How do I teach an opposite-hander?

[HannahMae]

My niece and my friend both had asked me to teach them to crochet, but the problem is, I'm left-handed, they're right handed. My right-handed aunt taught me when I was a kid. She sat across from me so she was getting the 'right' view. I tried that with my niece, but it didn't work. My mother said that her babysitter taught her to chain with her fingers before she gave her a hook. Would that help me better to teach an opposite-hander?

[asconamaus]

My mom taught me by holding her arms around me while she crocheted. Maybe you could try that?

[alibra]

My Aunt taught me by sitting across from me.

[Wiste]

Maybe you should try crocheting with the opposite hand. It'll probably feel awkward at first but at least you'll be able to understand what they're seeing.

[20Mary08]

I was wondering the same thing. My daughter wants to crochet, she's right handed I'm lefthanded. I did think about sitting across from her but haven't tried it yet. I don't want it to be so hard for her that she'll give up on it.

[namffoc]

I learned from my left handed mom by sitting across from her and wanting to learn really bad. :giggle None of my sisters ever wanted to learn bad enough.

[Knit Happens]

so they are getting some "hands on, live" instruction, sit across and your student will look at you and mimic your actions as if looking in a mirror....then, to supplement that and have the student emulate someone who is actually doing it right handed like she is, go to you tube and search "crochet". There are plenty of videos there for chaining and various stitches. Also, Nexstitch has some great tutorials as well showing both left and right handed.

[tryptikangel]

There are a lot of really good suggestions on here, the only thing I can add to them is that maybe you need to slow down when teaching them? I know for me it was hard to pick up on what was going on when my mom was trying to teach me years ago, and even looking at images showing how to do the stitches took a few reads to figure it out. Maybe sit in front of the mirror and practice a bit so you know what they're seeing, then when you sit in front of them do each move kind of in slow motion and talk them through it? One thing you have to remember is that we're used to the stitches, how to hold the hooks/yarn and they pretty much have no clue... so maybe it's more a matter of how fast you're going when trying to teach them? And as obvious as it sounds, don't forget to be patient and encourage them along the way!

[InStitches52]

I'm a left hander too. I taught my right-handed friend by first showing her the stitches while she sat beside me and then having her sit across from me as mentioned before.

 

However, I also talked her through each step as we worked. For example the dialog for a DC would be: you have one loop on your hook, yarn over and insert hook, yarn over again and pull the loop though, you now have 3 loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over and pull through the last two loops.

 

After awhile I did not have to talk her through anymore she just watched and did what I did. Before I knew it she had it nailed.

[celiawinters]

I am getting ready to start teaching a class in January and I add to my notes that I welcome left-handers BUT I forget that they are left-handed and they learn to crochet right-handed. They never know the difference. It works. I have done this before!!!

[HannahMae]

Thanks for all your help! The two "students" in question are my neice and a co-worker. My neice has moved to Alabama, and my co-worker has since been put on indefinite layoff. But at least I'll know what to do next time!

Thanks again!

[DoubleTreble]

yep, the mirror thing. Have them sit across from you .

[HannahMae]

I wish I had thought of asking this question months ago! I want to find someone to teach, now! lol! I wonder if I can convince one of my SILs....

[LadiBug329]

i am a lefty...taught by my righty granny. my mom is a lefty but crochet's righty.

 

the few people that i have taught struggled more with the coordination of holding a hook and wrapping yarn around it, holding yarn with the other hand, then making loops without getting everything tangled. some people are not very coordinated to be able to do all that basically at the same time. For them, it takes practice, and patience, and sometimes they have to hold the hook differently. Once they learn the concept of it all, then they usually grasp the stitches. so maybe if you could teach them to make the loops without the hook, they might grasp it better.

[sourfleed]

Similar to the suggestions about sitting across from her...have you considered sitting next to a mirror? So that the child can watch your mirrored image instead of your actual hands?

[DawnofMarch]

My niece and my friend both had asked me to teach them to crochet, but the problem is, I'm left-handed, they're right handed. My right-handed aunt taught me when I was a kid. She sat across from me so she was getting the 'right' view. I tried that with my niece, but it didn't work. My mother said that her babysitter taught her to chain with her fingers before she gave her a hook. Would that help me better to teach an opposite-hander?

They could learn to do it left handed. As it is a new skill, there should be no problems...

[Knit Happens]

I have to add...the funniest thing happened today. At lunch, teaching a leftie who is learning left, and a leftie who found it easier to crochet right, I had been practicing my left-hand crocheting, not working on an actual project. I've been doing this some time now, and it is less awkward than when I first started. I had hoped this would facilitate teaching lefties, and its a great tool to have. Anyhow, I was so into my own practicing that when the one student who is leftie but crochets with the right hand asked me for assistance, I set up the stitch and handed it back to her as a leftie...and she said...isn't this wrong? I said no...start here, end here...and she said...ISN'T THIS LEFTIE????? I couldn't help but laugh. I guess I really had in the moment retrained my brain. It is interesting to work with the non-dominant hand...it has shown me what all of my new students struggle with, learning a new task completely foreign to them...and definitely has been worthwhile. I caution tho, for the first few weeks you might get headaches lol

[Daugherty4inNC]

Instead of just sitting in front of them, sit in front of a mirror and they can watch the image in the mirror. If you are right handed it will look to them like they are watching a left handed person and if you are left handed then it looks like a right handed person. They can simply copy what they see in the mirror

[allieliz]

I have to add...the funniest thing happened today. At lunch, teaching a leftie who is learning left, and a leftie who found it easier to crochet right, I had been practicing my left-hand crocheting, not working on an actual project. I've been doing this some time now, and it is less awkward than when I first started. I had hoped this would facilitate teaching lefties, and its a great tool to have. Anyhow, I was so into my own practicing that when the one student who is leftie but crochets with the right hand asked me for assistance, I set up the stitch and handed it back to her as a leftie...and she said...isn't this wrong? I said no...start here, end here...and she said...ISN'T THIS LEFTIE????? I couldn't help but laugh. I guess I really had in the moment retrained my brain. It is interesting to work with the non-dominant hand...it has shown me what all of my new students struggle with, learning a new task completely foreign to them...and definitely has been worthwhile. I caution tho, for the first few weeks you might get headaches lol

 

That is funny. My mother-in-law, her sister and I were trying to practice left handed (in order to try to teach my leftie dd) and truth be told my brain hurt trying to grasp the concept! Maybe I should practice more and get those new neural pathways developed.