Little Lessons

My favourite part of being a full-time crafter is sharing skills with lovely people. I know I've said it before, but I get so much from seeing people start their crochet adventure. 

I had a visit from Sharon on Wednesday, she came along to try out some new stitches, we had a go at crocheting rows, and varying with front and back loops, and we did a mitred square. 

Rita came popped up with her lovely daughter Jess, and we went over granny squares, then onto Sunburst squares. They are both naturals!

I was thrilled to hear that they'd spent the afternoon practising...

And on Saturday Tarloke visited for a beginner lesson, and made his very first square. 

 The days fly by when I have such lovely company. 

Oswestry Makes 2015

Oswestry Makes is a crafty festival that has been held for the last three years in our little town. I help where I can in the organisational stages, and as always offer crochet lessons over the weekend up in my little stall. This year it ran from Friday to Sunday, culminating in the Wonderful Wool Day. 

Friday was pretty quiet, but I had a visit from lovely Kitty, who is new to crochet and wanted to give crocheting in the round a try. 

I think she did rather well...

Saturday was very busy, starting with a visit from Rita, Jodie, Natalie and Kathryn. Rita and Jodie could already crochet so I only really helped them out with some pointers, but mum and daughter Kathryn and Natalie were completely new to it, so we started at basic chains and then moved on to granny squares. Everyone did really well and left with a little square and a smile! 

Then I was joined by Hannah and Freya, who is ten years old - she was an absolute natural, and was working on the second round of her granny square by the time she left. So proud! I'm hoping we have some new crochet addicts in the making!

Sunday was Wonderful Wool Day,  where there were stalls, things to learn and try out, lots and lots of tea and cake, and a Back-to-Back, where a fleece went through all of the various processes and stages to make it in to yarn, which was then knitted into a hat and a child's cardigan. It was amazing to see a row of spinning wheels all lined up and and everyone working away! 

I had a little stall selling a some of my jewellery and handmade bits and bobs, as well as kits, hooks and needles and supplies for people to take away. I think it went pretty well, I met so many lovely people, all so excited to be there and enjoying bonding over mutual interests. 

I even managed to find a moment to have a little look at the Orphan Lamb table, where I found some mermaid coloured Shetland wool, and also some cream Aran weight wool, a 15mm crochet hook (I met the man who made them - he finds bits of branches in the woods to make them from) and some vintage metal sock needles. A Wonderful Wool Day indeed.

Crochet

One of my favourite things about knowing how to crochet is helping other people learn. I love seeing people go from the first tentative swoop-through-the-loop, the first saggy-looking chain, the first treble, to the first finished round, the next round, the quiet concentration as they slowly start doing it all by themselves, the moment where this odd jumble of knots begins to look like SOMETHING. I always begin with Granny Squares - my all-time favourite thing to make and, in my humble opinion, the best place to start. They are perfect for beginners for lots of reasons - they have the basic stitches, which you repeat over and over again so it stays put in the grey matter, and they grow ever so quickly so there is a tangible *thing* to take away at the end of the session. It's a proud moment when there is an exclamation of "it looks like a square" or "I did it!" or "I'm going to the wool shop RIGHT NOW to get more colours". I love the 'ping' on my phone when an email full of photos arrives, so much pride and hard work. It is a joy. This was a square from a session yesterday - when I left it was only three rounds, so it was pure happiness to see the forth!

I have so enjoyed starting people on their crochet adventure - this is my lovely friend with her very first bit of crochet... 

which looked like this less than a week later...

 So proud!
This is Gemma with her first square...

And lots of lovely folks with their squares at the Wonderful Wool day last November...

And lovely Louise at her first lesson.

I really hope that at least some of the people that I have taught will continue, and will remember me fondly as the person that got them started. I so worry that these amazing skills will be lost, and I hope my enthusiasm will be contagious and help in some small way to encourage people to give it a go!