I’ve been trying to learn how to crochet for three years. At least. But it never clicked for me until now.
How did it click?
Well most of it is style. I knit English Style, which means that the right needle (and thus my right hand) does most of the work. So, since a LOT of the crochet videos feature right-hand hooking- I’d be fine, right? Wrong.
Normal, right-handed crochet means tensioning your yarn with your left hand. This is foreign to me. It didn’t FEEL right. So I looked up left-handed crochet (I didn’t even know this was a thing!), in which you tension the yarn with your right hand. And that felt better.
I still need to work out my tension issues. Holding the yarn like I hold it for knitting ALMOST works. So I need to refine that technique a bit. Maybe switch dominant fingers.
And my foundation chain still looks like junk, but what do you expect? I’m only one day old!
Why is learning to crochet so important to me?
There are many patterns that I have passed up on Ravelry, that ARE knit patterns, but that have some sort of crochet finishing (or beginning or join). And rather than figure out how to do it another way- I just skipped that pattern and went to something else.
Now I don’t have to.
Also- there are some fabulous crochet patterns out there. And lots of little adorable amigurumi animals (most amigurumi is crochet). So having even a basic knowledge of crochet opens a LOT of doors for me.
(As if I needed MORE patterns in my favorites.)
Duck And Cover 
Welcome to the happy world of bistitchuality 🙂
I have wanted to learn and tried and it felt odd to me too. Now I definitely have to look up left handed crochet videos. Any that you really liked that you would recommend?
CrochetGuru has a good left-handed crochet series. You will need to pause, because she goes fast, but there is usually only one technique per lesson. One for the slip knot… one for the chain foundation, etc etc.
Thanks! Will bookmark her 🤗
Stick with it! I think crochet projects work us so quickly. And don’t even get me started on amigurumi… SO much fun to make!
I learned to crochet first — I really wish I’d had the guts to hold the yarn in my left hand when I learned to knit. Continental knitting is awkward for me now, but oh, so much faster!
When I learned I found trying to read the patterns a lot more difficult (all the abbreviations! And trying to remember whether it’s american crochet or uk crochet terms!). But once I got my head round that I found crochet a lot easier and quicker. I still prefer knitting but I love that you can do different things with the two. Unfortunately my foundation chains still look a bit rubbish….
I’ve done crochet on and off, but it’s been such a long time since my last attempt, I think I’ve forgotten about it again… How are you faring with turning the work? I always ended up with a narrower or larger side!
That white practice piece has a few wonky spots on the sides. *grin* But I’m getting better at finding the ACTUAL end of the row, and not turning too soon.
Well done, then! I hope to be able to do the same one day 😁