Typically I would start off with… Teacher!  Who me..! Oh No… Never… but seriously, Teaching Crochet has been a rewarding experience for me. I’ve honestly enjoyed taking a beginner through the journey of learning this beautiful art. It astonishes me when people leave at the end of only a few weeks with such beautiful pieces especially as when some have never crocheted before. The best part of class is how everyone starts to help each other out and create a lovely community feeling. Class times are happy times where we talk about everything from work, fashion, kids, dogs, cooking, the weather and of course crochet. Eventually we laugh about it all and no one leaves as strangers. If you considering learning or teaching crochet, here are my few humble pointers that may help you.

Clear course notes with lots of photos: Sometimes, I have a lot of people in a class which makes it hard for me to spend time with each person. Having clear photos on my notes help people experiment and try things on their own.

Every person learns at a different pace: It helps to hand out a course booklet in the first session as everyone learns at a different pace so they can go ahead from the rest of the class if they would like to. As a teacher it’s important to spend time evenly amongst all students but it can be hard sometimes. It also helps if people have your contact details so they can contact you later on.

Start with a practical of the basics e.g. how to hold yarn and hook and how to chain: Most people(if they have never held a hook and yarn) will need to find their own comfortable yarn and hook hold. It’s a personal choice on each person’s hand so it’s a good idea to show everyone as a group first, then walk around to each individual person and check their work. I like to spend time on holding and learning to chain as in my experience people who don’t learn how to hold comfortably are less likely to continue with crochet because their hands start to hurt! In fact I spent my entire first session just doing this J

 Teach slowly but surely: Patience is key to learning and teaching a new craft like crochet. People will appreciate a kind and patient attitude as many feel out of their depth when they realise they can’t use their fingers as they thought they would! A smile will go a long way in relaxing your student.

Use the right names for each stitch: Spend time on each crochet stitch until people are confident with steps like yarn over. Call each stitch by its correct name.  Once students master the concepts visually they find it easier to read patterns, attempt new stitches and make granny squares.

Practice makes it easy: crochet is an easier craft compared to many, but it does require practice to get it right. Encourage your student to practice and read up in their own time.  It helps students to check out resources such as youtube, pintrest and other internet sites. Crochet books are a great way to read up if they are confused about something.

Lastly, have a relaxed attitude because most people respond to a smile and laugh with you. Relaxing into the rhythm of the stitches whether you are a teacher or a student will make it fun for everyone. Don’t ever stop having fun, because crochet is all about expression in colour, texture, design and keeping yourself happy. Enjoy!

Lots of love,

Payal xx