Teaching Left-handed Needlearts

My husband and daughters are all left-handed. There have been challenges over the years teaching the girls to tie their shoes, write their letters, cut with scissors, and now - how to crochet and knit.

My 14 y/o daughter decided she wanted to crochet a new hat. So yesterday we got out a skein of bright red yarn and a large crochet hook, and I attempted to teach her how to crochet left-handed. I finally gave up on that. I realized that my brain just won't work in the left-handed mode. So I found a video on You Tube made for left-handed crocheters.

Hannah still found crochet to be difficult, so today she decided she needed to learn to knit. This time I headed straight for You Tube and found several videos on beginning knitting - but for right-handed people. Hannah decided to try knitting right-handed and is doing pretty well. I had to relearn how to cast on stitches since it's been over 20 years since I picked up knitting needles! We are using the single needle, long thread-tail method to cast-on stitches. Hannah is learning how to regulate the tension on the yarn. Once she gets that down I think she'll be knitting up a storm. She's starting with a scarf, then will graduate to knitting in the round. She chose a hot pink yarn for this project.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I have found to teach a lefty how to crochet, you need to sit facing each other. Then have them do what they see you doing. Teaching Knitting might work that way, also. I haven't taught a lefty how to knit.
Jeanie in MO
February 8, 2010 at 8:14 AM
Shirley said…
Susan, I am very left handed . I finally learned to
crochet by sitting opposite the person who was teaching me ( right handed person) and went from there. I have crocheted all my life. (I wish I had kept count of all the things and clothes I have crocheted over the years.

I learned to knit right handed. Remember - when you use a sewing machine and other things (just about everything) they are made for right handed people.

It can be frustrating but I just forge ahead - the only two things I do right handed are Iron clothes (our ironing board when I was small, came down from the wall and I had no choice, and knitting.

My teachers wouldn't allow me to "stand on my head" when I was learning to write and print - They always tried to change you to right handed but my mom wouldn't allow it - so they said if I was going to write the wrong way I at least HAD to write like
the others did. I never was a good writer. Things
have changed a lot.

Tell her she is special - I was told for years I was 'doing it wrong' - Your post brought back a lot of memories! Shirley
February 12, 2010 at 3:02 PM
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