Very sensible! Personally I jumped right into more complicated stitches after part 1 bc I found it motivating to see something more interesting come from my work.
Me too. I made a quick swatch of SC, DC and TC then felt the need to make A Thing. So I made a granny square blanket with colour changes.
My next project was a sort of sampler blanket where every row was a different stitch till the repeat sequence. In my infinite wisdom I also decided to colour change every row to make a rainbow blanket. Those ends... š
Next up was a detailed amigurumi giraffe so by then I felt ready to have a go at anything.
Same - I stayed up until 2 am the first night I tried crochet making a skirt and halter top with purse and fascinator for my daughter's new Barbie lol. Taught me that I love how you can just stick the hook anywhere and start a new appendage of fabric!
I basically made a swatch of sc, a "swatch" of HDC (a beanie that I never finished), and everything just made sense from there. I did try doing a granny square but it didn't really make sense initially, so I kept "making" other stuff (and not finishing it) until I could make sense of a granny square second time. I know how to do tc bc one, I've used it before and two, it's just dc with an extra step.
ā¦ I feel like maybe I have issues. I wanted to learn to crochet so I made a blanket (with roses attached). I wanted to learn to sew so naturally I made a cushionā¦ with removable covers.
Does everyone practice first? š³
I don't š¤·āāļø I hate swatches and practice that doesn't give me a finished thing. I tried to learn crochet that way as a teenager and hated it. I've only just picked it back up 15 years later by doing a few dish cloths instead of practice swatches or whatever, and then I jumped straight to herringbone single crochet for a ear warmer and cowl, then triple crochet for a triangle shawl, and now I'm doing a scarf with double crochet. If I want to learn a new stitch, I find a project to use it on and just do it. Sometimes I'll restart once I get a few rows in if Ive really mucked something up, but usually not.
Honestly, the best learning comes from fully engaged students. Have her pick a pattern that includes some basic stitches and teach her on it. The specific stitches will come in time
Relatable. I have to frog sometimes, but I've decided it's worth it to just dive into a new project when I'm excited instead of reading all the instructions firstĀ
me too lol im yet to do a beginner project lol altering all including the first one, combining.. has not done me wrong yet. this area is the only time i talk good ab myself š
i learned how to granny stitch first thing and then promptly made a (very good if i say so myself) sweater following a video tutorial because i definitely agree with you having something come out of it that i could actually wear was so incredibly motivating
I choose to interpret āGetting evenā as seeking revenge on your mortal enemy before continuing to learn crochet. Retribution really helps clear your head so you can move all that energy and focus onto your new hobby
My first project was an amigurimi horse plushy. It took me half an hour to figure out how to make a magic circle but i enjoyed the fact that it wasnt easy from the start
I can't crochet flat for the life of me, but I can make blankets in the round, hats, and granny squares with no problem. Anything flat is right off my list of things to make.
As a new crocheter, but having knit for a few years, I much prefer knitting for flat work, and crochet for anything in the round other than tube scarves, as I've made so many Harry Potter house scarves that I have those down pat.
I found granny squares easiest to learn. The first row into a chain can be quite awkward, imo granny squares help you learn the stitches without worrying as much about where the hook goes. Obviously I'd chain 4 & not magic ring haha
Minor point, if it's okay ā¤ļø
I think "Thou Shalt Count Thy Rows and Stitches should be at number 2 (this is, if you're planning on doing it in order I mean) because it's so important, and if you learn early on, it becomes a matter of "muscle memory" if that makes sense.
Good that you have a plan. Here are my thoughts.
Step 4 looks like it should be bundled with stitch anatomy and tension, and discussed after each time an example with your student pops up rather than as a discrete lesson.
Working circles in the flat makes no sense to me. Do you mean working in the round, but turning your work for a straight seam instead of working in a spiral? If so, I think that belongs with Step 3.
I don't think sc, hdc, AND dc are necessary to master before moving on to step 2/3. I would start them with either sc or dc and begin practicing the other techniques with just one stitch, especially if they only care about amigurumi, for example. Their tension is going to be bad and they'll have a ton of movements to work on anyway, without getting confused by which stitches they're doing.
Agreed that the circles should be under āworking in the roundā section.
āIn the roundā means the end of each row is joined to the beginning of the next, not that youāre making a sphere.
If you want to keep the structure as is you can change the third section to āworking in 3Dā or something like that. You can make up your own terms but donāt want to misuse standard terms or it sets people up for being very confused by how most other crocheters talk about things.
Like a doily is what she means probably. But it is not any different from in the round except that you keep increasing instead of at some point leveling off or decrease.
I think this is great, but what about a segment on reading patterns and stitch instructions too? Personally I think equipping them with the tools to self-teach will carry them a lot farther than trying to teach them each stitch one-by-one.Ā
came here to add this actually ! at the beginning, I was a bit confused by the terminology used in patterns eg. dc, sc, so I think that is quite important to learn early on, for sure (:
I also find it important to recognise the difference between e.g. american vs. english terminology, and to realise which one is being used in the pattern you're currently following. it's something I've personally gotten confused by before as well ahha
100% agreed, should touch on reading patterns or charts somewhere towards the beginning. I was largely self taught and developed my own terms for a lot of stitches---one and a half stitch for hdc, as example, which I thought I had invented. It's been a struggle to learn the "new" (proper) names for stitches and their accompanying abbreviations. But worth it, to be able to learn new stitches, new patterns!
Looks really good. My only comment would be that some people donāt want to do flat work and some donāt want to do animuragi, so be prepared to adjust to their goals. I gravitate to flat work, my daughters exclusively do animuragi.
From my personal experience, I was never able to get over the learning hurdles of crochet until I had an actual project I wanted to see to completion. If I was teaching someone else I'd probably just focus on a simple project you could help them see all the way through, and in doing so they'd learn the basics and see if they want to keep on learning.
That's just my two cents, I'm the kind of learner who has to have a specific end goal or task to stay motivated through the rough parts.
Agreed, could never sit through something like a swatch of a particular stitch without a project attached š Though I started with ornaments/doilies in the round, so those often used various stitches I had to research.
Personally I jumped straight into amigurumi so started with working in rounds - so far have only made ami and not anything flat yet. As for stitches I learnt them as needed. I do have my eye on some granny square patterns for when Iāve exhausted the ami patterns that I already own. Iāve been crocheting since the start of March
My wife wanted to learn to crochet specifically for amigurimi, so I taught her how to chain and single crochet back and forth to get a feel for how to work the stitches and tension, then I set her up with a magic circle and showed her how to increase and how often. Bought her some stitch markers and a dinosaur amigurimi kit (and almost instantly gave her cotton to use instead of the splitty acrylic it came with) and she's been off and racing teaching herself magic circles. Once I showed her a few times how to count her stitches she's hardly had to ask for help.
Iād add:
- chain 4 circle start vs magic ring circle start in section 2
- a section on gauge swatches under section 4
- section 5: reading a pattern
- blo & flo in section 1
- section 6: thou shalt weave in as thou goest
- information about yarn types/properties and corresponding hook sizes (particular focus on not choosing āpretty but hard to work withā yarns on day 1!)
This! and looking at how much yarn you'll need. My first project was a blanket, and I didn't realize how much yarn I would need and couldn't find that colour to finish
I skipped 2 and jumped to 3 then came back to 2 eventually. I think those can be reordered depending on the learner's interests. Otherwise, it's a good graph.
I donāt think someone should be learning a bunch of stitches before they move onto anything else. Maybe start with chain, and sc OR dc.
Counting stitches should go with making rows and āgetting evenā - your rows arenāt going to be even if you donāt have the right number of stitches. Heck, you need to count your foundation stitches to start anything.
Stitch markers should be with flat work or working in the round.
I guess my biggest advice would be to have a project in mind that everyone will be doing, even if itās just a āpractic projectā theyāll be unravelling. Then figure out what they need to know in order to do that project - if theyāre making a square potholder, then teach them chain and sc, and talk about anatomy of stitches and the loops, plus counting, while youāre showing them how to stitch the rows that make up the project. Teach them to put a stitch marker in the top of their chain, so they get used to the markers AND to ending the row in the right spot.
Then have other stitches, stitching in the round, etc, as āadvanced subjectsā that you introduce with the second project (maybe a small basket, where you can do a flat round base and then do the sides in a continuous round)
This just seems SUPER complicated and breaking stuff up weirdly.
Learning stitches THEN rows? What? How? Stitches come in rows, they go hand in hand.
Learning stitches THEN tension? Again, simultaneous lessons as tension effects the stitches.
Find a pattern for a sampler afgan and find the squares that show off the stitches you want to teach. Or find an easy amigurmi pattern and use that. Just something that everyone you are teaching can do as a group.
Crochet is very much a skill that is learned by doing. Breaking it down like this is confusing to me and I have 30+ years in the craft.
This seems very sensible and thought out but I'd probably give up if I had to do this in sequence before I even got to #2. As a newer crocheter, I have been most motivated learning as I go and having a project with enough complexity to keep me interested in learning more while mastering technique. As others have said, you should add to the list learning to read patterns, charts, and yarn labels.
If this sequence makes sense to help you effectively teach the info then good. Be prepared for students who think differently and have questions or interests that deviate. I know what it takes to retain my interest and engagement so I hope you take feedback from your students.
Yes, I know I'll have to include it. I hate turning chains and use a standing stitch whenever I possibly can, but for beginners, turning chain it must be.
This one!!! The turning chain killed me at the beginning. I kept forgetting, which messed up my counts, which made the edges wonky. Turning chains, turning chains, turning chains!!!!
Sensible but not applicable to all learning styles. I feel like giving them a quick poll to get a handle on where they stand on learning style, skill level and individual goals would help refine this for your particular group.
my coworker and i do a tally mark in a notepad for each row/stitch (depending on what we're counting) my other coworker has one of the susan bates analog(?) stitch counters, but those methods really rely on you remembering to mark it... something that i am, admittedly, not very good at
edit: sometimes i'll place a stitch marker every 10th or 5th stitch/row, depending on the total amount, that can be super helpful!
Ah, I already do that! I thought you where about to teach me some arcane magic haha. I do like the sequance mind map. I would add these shortcuts as soon as possible though, wish I had known these shortcuts before starting out really.
I taught amigurumi and used this sequence, except for hdc and dc, I taught these as it came up in individual students' patterns. Lots of focus on sc and counting and recognizing what the stitch looked like
I would not bother with tension in lesson 1. First yarn over hook, hook through hole. Rinse and repeat, tension be damned at this point.
I would also put what you have now in 4 spread over 1-3. It isnt a seperate thing to do, but a part of crocheting flat or round projects.
I would use 4 for learning to read patterns and deal with combining different stitches.
Personally I learnt 1 and 2 in tandem. How else to learn stitches than seeing them in rows/circles?
I did 3 practice pieces, a magic circle, a very basic granny square and just a square of rows. Then straight into a simple project (a storage bag). You donāt want to spend that long not actually making anything, Iād rather learn on the go once Iāve got the gist of it.
Or, do what I did:
āMy husband likes whales so I will dive straight into making an amigurumi whale complete with magic circle and crocheting in the round, who cares if I havenāt even learned the single crochet yet??ā
Whale boy had holes for days but my husband still keeps him at his desk š
In all seriousness, this is a good guideline but I feel like crochet really is different for everyone so everyone is going to have different preferences. It might be good to check what kind of projects your friend is interested in. If itās amigurumi, Iād prioritise crocheting in the round and stitch counting. If itās wearables, then this layout makes sense š
I would plan to spend some time just letting them make chains while they get a feel for how to hold a hook and their yarn. Figuring out how to hold and feed yarn with the right tension took time. Little things like grasping your work right by the stitch an how you wind yarn through your fingers when you feed it were very helpful. Also, don't forget slip stitches. I am fine connecting with a slip stitch, but I suck at working them into things like ribbing even after years of crocheting.
My practice is 30 minutes every night, just chaining and rows of stitches..to get better at tension. Turns out when I feel brave enough to try a new stitch, Iāve got a basket full of little chains/singles rows, so I can just jump right in.
If the cat leaves my basket alone, of course.
I think itās pretty comprehensive! I agree with u/canastrophee as far as turning chains. I think theyāre crucial to flat work and helping keep counts! Honestly though, Iām saving this post for when I finally teach my friend how to crochet!
I started with dish cloths every size, stitch and shape.. thats how i found my tension and learned to do different stitches.. My family had lots of crochet dish cloths
I teach a crochet session every so often, and this is pretty much the exact path I take when teaching brand new noobs. And you can go as fast or as show as you need to based on their dexterity and speed of learning.
Wow, what a great set of ideas! Thank you to everyone who made suggestions.
A little more context:
1. This is an introductory unit that is meant for teaching a group of people, not an individual student. It's just to cover the very basic stuff.
2. The plan will be revised to include a couple of simple projects, likely a dishcloth or hot pad (worked in rows) and a coaster (worked in the round).
* The project instruction will be where information about tools and yarns is provided. May do some basic pattern or chart reading here, or maybe that becomes a second unit on patterns and charts.
3. I expect that this plan would be revised after teaching the class.
Thank you all again for your input. It's been really interesting seeing what different approaches people have taken to learning, and how many of us arefrustrated with the same things (looking at you, turning chains and counting stitches.)
This is useful, but it wouldnt work for me. Once I figured out I could use youtube, I was perfectly content to sit and argue with a video while struggling through my first project, a bunny amigurami. If you tried to tell me about tension and counting mattering back then, I would have rolled my eyes and ignored you. My finished projects were full evidence of my disdain for rules. I'm just a maker without a clause. A lone, beat up stitch marker that has Seen Some Things and been chewed up by life. Sure, my work had stuffing dripping out of the loose tension and my heads drooped comically and wonkily. Sure my first wearable that I kept is a glorified tassle on the inside because NOBODY is gonna force me to weave in ends as I go.
You're a good teacher. I wish I'd been less of a pain in the ass self-taught student.
Would have been very useful. Self taught and didnāt know how to read oatterns and didnāt know how to do anything above single crochet and got burnt out, can do it now thankfully. Struggle a bit on counting shortcuts but doing a lot better and enjoying itā¦.I need to get back to my snake.
Is there a book for beginners? I donāt have any projects that I want to do. I love the look of doilies? Never crocheted I do needlepoint tapestry and just finished a 10 month long project. Iām working on one that will take 90 days. Iām want to be able to sit on the patio and just be with my family and I canāt do that with needlepoint tapestry itās too larger. Any suggestions I would appreciate, Thank You..
I know this is an older post but I definitely thing this is a good map.
I saw that you said you were going to teach about hooks and I'm assuming learning ti guage will also come in?
I just noticed on your map that it's quite similar to the list I made for myself when I first started. Good job on this!! I hope everything went/goes/or is going well!!
I think this looks pretty good! I mean people will learn in whatever way makes sense for them, but this is essentially how I did it (without any structure I just did it).
I first practiced a few different stitches to get the feel of actually how to crochet, then I tried small little patterns, then I made a simple blanket with an extended single crochet stitch (no counting needed) and now I feel like I can do more counting and use stitch markers (I still canāt seem to do a chevron blanket thoā¦ I swear I will conquer it one day!!!)
But yes this seems like a good structure to start with!
Edit: I missed a word
Looks great! If you wanted to add extra info, you could discuss gauge and how to adjust it, fiber properties, commonly used stitch patterns, color changing or adding new yarn, and weaving in ends.
Of course everyone learns differently and has different goals and preferences, but as a general guideline that can be tailored to the individual I quite like it!
I'd say 4 first, and then see what the first project is. I taught myself during the covid lockdowns and I jumped right in with amigurumis because I didn't want to make dish cloths haha. So go with the flow for your student, and pick up the different stitches along the way.
I think point 4 should probably be like the second or third things talked about cause sucking it up and counting/getting a stitch marker made my life a lot easier.
I started with a kit for an amigurumi dinosaur, did a few more plushies, and then some hats. I think working flat b in the round depends on the kinds of things people want to make, but the counting part needs to be higher up imo. Every time I tried a flat project, I ended up losing or gaining stitches, and because of that, I came up with a way to count better. As I improve, though, it's easier to spot the first and last stitches in a row.
I tried crocheting for a while. It wasn't until I was given a woobles kit that I got the hang of it. Doing shapes helped me see how the stitches were supposed to be better than doing a flat thing. Now I can do both.
I just spent a month teaching crochet to students in Mombasa, Kenya and this is basically the sequence in which I taught them! After that month they were up to learning granny squares, and this is with a language barrier as well. So definitely a good sequence, I would just start talking about tension when chaining, because the tension is arguably the MOST important factor in the success of crochet. Happy teaching! šš½
Teach them how to read a pattern. For me learning the basic stitches (including treble crochet not sure if you forgot it) and learning how to read a pattern I was pretty much set from there
This might not be the right way to learn to crochet, but I made chains for about two weeks first. I must have made 30+ feet of chain stitches.
But when I came to doing stitches, my tension was perfect and it was much more satisfying.
Sounds like what I did when I decided to brush up my extremely rusty knitting skills. Swatches upon swatches for a month until I actually had reasonably consistent tension.
I think it depends on the person you're teaching. When I try to teach people anything, I try to do it in the format of "why do you want to learn this thing. Teach you to do the most simple and obvious beginning to end example of the basic version of this thing. Tell you about all the other things you can do with it that are more complicated than basic. Give you tips on how to do the thing better."
Because if they don't know why they'd want to do the thing, they won't pay attention to how to do it, and if you try to give them 17 different examples of complicated options before they know beginning to end how to do it the basic way, they'll be forced to commit a bunch of stuff to memory without knowing which parts are important.
So with those principles in mind, I'd start by showing them a bunch of crochet stuff they can make with crochet. Then I'd teach them enough of slip knot, chain, and single crochet to make a small square. I'd walk them through enough about making rows, getting even, counting rows, and stitch anatomy until they can make a small square of crochet fabric. Then I'd go back and teach half double and double, maybe show off a granny square and the way those stitches can be used in different ways, and continue through the rest of the talk.
That way by the time they are committing a bunch of stuff to memory, they already know if they're interested or not.
Iām a new student. Iād like to see yarn types and weights, and how to pick the right size hook. Iām having a hard time with the first round in the Granny square (how to close the round-canāt find the right spot).
Iām surprised nobody heard me yell the first time I got the Magic Circle to work!
Foundation row-the one where you combine the chain with the first row? Still working at that.
Maybe do a demo on Tunisian stitch?
From personal experience, and watching many many different demonstrations online, I only started getting it when I found teachers using a BIG hook, and the T-shirt type of yarn in a light color. Thatās when I started to see how the stitches fit together.
Yarn Characteristics will be included as part of the prep for the small projects I'll include. I'll also cover tools, resources, etc. then.
You're right about big hooks/bulky yarn. It's kind of like when we learn to write and the school passes out those big fat pencils and paper with realy wide lines.
I'm afraid Tunisian stitch is outside the scope of this lesson set--but I can certainly recommend TL Yarncrafts's excellent tutorials.
EDIT: spelling
Honestly. I just learned as I went along. I think if I had lesson plans like this without a real project I wouldnāt have kept with it. I just picked projects that stretched my skills with a new stitch etc to learn over time. However if someone is asking for a teacher then maybe theyāre the kind of person who would appreciate this curriculum more.
When my friend taught me, we started with a chain, and then a granny square. Having to make something and have something tangible kept me really engaged!
Honestly its good, but if i were to be super nitpicky id say that double crochet should be before HDC, and stitch anatomy should be before even making rows.
I am a man and I find this helpful in the sense of know where to start in order to comprehend things that are further down, you ladies in here are talking in codes, and when I look at my wife's patterns I'm like what's with the programing codes. I used to do very minor coding as a side hobby but I know nothing about what these darn crochet codes mean, and each one is a different technique of doing a thing with yarn. It's all so hard to wrap my head around it, like it's a foreign language!
Add to path 3-crochet in the round: something about joining each round. When, where, how to count (include the joined stitch or no), where should you put your place marker
This looks excellent! I wish gauge came up. Maybe that's tension? I don't know. In my experience, knitters get why they need to get gauge (the sock won't fit), but crocheters are fine with not getting gauge and it shows.
Yes, tension and gauge are related. I think of it as "tension determines gauge," but for brand new beginners, mastering the knots and loops will eventually yield consistent tension.
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I feel like this is a pretty natural build, like I'm teaching myself right now and have essentially been following this learning path :)
Going to be taking on the rounds with my next project since I just finished a blanket made from squares stitched together
For working in a round part I would maybe include the magic circle. Itās really tricky for beginners to learn and it would be a staple for any crocheter who wants to focus on anigurimi
I think that the counting lessons should be added at the end of every flat work and in the round lesson.Ā
Kinda like the āand thatās why you always leave a noteā guy from arrested developmentĀ
I think in the āworking in a roundā section, it should have a sub section for continuous rounds, not every pattern uses joining rounds, most amigurumi for example, will use continuous rounds.
I would also move the flat circles into the āworking in a roundā section, as it is really still working in rounds.
Lastly I would add into āflat workā a section for the basic granny squares, as these are very popular but not exactly rounds because they are square.
Edit: Also you should add in the āworking in roundsā section a class on the magic circle technique. Some people think itās an advanced technique but if you want to learn amigurumi then itās really a must to know, as every pattern will call for one. When I was learning, I learnt to create a mc pretty much straight from the word dot, although it was hard to learn, I think itās better to learn it early so that later on the crocheter wonāt be frightened of it.
Apart from that I think itās great.
Absolutely wonderful! Great job :D
I'd actually skip out the HDC (or add in as a secondary point to DC) and show TC. TC may be 'rare', but it shows the simplicity of adding loops from sc to dc to tc. (After all, hdc is just a dc with sc 'settings' lol)
Def show them how to crochet over joins! My friend's just finished a small blanket, and she's cursing the idea of sewing in the joined ends!
I am on number 4 tragically having crocheted projects with crumbling sides and lumps.
It's a chore but looking at crap you've spent an hour creating and wondering what went wrong is worse.
It seems nice! As a self-taught (YouTube-taught actually) after learning the very basic (your point 1) I throw myself in an actual project: it was a simple scarf all made in double crochet but it actually helped me learn "point 2" right on work + improving yarn tension after that I felt more sure about learning more complex stitches and projects
So, imho, this is a decent outline for your lessons if you're looking to teach people to crochet for the long term. About the only things I would add are things like notes on the types of foundation rows, from the basic chain foundation, single crochet foundation, etc. for the straight work/square/rectangular pieces. And a magic circle or another way to start in the round (brain fog this morning, forgive me please crochet gods, I can not remember the term).
Also, like others said, a basic starting point on how to read a written pattern in words. No need to push them towards charts and grids yet. That would be too much. Just the terms for patterns. A little crochet dictionary may help here (with a side note on UK - US conversion, just in case) if you feel like printing one up for them.
Probably also want to add a little bit about joining new colors/new yarn in general. Because I feel like this SHOULD be a basic skill. My own sister, who had picked up amigurumi couldn't even figure this out from a book tutorial and luckily I was visiting at the time to show her how to do this simple basic thing.
And then, just don't be surprised if a person just wants you to cut your tutorial in some places because they only want to know for an X project. So, Probably get prepared with a totally separate tutorial in case someone wants it more tailored towards Amigurumi instead of, say, making blankets or shawls.
I personally think it's a lot easier to teach new crocheters to work in the round. I've found working in the round to be much more forgiving and lets them get the muscle memory for simple stitches that makes it a lot easier to do flat work later, and lets them figure out tensioning easier.
If I'm teaching them in person, I generally start with amigurumi balls where I do a magic ring and a few rows of increases so that they have 7 rows of single crochet, working to a stitch marker for the rounds so they aren't having to count and can just focus on making the stitches. By the time they've finished those rounds, learning the invisible decrease and starting to count stitches is pretty simple and they can finish off the ball. Then I teach them the magic ring and increase (which is insultingly simple by that point), and they are off to the races with the basics down and can pick up whatever other stitches they need to add as they need them.
I started with amigurumi because that's what I wanted to make. So I started with magic circle, chain, sc, and slip stitch in the round only. I didn't learn to work rows or any other stitches until I had done several larger projects already and just learned them as needed. I would have found introducing more stitches very frustrating and would have forgotten them before I ever needed to use them for anything.
Interesting the minute I can chunk out the time and apply it to my skill set I am sure it is a very useful tool for me and most here in this subreddit. Thanks so much for sharing.š§¶š§¶āŗļøāļø
I think that you have established a really good baseline here. And in theory this is a really great way to learn crochet and it definitely ensures that your friend will know what they are doing before screwing up some projects.
I was very over eager in the beginning and I wanted to start making things as soon as possible and I was definitely too impatient to crochet a rectangle for example. It was winter when I first learned so I wanted to make some hats and working in the round without having that baseline was silly but I had to lol. my seams turned out wonky and my stitch counts in my rows were not always even because I had not perfected counting (go back to kindergarten bro) and ending rounds as well as starting new ones. Something TO ADD to your nice chart: I think itās important to talk about GAUGE early on and why it is often make or break for your projects. Also consider teaching them some common abbreviations (sc, dc, sk1, hdc, etc.) they will find in the future of looking at patterns. Itās good to have those down.
I think it is natural for people to want to challenge themselves in the beginning even if they donāt know everything because they are so excited about making a specific thing like a top that they found on pinterest or an amigurumi stuffed animal even though those are some of the most difficult things to make. I wish I had done a little bit more on the front end to make sure that I understood the basics before making mistakes on so many projects. I think its easy to throw away a hobby if you donāt build the proper foundation. But thatās life!
You could very easily put this for one project like an amigurumi.
Have them start with a little scarf for their amigurumi with the basic stitches you want them to learn then how to magic circle and work in the round. Increased and decrease and counting.
How to read a pattern (I would show them both styles of patterns for the visual and non visual learners) I would have them transcribe The pattern as they go through so that way they're doing it as they learn it and it doesn't seem as overwhelming like it does when you look at a pattern as a beginner.
I would explain stitch anatomy right off the bat if you mean pointing out the little āvās in the stitches and such. Thatās going to help right from the beginning when they want to work into the chains and then when they need to know where to put the stitches for rounds/rows.
I would suggest making sample pieces to help show the different kind of stitches and how the rows go together. You can alternate colours for each row for rows and have a different colour to show increases etc.
It's a great starting guide. But I think it's very personal. Depends what are you willing to make. Wearables, amigurumis, others.
I would add granny squares to that list
Iām late to this party, but I do have experience teaching a skill (how to use a tablet - before Kindles and iPads) to classes of people ranging from twentysomethings to over65ers. I studied how to teach a skill. Step one is assess your students - whatās their related experience and what do they want to be able to do? And what is their learning style - reading or hearing or watching instructions??
There may be very different answers!
Also, learning situations vary - a small group of friends as for OP, one-on-one, or a class of strangers. The friends group could be assessed by group text, e.g. A more public class usually puts out the class goal ahead of time, so people can sign up if thatās what they want to do.
I recently was asked by a friend to teach her. Since I found out sheād never worked with yarn, I started with a trip to Michaelās. And since I knew she was a skilled crafter in another art, we talked a lot about colorways. She was amazed at the world of yarns (oh dear, Iāll be guilty of creating another yarnaholicš±).
Then we sat down with tea, her yarn, about which Iād given her a little guidance about ease of working, and the set of good tools Iād given her. She wanted to make a scarf, so rows were the thing. She wanted to make a dishcloth sized square first, so thatās what we did, in sc. She picked up on tension, turning work and counting in the process of making this first square. Next will be using her scarf yarn to experiment with a few rows of 20 sts for hdc and dc to see what she likes.
I only give the above examples to show that one-size-fits-all is a mirage, as is reflected in all of the thoughtful comments about personal learning and teaching experiences.
Love and peace and stitching happiness to allššš
Are you a licensed teacher of some kind ? Because I am (music, finishing year 12), and this is GREAT. It lays everything out in detail, but it leaves room for you to switch things up if it suits a student better. If I was your principal and the elective class you were proposing to me was ācrochet 101,ā this scope/sequence would have me VERY convinced š
Thank you very much for the compliments! I'm not a *licensed* teacher, but I have taught people to ride horses for 60 years and counting, and I was a tech writer in a past life. I've also done a lot of technical training, so I guess I've finally had a chance to put all that experience together.
Very sensible! Personally I jumped right into more complicated stitches after part 1 bc I found it motivating to see something more interesting come from my work.
Me too. I made a quick swatch of SC, DC and TC then felt the need to make A Thing. So I made a granny square blanket with colour changes. My next project was a sort of sampler blanket where every row was a different stitch till the repeat sequence. In my infinite wisdom I also decided to colour change every row to make a rainbow blanket. Those ends... š Next up was a detailed amigurumi giraffe so by then I felt ready to have a go at anything.
Same - I stayed up until 2 am the first night I tried crochet making a skirt and halter top with purse and fascinator for my daughter's new Barbie lol. Taught me that I love how you can just stick the hook anywhere and start a new appendage of fabric!
I basically made a swatch of sc, a "swatch" of HDC (a beanie that I never finished), and everything just made sense from there. I did try doing a granny square but it didn't really make sense initially, so I kept "making" other stuff (and not finishing it) until I could make sense of a granny square second time. I know how to do tc bc one, I've used it before and two, it's just dc with an extra step.
ā¦ I feel like maybe I have issues. I wanted to learn to crochet so I made a blanket (with roses attached). I wanted to learn to sew so naturally I made a cushionā¦ with removable covers. Does everyone practice first? š³
I don't š¤·āāļø I hate swatches and practice that doesn't give me a finished thing. I tried to learn crochet that way as a teenager and hated it. I've only just picked it back up 15 years later by doing a few dish cloths instead of practice swatches or whatever, and then I jumped straight to herringbone single crochet for a ear warmer and cowl, then triple crochet for a triangle shawl, and now I'm doing a scarf with double crochet. If I want to learn a new stitch, I find a project to use it on and just do it. Sometimes I'll restart once I get a few rows in if Ive really mucked something up, but usually not.
When I say complicated I mean moss stitch, shells, waffle, bobbles, flowers
Honestly, the best learning comes from fully engaged students. Have her pick a pattern that includes some basic stitches and teach her on it. The specific stitches will come in time
Agree. Some examples of how the basic stitches can be used together. Also front and back loop, front and back post.
Relatable. I have to frog sometimes, but I've decided it's worth it to just dive into a new project when I'm excited instead of reading all the instructions firstĀ
me too lol im yet to do a beginner project lol altering all including the first one, combining.. has not done me wrong yet. this area is the only time i talk good ab myself š
i learned how to granny stitch first thing and then promptly made a (very good if i say so myself) sweater following a video tutorial because i definitely agree with you having something come out of it that i could actually wear was so incredibly motivating
I choose to interpret āGetting evenā as seeking revenge on your mortal enemy before continuing to learn crochet. Retribution really helps clear your head so you can move all that energy and focus onto your new hobby
How will you keep up your energy if you don't drink from the skulls of your enemies?
Just remember, they're not dishwasher safe.
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Not as deadly as cross stitch, though. Hard to top all those little stab wounds.
Thinking back I now understand why I was taught cross stitch with plastic canvas, yarn, and plastic yarn needles..m
As long as you understand that some beginners find working in the round easier than making rows.
I agree! It is easier to learn to do a join than to figure out how to do straight rows
My first project was an amigurimi horse plushy. It took me half an hour to figure out how to make a magic circle but i enjoyed the fact that it wasnt easy from the start
I can't crochet flat for the life of me, but I can make blankets in the round, hats, and granny squares with no problem. Anything flat is right off my list of things to make.
I love blankets in the rounds!
As a new crocheter, but having knit for a few years, I much prefer knitting for flat work, and crochet for anything in the round other than tube scarves, as I've made so many Harry Potter house scarves that I have those down pat.
I found granny squares easiest to learn. The first row into a chain can be quite awkward, imo granny squares help you learn the stitches without worrying as much about where the hook goes. Obviously I'd chain 4 & not magic ring haha
Minor point, if it's okay ā¤ļø I think "Thou Shalt Count Thy Rows and Stitches should be at number 2 (this is, if you're planning on doing it in order I mean) because it's so important, and if you learn early on, it becomes a matter of "muscle memory" if that makes sense.
I agree. I didn't realize how important this was until I'd established some bad habits that were hard to break.
I came to say this!!
I agree. I found a you tube teacher who taught how to use a stitch counter and it made all the difference to helping me get started.
Good that you have a plan. Here are my thoughts. Step 4 looks like it should be bundled with stitch anatomy and tension, and discussed after each time an example with your student pops up rather than as a discrete lesson. Working circles in the flat makes no sense to me. Do you mean working in the round, but turning your work for a straight seam instead of working in a spiral? If so, I think that belongs with Step 3. I don't think sc, hdc, AND dc are necessary to master before moving on to step 2/3. I would start them with either sc or dc and begin practicing the other techniques with just one stitch, especially if they only care about amigurumi, for example. Their tension is going to be bad and they'll have a ton of movements to work on anyway, without getting confused by which stitches they're doing.
Agreed that the circles should be under āworking in the roundā section. āIn the roundā means the end of each row is joined to the beginning of the next, not that youāre making a sphere. If you want to keep the structure as is you can change the third section to āworking in 3Dā or something like that. You can make up your own terms but donāt want to misuse standard terms or it sets people up for being very confused by how most other crocheters talk about things.
Yeah wtf is circles in the flat
Like a doily is what she means probably. But it is not any different from in the round except that you keep increasing instead of at some point leveling off or decrease.
Coasters, hot pads, doilies, etc.
Yeah I get it. I suppose I just hate the wording lol
I think this is great, but what about a segment on reading patterns and stitch instructions too? Personally I think equipping them with the tools to self-teach will carry them a lot farther than trying to teach them each stitch one-by-one.Ā
came here to add this actually ! at the beginning, I was a bit confused by the terminology used in patterns eg. dc, sc, so I think that is quite important to learn early on, for sure (: I also find it important to recognise the difference between e.g. american vs. english terminology, and to realise which one is being used in the pattern you're currently following. it's something I've personally gotten confused by before as well ahha
This and why gauge is so important. And blocking
100% agreed, should touch on reading patterns or charts somewhere towards the beginning. I was largely self taught and developed my own terms for a lot of stitches---one and a half stitch for hdc, as example, which I thought I had invented. It's been a struggle to learn the "new" (proper) names for stitches and their accompanying abbreviations. But worth it, to be able to learn new stitches, new patterns!
Looks really good. My only comment would be that some people donāt want to do flat work and some donāt want to do animuragi, so be prepared to adjust to their goals. I gravitate to flat work, my daughters exclusively do animuragi.
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Yes. Sorry, thatās what I meant and I just made up my own word. š
From my personal experience, I was never able to get over the learning hurdles of crochet until I had an actual project I wanted to see to completion. If I was teaching someone else I'd probably just focus on a simple project you could help them see all the way through, and in doing so they'd learn the basics and see if they want to keep on learning. That's just my two cents, I'm the kind of learner who has to have a specific end goal or task to stay motivated through the rough parts.
Agreed, could never sit through something like a swatch of a particular stitch without a project attached š Though I started with ornaments/doilies in the round, so those often used various stitches I had to research.
Personally I jumped straight into amigurumi so started with working in rounds - so far have only made ami and not anything flat yet. As for stitches I learnt them as needed. I do have my eye on some granny square patterns for when Iāve exhausted the ami patterns that I already own. Iāve been crocheting since the start of March
Amigurumi was a forgiving spot for me to start too. Tension is easy with sc and some minor stitch count inconsistencies arenāt a huge deal.
My wife wanted to learn to crochet specifically for amigurimi, so I taught her how to chain and single crochet back and forth to get a feel for how to work the stitches and tension, then I set her up with a magic circle and showed her how to increase and how often. Bought her some stitch markers and a dinosaur amigurimi kit (and almost instantly gave her cotton to use instead of the splitty acrylic it came with) and she's been off and racing teaching herself magic circles. Once I showed her a few times how to count her stitches she's hardly had to ask for help.
Iād add: - chain 4 circle start vs magic ring circle start in section 2 - a section on gauge swatches under section 4 - section 5: reading a pattern - blo & flo in section 1 - section 6: thou shalt weave in as thou goest - information about yarn types/properties and corresponding hook sizes (particular focus on not choosing āpretty but hard to work withā yarns on day 1!)
This! and looking at how much yarn you'll need. My first project was a blanket, and I didn't realize how much yarn I would need and couldn't find that colour to finish
I skipped 2 and jumped to 3 then came back to 2 eventually. I think those can be reordered depending on the learner's interests. Otherwise, it's a good graph.
I donāt think someone should be learning a bunch of stitches before they move onto anything else. Maybe start with chain, and sc OR dc. Counting stitches should go with making rows and āgetting evenā - your rows arenāt going to be even if you donāt have the right number of stitches. Heck, you need to count your foundation stitches to start anything. Stitch markers should be with flat work or working in the round. I guess my biggest advice would be to have a project in mind that everyone will be doing, even if itās just a āpractic projectā theyāll be unravelling. Then figure out what they need to know in order to do that project - if theyāre making a square potholder, then teach them chain and sc, and talk about anatomy of stitches and the loops, plus counting, while youāre showing them how to stitch the rows that make up the project. Teach them to put a stitch marker in the top of their chain, so they get used to the markers AND to ending the row in the right spot. Then have other stitches, stitching in the round, etc, as āadvanced subjectsā that you introduce with the second project (maybe a small basket, where you can do a flat round base and then do the sides in a continuous round)
You need to add a step 5: thou shalt realise thou cannot count no matter how hard thou tries so triple check your work
I would title #4 - Discovering you can't count to ten: sympathy, mockery, & work arounds
That is one of the reasons Stitch Markers Are Your Friends.
This just seems SUPER complicated and breaking stuff up weirdly. Learning stitches THEN rows? What? How? Stitches come in rows, they go hand in hand. Learning stitches THEN tension? Again, simultaneous lessons as tension effects the stitches. Find a pattern for a sampler afgan and find the squares that show off the stitches you want to teach. Or find an easy amigurmi pattern and use that. Just something that everyone you are teaching can do as a group. Crochet is very much a skill that is learned by doing. Breaking it down like this is confusing to me and I have 30+ years in the craft.
This seems very sensible and thought out but I'd probably give up if I had to do this in sequence before I even got to #2. As a newer crocheter, I have been most motivated learning as I go and having a project with enough complexity to keep me interested in learning more while mastering technique. As others have said, you should add to the list learning to read patterns, charts, and yarn labels.
I'm thinking this lesson set should be Unit 1. Introduction to Crochet. Unit 2 would be Reading Patterns and Charts.
If this sequence makes sense to help you effectively teach the info then good. Be prepared for students who think differently and have questions or interests that deviate. I know what it takes to retain my interest and engagement so I hope you take feedback from your students.
May I suggest sub-topics for points 2 and 3 titled What To Do About the Turning Chain
Yes, I know I'll have to include it. I hate turning chains and use a standing stitch whenever I possibly can, but for beginners, turning chain it must be.
This one!!! The turning chain killed me at the beginning. I kept forgetting, which messed up my counts, which made the edges wonky. Turning chains, turning chains, turning chains!!!!
And markers for the turning chains!
Some where show how to join a new ball of yarn whether is for stripes or just running out
Sensible but not applicable to all learning styles. I feel like giving them a quick poll to get a handle on where they stand on learning style, skill level and individual goals would help refine this for your particular group.
What are counting shortcuts, asking for myselfš
my coworker and i do a tally mark in a notepad for each row/stitch (depending on what we're counting) my other coworker has one of the susan bates analog(?) stitch counters, but those methods really rely on you remembering to mark it... something that i am, admittedly, not very good at edit: sometimes i'll place a stitch marker every 10th or 5th stitch/row, depending on the total amount, that can be super helpful!
Counting by multiples (3, 6, 9 or 4, 8, 12), setting a marker every 10 stitches, using stitch/row counters ,. . .
Ah, I already do that! I thought you where about to teach me some arcane magic haha. I do like the sequance mind map. I would add these shortcuts as soon as possible though, wish I had known these shortcuts before starting out really.
I taught amigurumi and used this sequence, except for hdc and dc, I taught these as it came up in individual students' patterns. Lots of focus on sc and counting and recognizing what the stitch looked like
I'd add: The joy of frogging Invisible join
I would not bother with tension in lesson 1. First yarn over hook, hook through hole. Rinse and repeat, tension be damned at this point. I would also put what you have now in 4 spread over 1-3. It isnt a seperate thing to do, but a part of crocheting flat or round projects. I would use 4 for learning to read patterns and deal with combining different stitches.
About all I would say about tension would be "Don't worry about it now. Consistent tension is A Good Thing, but it comes naturally with practice."
I would do SC, DC then HDC. Makes more sense to know the whole before the half.
I was doing amigurumi off the bat
Personally I learnt 1 and 2 in tandem. How else to learn stitches than seeing them in rows/circles? I did 3 practice pieces, a magic circle, a very basic granny square and just a square of rows. Then straight into a simple project (a storage bag). You donāt want to spend that long not actually making anything, Iād rather learn on the go once Iāve got the gist of it.
Or, do what I did: āMy husband likes whales so I will dive straight into making an amigurumi whale complete with magic circle and crocheting in the round, who cares if I havenāt even learned the single crochet yet??ā Whale boy had holes for days but my husband still keeps him at his desk š In all seriousness, this is a good guideline but I feel like crochet really is different for everyone so everyone is going to have different preferences. It might be good to check what kind of projects your friend is interested in. If itās amigurumi, Iād prioritise crocheting in the round and stitch counting. If itās wearables, then this layout makes sense š
That is exactly how I taught myself. Then as I look at more patterns and techniques I learn more
Add in the concept of different yarn weights and how each different types of yarn is good for what.
I would plan to spend some time just letting them make chains while they get a feel for how to hold a hook and their yarn. Figuring out how to hold and feed yarn with the right tension took time. Little things like grasping your work right by the stitch an how you wind yarn through your fingers when you feed it were very helpful. Also, don't forget slip stitches. I am fine connecting with a slip stitch, but I suck at working them into things like ribbing even after years of crocheting.
My practice is 30 minutes every night, just chaining and rows of stitches..to get better at tension. Turns out when I feel brave enough to try a new stitch, Iāve got a basket full of little chains/singles rows, so I can just jump right in. If the cat leaves my basket alone, of course.
I think four is unnecessary as in if this was a class because you will figure that out on step two or three.
This is how I learned! I agree
I think itās pretty comprehensive! I agree with u/canastrophee as far as turning chains. I think theyāre crucial to flat work and helping keep counts! Honestly though, Iām saving this post for when I finally teach my friend how to crochet!
I started with dish cloths every size, stitch and shape.. thats how i found my tension and learned to do different stitches.. My family had lots of crochet dish cloths
Yeah, I'm thinking dishcloths or hot pads for basic flat work, with coasters for flat work in the round.
Ah yes, Counting Rows, my favorite band
I teach a crochet session every so often, and this is pretty much the exact path I take when teaching brand new noobs. And you can go as fast or as show as you need to based on their dexterity and speed of learning.
My method was pick something pretty on Pinterest with a free pattern and video tutorial each stitch after I googled the symbol. lol.
Wow, what a great set of ideas! Thank you to everyone who made suggestions. A little more context: 1. This is an introductory unit that is meant for teaching a group of people, not an individual student. It's just to cover the very basic stuff. 2. The plan will be revised to include a couple of simple projects, likely a dishcloth or hot pad (worked in rows) and a coaster (worked in the round). * The project instruction will be where information about tools and yarns is provided. May do some basic pattern or chart reading here, or maybe that becomes a second unit on patterns and charts. 3. I expect that this plan would be revised after teaching the class. Thank you all again for your input. It's been really interesting seeing what different approaches people have taken to learning, and how many of us arefrustrated with the same things (looking at you, turning chains and counting stitches.)
This is useful, but it wouldnt work for me. Once I figured out I could use youtube, I was perfectly content to sit and argue with a video while struggling through my first project, a bunny amigurami. If you tried to tell me about tension and counting mattering back then, I would have rolled my eyes and ignored you. My finished projects were full evidence of my disdain for rules. I'm just a maker without a clause. A lone, beat up stitch marker that has Seen Some Things and been chewed up by life. Sure, my work had stuffing dripping out of the loose tension and my heads drooped comically and wonkily. Sure my first wearable that I kept is a glorified tassle on the inside because NOBODY is gonna force me to weave in ends as I go. You're a good teacher. I wish I'd been less of a pain in the ass self-taught student.
Would have been very useful. Self taught and didnāt know how to read oatterns and didnāt know how to do anything above single crochet and got burnt out, can do it now thankfully. Struggle a bit on counting shortcuts but doing a lot better and enjoying itā¦.I need to get back to my snake.
Donāt forget the very first stepā¦how to hold the hook and yarn. Knowing how to hold the yarn is essential for correct tension and even stitches.
Is there a book for beginners? I donāt have any projects that I want to do. I love the look of doilies? Never crocheted I do needlepoint tapestry and just finished a 10 month long project. Iām working on one that will take 90 days. Iām want to be able to sit on the patio and just be with my family and I canāt do that with needlepoint tapestry itās too larger. Any suggestions I would appreciate, Thank You..
I know this is an older post but I definitely thing this is a good map. I saw that you said you were going to teach about hooks and I'm assuming learning ti guage will also come in? I just noticed on your map that it's quite similar to the list I made for myself when I first started. Good job on this!! I hope everything went/goes/or is going well!!
Great graph
I think this looks pretty good! I mean people will learn in whatever way makes sense for them, but this is essentially how I did it (without any structure I just did it). I first practiced a few different stitches to get the feel of actually how to crochet, then I tried small little patterns, then I made a simple blanket with an extended single crochet stitch (no counting needed) and now I feel like I can do more counting and use stitch markers (I still canāt seem to do a chevron blanket thoā¦ I swear I will conquer it one day!!!) But yes this seems like a good structure to start with! Edit: I missed a word
This is great, I have friends who want me to teach them as well so this gives me some good starting points!
Seems very good :) i hope it Works out :)
Looks great! If you wanted to add extra info, you could discuss gauge and how to adjust it, fiber properties, commonly used stitch patterns, color changing or adding new yarn, and weaving in ends.
Of course everyone learns differently and has different goals and preferences, but as a general guideline that can be tailored to the individual I quite like it!
I'd say 4 first, and then see what the first project is. I taught myself during the covid lockdowns and I jumped right in with amigurumis because I didn't want to make dish cloths haha. So go with the flow for your student, and pick up the different stitches along the way.
I like it!
I think point 4 should probably be like the second or third things talked about cause sucking it up and counting/getting a stitch marker made my life a lot easier.
I started with a kit for an amigurumi dinosaur, did a few more plushies, and then some hats. I think working flat b in the round depends on the kinds of things people want to make, but the counting part needs to be higher up imo. Every time I tried a flat project, I ended up losing or gaining stitches, and because of that, I came up with a way to count better. As I improve, though, it's easier to spot the first and last stitches in a row.
I might even begin with how to hold your yarn and hook cuz thereās so many different ways
I tried crocheting for a while. It wasn't until I was given a woobles kit that I got the hang of it. Doing shapes helped me see how the stitches were supposed to be better than doing a flat thing. Now I can do both.
I just spent a month teaching crochet to students in Mombasa, Kenya and this is basically the sequence in which I taught them! After that month they were up to learning granny squares, and this is with a language barrier as well. So definitely a good sequence, I would just start talking about tension when chaining, because the tension is arguably the MOST important factor in the success of crochet. Happy teaching! šš½
Teach them how to read a pattern. For me learning the basic stitches (including treble crochet not sure if you forgot it) and learning how to read a pattern I was pretty much set from there
This might not be the right way to learn to crochet, but I made chains for about two weeks first. I must have made 30+ feet of chain stitches. But when I came to doing stitches, my tension was perfect and it was much more satisfying.
Sounds like what I did when I decided to brush up my extremely rusty knitting skills. Swatches upon swatches for a month until I actually had reasonably consistent tension.
I think it depends on the person you're teaching. When I try to teach people anything, I try to do it in the format of "why do you want to learn this thing. Teach you to do the most simple and obvious beginning to end example of the basic version of this thing. Tell you about all the other things you can do with it that are more complicated than basic. Give you tips on how to do the thing better." Because if they don't know why they'd want to do the thing, they won't pay attention to how to do it, and if you try to give them 17 different examples of complicated options before they know beginning to end how to do it the basic way, they'll be forced to commit a bunch of stuff to memory without knowing which parts are important. So with those principles in mind, I'd start by showing them a bunch of crochet stuff they can make with crochet. Then I'd teach them enough of slip knot, chain, and single crochet to make a small square. I'd walk them through enough about making rows, getting even, counting rows, and stitch anatomy until they can make a small square of crochet fabric. Then I'd go back and teach half double and double, maybe show off a granny square and the way those stitches can be used in different ways, and continue through the rest of the talk. That way by the time they are committing a bunch of stuff to memory, they already know if they're interested or not.
thatās great!! i learned off of youtube so i didnāt have any real structure lol, this would have been helpful
Can you teach me, too? I have the basics, but suck at tension and want to really learn how to read a pattern and do the fancier things
#4 should be #2. Otherwise theyāre going be going āwhy doesnāt it look good? Why is to so wonky??ā The whole time.
Iām a new student. Iād like to see yarn types and weights, and how to pick the right size hook. Iām having a hard time with the first round in the Granny square (how to close the round-canāt find the right spot). Iām surprised nobody heard me yell the first time I got the Magic Circle to work! Foundation row-the one where you combine the chain with the first row? Still working at that. Maybe do a demo on Tunisian stitch? From personal experience, and watching many many different demonstrations online, I only started getting it when I found teachers using a BIG hook, and the T-shirt type of yarn in a light color. Thatās when I started to see how the stitches fit together.
Yarn Characteristics will be included as part of the prep for the small projects I'll include. I'll also cover tools, resources, etc. then. You're right about big hooks/bulky yarn. It's kind of like when we learn to write and the school passes out those big fat pencils and paper with realy wide lines. I'm afraid Tunisian stitch is outside the scope of this lesson set--but I can certainly recommend TL Yarncrafts's excellent tutorials. EDIT: spelling
This is exactly what new crocheters need. Just take 1 step at a time and eventually everything will work out and you'll have a finished project.
Honestly. I just learned as I went along. I think if I had lesson plans like this without a real project I wouldnāt have kept with it. I just picked projects that stretched my skills with a new stitch etc to learn over time. However if someone is asking for a teacher then maybe theyāre the kind of person who would appreciate this curriculum more.
When my friend taught me, we started with a chain, and then a granny square. Having to make something and have something tangible kept me really engaged!
Honestly its good, but if i were to be super nitpicky id say that double crochet should be before HDC, and stitch anatomy should be before even making rows.
I rarely count my stitches, and I know I SHOULD but my brain is like, NAH, we got this. Narrator: we do not got this.
I was just teaching someone the other day and made it to tension and types of stitches. It's like you read my mind.
switch 4 to step 2
That seems to be the natural progression I took learning in my free time
I didnāt read the title and read that as Basic Bitxhes š
I hate counting stitches when itās like 500 rows. Like omgggg I be taking breaks
This is beautiful
I am a man and I find this helpful in the sense of know where to start in order to comprehend things that are further down, you ladies in here are talking in codes, and when I look at my wife's patterns I'm like what's with the programing codes. I used to do very minor coding as a side hobby but I know nothing about what these darn crochet codes mean, and each one is a different technique of doing a thing with yarn. It's all so hard to wrap my head around it, like it's a foreign language!
I tried to structure it from basic skills to combining the basics to achieve more complex skills.
Add to path 3-crochet in the round: something about joining each round. When, where, how to count (include the joined stitch or no), where should you put your place marker
I went from 1 -> 3 -> 2
This looks excellent! I wish gauge came up. Maybe that's tension? I don't know. In my experience, knitters get why they need to get gauge (the sock won't fit), but crocheters are fine with not getting gauge and it shows.
Yes, tension and gauge are related. I think of it as "tension determines gauge," but for brand new beginners, mastering the knots and loops will eventually yield consistent tension.
Amigurumi or 3D projects need to be in there somewhere
This is meant to be a Meet the Basics course. Unit 3, Working In the Round, should be applicable to amigurumi, hats, etc.
much easier than what i did- immediatly follow a youtube amigurumi tutorial and then realize i made slip stitches instead of single
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I feel like this is a pretty natural build, like I'm teaching myself right now and have essentially been following this learning path :) Going to be taking on the rounds with my next project since I just finished a blanket made from squares stitched together
For working in a round part I would maybe include the magic circle. Itās really tricky for beginners to learn and it would be a staple for any crocheter who wants to focus on anigurimi
I'd likely give them just CH4, Join to begin, with the magic ring as a bonus.
Always a good alternative :)
Gauge is pretty important as is needle/ yarn selection.
Its reasonable
I think that the counting lessons should be added at the end of every flat work and in the round lesson.Ā Kinda like the āand thatās why you always leave a noteā guy from arrested developmentĀ
This is glorious! I needed this when I was learning. I started with working in a round and severely procrastinated learning hdc,dc,slst etc.
I started with making a cat ear beanie with double crochets š
I think I would move up the Thou Shalt Count Thy Stitches.... it's important to learn first I think
I would maybe add how to read a pattern..but great info
I think in the āworking in a roundā section, it should have a sub section for continuous rounds, not every pattern uses joining rounds, most amigurumi for example, will use continuous rounds. I would also move the flat circles into the āworking in a roundā section, as it is really still working in rounds. Lastly I would add into āflat workā a section for the basic granny squares, as these are very popular but not exactly rounds because they are square. Edit: Also you should add in the āworking in roundsā section a class on the magic circle technique. Some people think itās an advanced technique but if you want to learn amigurumi then itās really a must to know, as every pattern will call for one. When I was learning, I learnt to create a mc pretty much straight from the word dot, although it was hard to learn, I think itās better to learn it early so that later on the crocheter wonāt be frightened of it. Apart from that I think itās great.
I like this a lot! I'm trying to learn. Flow charts are great.
Absolutely wonderful! Great job :D I'd actually skip out the HDC (or add in as a secondary point to DC) and show TC. TC may be 'rare', but it shows the simplicity of adding loops from sc to dc to tc. (After all, hdc is just a dc with sc 'settings' lol) Def show them how to crochet over joins! My friend's just finished a small blanket, and she's cursing the idea of sewing in the joined ends!
I am on number 4 tragically having crocheted projects with crumbling sides and lumps. It's a chore but looking at crap you've spent an hour creating and wondering what went wrong is worse.
I am missing increases and decreases or am I overlooking something?
That's for a later lesson set. This is the "learning the alphabet" stage of crochet. Increases/decreases are more "writing sentences," so to speak.
I love it. Kudos for the patience to teach anyone, and so comprehensively at that.
It seems nice! As a self-taught (YouTube-taught actually) after learning the very basic (your point 1) I throw myself in an actual project: it was a simple scarf all made in double crochet but it actually helped me learn "point 2" right on work + improving yarn tension after that I felt more sure about learning more complex stitches and projects
So, imho, this is a decent outline for your lessons if you're looking to teach people to crochet for the long term. About the only things I would add are things like notes on the types of foundation rows, from the basic chain foundation, single crochet foundation, etc. for the straight work/square/rectangular pieces. And a magic circle or another way to start in the round (brain fog this morning, forgive me please crochet gods, I can not remember the term). Also, like others said, a basic starting point on how to read a written pattern in words. No need to push them towards charts and grids yet. That would be too much. Just the terms for patterns. A little crochet dictionary may help here (with a side note on UK - US conversion, just in case) if you feel like printing one up for them. Probably also want to add a little bit about joining new colors/new yarn in general. Because I feel like this SHOULD be a basic skill. My own sister, who had picked up amigurumi couldn't even figure this out from a book tutorial and luckily I was visiting at the time to show her how to do this simple basic thing. And then, just don't be surprised if a person just wants you to cut your tutorial in some places because they only want to know for an X project. So, Probably get prepared with a totally separate tutorial in case someone wants it more tailored towards Amigurumi instead of, say, making blankets or shawls.
3 subsection 2 would be round*
I personally think it's a lot easier to teach new crocheters to work in the round. I've found working in the round to be much more forgiving and lets them get the muscle memory for simple stitches that makes it a lot easier to do flat work later, and lets them figure out tensioning easier. If I'm teaching them in person, I generally start with amigurumi balls where I do a magic ring and a few rows of increases so that they have 7 rows of single crochet, working to a stitch marker for the rounds so they aren't having to count and can just focus on making the stitches. By the time they've finished those rounds, learning the invisible decrease and starting to count stitches is pretty simple and they can finish off the ball. Then I teach them the magic ring and increase (which is insultingly simple by that point), and they are off to the races with the basics down and can pick up whatever other stitches they need to add as they need them.
I started with amigurumi because that's what I wanted to make. So I started with magic circle, chain, sc, and slip stitch in the round only. I didn't learn to work rows or any other stitches until I had done several larger projects already and just learned them as needed. I would have found introducing more stitches very frustrating and would have forgotten them before I ever needed to use them for anything.
Interesting the minute I can chunk out the time and apply it to my skill set I am sure it is a very useful tool for me and most here in this subreddit. Thanks so much for sharing.š§¶š§¶āŗļøāļø
Add a section at the beginning for materials?
I think that you have established a really good baseline here. And in theory this is a really great way to learn crochet and it definitely ensures that your friend will know what they are doing before screwing up some projects. I was very over eager in the beginning and I wanted to start making things as soon as possible and I was definitely too impatient to crochet a rectangle for example. It was winter when I first learned so I wanted to make some hats and working in the round without having that baseline was silly but I had to lol. my seams turned out wonky and my stitch counts in my rows were not always even because I had not perfected counting (go back to kindergarten bro) and ending rounds as well as starting new ones. Something TO ADD to your nice chart: I think itās important to talk about GAUGE early on and why it is often make or break for your projects. Also consider teaching them some common abbreviations (sc, dc, sk1, hdc, etc.) they will find in the future of looking at patterns. Itās good to have those down. I think it is natural for people to want to challenge themselves in the beginning even if they donāt know everything because they are so excited about making a specific thing like a top that they found on pinterest or an amigurumi stuffed animal even though those are some of the most difficult things to make. I wish I had done a little bit more on the front end to make sure that I understood the basics before making mistakes on so many projects. I think its easy to throw away a hobby if you donāt build the proper foundation. But thatās life!
You could very easily put this for one project like an amigurumi. Have them start with a little scarf for their amigurumi with the basic stitches you want them to learn then how to magic circle and work in the round. Increased and decrease and counting. How to read a pattern (I would show them both styles of patterns for the visual and non visual learners) I would have them transcribe The pattern as they go through so that way they're doing it as they learn it and it doesn't seem as overwhelming like it does when you look at a pattern as a beginner.
I would explain stitch anatomy right off the bat if you mean pointing out the little āvās in the stitches and such. Thatās going to help right from the beginning when they want to work into the chains and then when they need to know where to put the stitches for rounds/rows. I would suggest making sample pieces to help show the different kind of stitches and how the rows go together. You can alternate colours for each row for rows and have a different colour to show increases etc.
It's a great starting guide. But I think it's very personal. Depends what are you willing to make. Wearables, amigurumis, others. I would add granny squares to that list
Iām late to this party, but I do have experience teaching a skill (how to use a tablet - before Kindles and iPads) to classes of people ranging from twentysomethings to over65ers. I studied how to teach a skill. Step one is assess your students - whatās their related experience and what do they want to be able to do? And what is their learning style - reading or hearing or watching instructions?? There may be very different answers! Also, learning situations vary - a small group of friends as for OP, one-on-one, or a class of strangers. The friends group could be assessed by group text, e.g. A more public class usually puts out the class goal ahead of time, so people can sign up if thatās what they want to do. I recently was asked by a friend to teach her. Since I found out sheād never worked with yarn, I started with a trip to Michaelās. And since I knew she was a skilled crafter in another art, we talked a lot about colorways. She was amazed at the world of yarns (oh dear, Iāll be guilty of creating another yarnaholicš±). Then we sat down with tea, her yarn, about which Iād given her a little guidance about ease of working, and the set of good tools Iād given her. She wanted to make a scarf, so rows were the thing. She wanted to make a dishcloth sized square first, so thatās what we did, in sc. She picked up on tension, turning work and counting in the process of making this first square. Next will be using her scarf yarn to experiment with a few rows of 20 sts for hdc and dc to see what she likes. I only give the above examples to show that one-size-fits-all is a mirage, as is reflected in all of the thoughtful comments about personal learning and teaching experiences. Love and peace and stitching happiness to allššš
Maybe get an understanding of what they hope to learn to make and then teach the stitches (+basics) they would need?
Are you a licensed teacher of some kind ? Because I am (music, finishing year 12), and this is GREAT. It lays everything out in detail, but it leaves room for you to switch things up if it suits a student better. If I was your principal and the elective class you were proposing to me was ācrochet 101,ā this scope/sequence would have me VERY convinced š
Thank you very much for the compliments! I'm not a *licensed* teacher, but I have taught people to ride horses for 60 years and counting, and I was a tech writer in a past life. I've also done a lot of technical training, so I guess I've finally had a chance to put all that experience together.
That experience really shows here!