefty, and her elderly aunt wouldn't teach her crochet because the hooks are all right handed "just like desks".

 

It has bugged her now for over 40 years, so she finally asked me (I'm a righty) if there are left handed hooks. I can see where a boye syle hook might maybe be a problem, but surely a bates style hook is lefty friendy :-) I think I'll round up one of those bates (which I personally don't like, so I don't use them) and gift it to her with some lefty instructions off the net. Lord knows, she doesn't need more yarn in her stash LOL

[Pyroteca]

I do a lot of things with my left hand, but I actually crochet with my right. If your friend has any dexterity with her right hand, she could give it a go with the right hand to see if she could make it work. If the left hand is the only way, then the only advice I would give is to let her hold the hook however is comfortable. I hold my crochet hook (and my pencil) in a very strange way, but it works.

 

I hope your friend has good luck with left-hand crocheting! =)

[Kiirs]

Seriously?? Her aunt told her that?? Well, I don't know how hooks used to be, but I'm left-handed and have taught several people to crochet, both right and left handed, and have never seen or heard of any problem anyone's had with a hook in that way. Of course, I do use the aluminum ones, but I have some big plastic ones too and they aren't any problem.

 

I would assure your friend that there is no "handedness" with crochet hooks and that she can learn it just fine.

[Aggie May]

:cheerI think you friend has had the wool pulled over her eyes all these years.

There is no such thing as left or right handed crochet hooks.

 

I do agree though, left handed people could crochet right handed because it is a two handed craft, not like painting or drawing.

 

I taught my daughter, my sister and my niece to work right handed so that I could help them sort out any problems they may encounter and they all do beautiful work.

 

My daughter also cuts hair right handed because it was easier to teach the whole group the same way, rather than having to stop and show her a different way.

She became a NZ Champion hairdresser and is still working at her craft 25 years later.

She never resented having to change hands to fit in with others.

 

Whatever you do, remember there is no such thing as a left handed crochet hook.

Well, in my 50 squillion years of crocheting, I have never seen one.

 

Have fun.

Colleen:hug

[Addey]

I'm a lefty. I learned on, and used Boye hooks for ages. I recently found Bates hooks and like them a bit better, but not because I'm a lefty. I like the style of the hook end and how it works better for me and most of the yarns I use. I just inherited all of my grandmothers hooks (she passed yesterday). She was a lefty, who was made to do lots of things right handed. She stopped crocheting when I was younger, so I don't remember if she worked right or left handed, but she had mostly Boye hooks with a few Bates style as well.

I really don't like right-hand snobs... I bet the only reason her aunt thinks she has a left hand is to make her symetrical.

[alibra]

I am a lefty, and have been crocheting for 47 years...my Aunt taught me when I was nine and she was right handed. I don't use a special hook, I use any hook. Just for the record, I have tried knitting, and can knit continental or European style. So there snobby Auntie!

[Katchkan]

Thank you for my chuckle of the day. I know you didn't intend it that way. But it struck me as funny.

Seriously look at a hook holding it one way and then the other. See a difference. No.

There is no such animal as a right or left handed hook. That would be like having a right or left handed pencil.

I am a lefty and have been crocheting for over 40 years with the same type of hooks as anyone else uses. I love my boye hooks and only use a bates hook for my bullion stitches.

Sounds like her aunt just didn't want to teach her. Which is sad.

I did have a time getting some one to teach me, But I begged my Great Aunt to teach me as she was left handed. I bless her to this day for the gift she gave me.

[susieq8579]

I am a lefty and my Mom thought she couldn't teach me. I did have someone teach me left-handed when I was a teen but I never kept up with it. Well I made a list of things I wanted to do when I turned 30. Learning to crochet was one of them.

 

I picked up a book and taught myself.....Right-handed!!!!

 

technically both of your hands are engaged in the activity so it seemed pretty easy, I use boye hooks and I them.

[shelly_bean]

wow your poor friend has been missing out all these years. My grandmother taught herself right handed because she couldn't find any left handed pictures to go by. but she does just fine and makes some really cute stuff. hooks know no side they are ambidextrous.

[threadlover]

I am also a lefty, but I hold the hook in my right hand and do all the moving of yarn and thread with my left. People always look at me strange if they know how to crochet because I guess it looks different, but it is a fast way to crochet also.

Marcia

[snugsmontreal]

there are right hand only desks? what is that... there is only one half of the desk, the right side? i have never heard of that before. good luck to your friend in learning, im sure once she breaks through that initial trial it will be smooth sailing. i must say if she crochets continental style crocheting right handed might be ease enough for her to try

[butterflie]

I'm a lefty and have never had problems with 'righty' hooks personally. I didn't even know there was a difference till now!

 

I personally love the Bates hooks myself and can't stand the Boye...

[Sockmad]

Remember only left handed people are in their right mind! Now I don't know what that means for those of us that are ambidextrous I suppose we are whole minded! So sad when people are small minded. Glad she finally figured out that she could crochet in anyway she pleased! Keep on hooking!

 

I too hate Boye hooks I like a nice sharp head Bates or bamboos for me. Though I don't seem to mind the closed heads on the crochet lite hooks.

[Eliea]

I am also a lefty, but I hold the hook in my right hand and do all the moving of yarn and thread with my left. People always look at me strange if they know how to crochet because I guess it looks different, but it is a fast way to crochet also.

Marcia

I do that Too! But I'm a righty! I can not figure any other way. I've tried holding the yarn a ton of different ways and this just works best for me.

 

 

I'd have your friend try a few different hooks. You never know she may love the same one you do or hate it and love the ones you don't.

I'm so glad you are helping her it's really important to share the craft with anyone who wants to learn!

[susieq8579]

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there are right hand only desks? what is that... there is only one half of the desk, the right side? i have never heard of that before.

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In high school and in college they had those desks that were attached to the chair that you got into on the left side and they had a little arm rest for your right arm only......

 

Real PITA!!! if you ask any Lefty

[zeropixie]

:hookI'm left handed and this is how I taught a right handed friend to crochet.

I had her sit in front of me and copy all my movements, it was just like looking in a mirror. It worked.

I do feel for your freind my mom tryed for years to teach me but it just didn't work so I had to teach myself. Hope you can help her.

[Addey]

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there are right hand only desks? what is that... there is only one half of the desk, the right side? i have never heard of that before.

----------------------------------------------

 

In high school and in college they had those desks that were attached to the chair that you got into on the left side and they had a little arm rest for your right arm only......

 

Real PITA!!! if you ask any Lefty

 

I'll second that one!

[snugsmontreal]

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there are right hand only desks? what is that... there is only one half of the desk, the right side? i have never heard of that before.

----------------------------------------------

 

In high school and in college they had those desks that were attached to the chair that you got into on the left side and they had a little arm rest for your right arm only......

 

Real PITA!!! if you ask any Lefty

aww ok my school just had big tables and seperate chairs, but i can see how that would be a pita

[Mom2PBJ]

This reminds me of that movie, and the name escapes me, with Marc Singer playing a blind man (who drives!) and his best friend tells him that he has his left sock on his right foot. So he switches it. And he asks someone else later if he has his socks on the right feet (left sock on the left foot, right sock on the right foot) and that person tells him there's no such thing as a left or right sock. Unless the socks have the toes in them.

[Princess]

I worked with a woman one time her stepfather crochet and her mom I don't remember which one was left handed but she said she sat in front of a mirror and they watched her and learned that way.

[MadCityCrochet]

I heard from a friend who is a left handed crocheter that she has taught many righties to crochet by sitting in front of them and having them "mirror" her movements. It works pretty well because she says it is easier to teach that way than to sit next to some one and teach them. Go figure!

 

Sara

[FootballMom]

Love this thread and had to get in on it too!

 

I am also a lefty, but I guess you could call me ambidextrous. The only 2 things I do lefty are write and hold a fork. I guess as a child I just learned to do things by watching other people. And I had enough coordination in my right hand to be able to do what "everyone else" in the right handed world did.

 

When my Grandmother taught me to crochet (the afghan stitch) over 40 years ago, I just learned righty and it wasn't ever a problem for me.

 

Several year back, when I bowled on a league, I sat down to score after my turn, and one of my teammates was totally puzzled that I bowled righty and scored lefty. But for me, that was just the way it always was.

[LittleJadeFrog]

My mom is a lefty and was forced to write in school with her right hand because it was believed that lefties had a learning disability. So she learned to write with her left hand mimicing the handwriting of a righty, because it is hard to train your non-dominant to do what you want it to.

 

Anyway I'm right-handed and she taught me to crochet. She gifted her used hooks to me , so does that mean her hooks were "left-handed hooks"??? By the way....we have the same hooks Boye!!