Teaching My Daughter to Crochet

She is not too young. I learned when I was 6 or 7 from my grandmother and sister. I am not a great crocheter though, too much of a hurry I guess. Craft stores sell great kits for beginners as well as books with really simple patterns. A blanket or scarf would probably be the easier project with single and double crochet at first until she learns all the different steps and sticthes she can do. I started with crocheting things for my Barbies.

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She's not too young. :D I taught my kids how to knit when they were around 5. Check out youtube! There are TONS of how to vids on there for anything you could imagine (and some you wouldn't want to!). LOL I would also go to your library to see what types of beginning books they have. I'm sure they have at least one. Your local craft store will probably have kits geared specifically towards kids (books w/ easy patterns, bright colored needles/hooks, etc.). I would also check out your local yarn store. The staff at those types of stores are usually very knowledgeable and willing to help answer all of your questions. They often have classes to! Good luck and have lots of fun! And patience! Oh, and just a tip, do not keep her making miles of chain. My mother did that and I got so bored! She gave up on me (I was your daughters age) and she informed me I was just hopeless. She was completely shocked when I taught myself how to knit about 15 years later since she was convinced I just didn't have the coordination needed for the fiber arts. I sure showed her. :D I've also finally figured out how to crochet (some 20 years later). I figured out it was because, A) doing the same thing was just so boring! and B) I had to hold my yarn differently that conventionally taught. So it can be done. My 6 yo daughter just knit a little owl for her friends bday (she just knit two squares, sewed them together, stuffed them and used felt to make little eyes, etc. So easy!).

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Have you thought about looking into classes at a craft store, through the park and rec dept., or a continuing learning center like a tech school? You could take classes together.

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Not too young at all. I think I was around that age when my mom taught me. Start off with simple squares, maybe a scarf, build up to a blanket for her dolls, etc. I've recently gotten back into crocheting and have learned so much. Annie's Attic (anniesattic.com) is a great resource for learning stitches. They have videos showing how to do them.

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I was young when my grandma taught me how to crochet. I totally lost the ability. When I was prego with #3 and on bedrest, I wanted to relearn. There is a series of youtube videos done by a young man, and he makes it SOOOO EASY! The best part you can stop, pause and rewind when you get confused. Here is the beginner video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfFRoZxeNrU&feature=re...

Once you get the idea, I recommend trying the Chevron stitch. Its simple and it makes a beautiful blanket. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U2ptSLroGE&feature=re...

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I was probably that age too. My sisters and I were all Irish step dancers and our costumes could be hand made for several hundred dollars each (not happening!) or my mom had to make them herself. So...we all learned to make them together. She did most of the actual dress making but my sisters and I were expected to help with crocheting the collars and cuffs of the dresses and embroidering the elaborate Gaelic patterns on the dress. Every day one summer we would spend some time on these dresses. It was a really great experience! I can't remember how to crochet today, but my mom was able to learn from books and teach us while she learned.

Have fun! I bet the internet has a lot of guides as well (youtube must have some specific videos).

I taught myself at about that age. Craft stores have how-to books for beginners that include simple patterns.

Start with the granny square and curly worms, then go to 3D flowers. We used to use the worms as pencil toppers, but I guess they were supposed to be bookmarks. For the granny squares, go on youtube. There's tons of videos there to show you how to make crochetted granny squares. My first crochet project was a granny square pillow my grandmother taught me how to make. Here's some cool links to get started:
Crochetted bookworm at:
http://nabell1.tripod.com/nppp/bookworm.html
Crochetted flower at:
http://www.freecraftunlimited.com/crochet-flowers-1.html

Warning, crochetting flowers can become addictive. The good part about is that you can crochet center pieces or small vases of flowers for each holiday.

AAWWW, I taught my kids to crochet at about that age too. Just took them to the craft store so they could pick out the yarn and needles they liked. Started with the basic stitch, made a bunch of necklaces and bracelets they gave to their friends, then they completely lost interest. :(

So yeah, the younger the better!

:)

Whenever I want to learn a new knitting or crochet stitch I'll search on you-tube. I learned from my grandmother when I was 8 or 9. Whenever I'm knitting I think of her. She's not able to do it anymore, so she loves when I make something and send it to her.

It's a great way to connect with your daughter!

I would start her making crochet chain bracelets since she already makes friendship bracelets. The conventional wisdom is to go to granny squares from their but they don't seem that useful or fun to me. There are great patterns for headbands though and she might want to move into those for her first "real crochet." After that check out some crochet amigurimi patterns. These are little crochet animals and other forms. They are mainly single crochet in rounds and they are a fun way to develop skills in stitch counting and shaping forms. Good luck!

I teach my kinder class how to finger crochet and by the end of kinder or 1st they can crochet chains and some of them start rows. We start knitting in 1st grade too. It connects both sides of the brain and promotes an oral and visual understanding of mathematics, as well as being practical and useful. Cheers to you and your daughter. Just remember that it may take some time to grasp and patience is the key to understanding complex knots and using new muscles to make them. Have fun.

P.

I was about 9 when my mother taught me. I learned first by using my finger and not a hook. When I got the finger crochet part down, she gave me a g or h hook and had me pretend it was my finger. The rest is history.

She also taught my sons to crochet. (no crochet is not a girl thing as it started with sailors mending nets - truthfully) Anyhow, my sons were around 11 or so when they started and now CAN crochet though I don't see them using it.

I suggest letting her pick out a yarn she likes best that is simple to work with (no stringy, fuzzy, or dangly things woven into it) and let her finger crochet a washcloth. That's always the easiest to begin with and it generally gets their interest when they complete something.

Good luck!

I have seen some kits at the craft stores for kids to learn to knit or crochet. They usually start with a scarf or a bag made of 2 squares.
I taught myself to crochet when I was younger, by first learning without the crochet hook to make a simple chain of loops. I used multicolor yarn to make a necklace or key chain. Make a slip knot, then pull a loop through, then pull a loop through the new loop, and so on. At the end, pull the tail through the final loop. After I got the hang of that, then I learned how to use the crochet hook and add a second row.
There are videos online that will show you how, or you could try to find a class at a yarn store that you could go to together.

I don't think she is too young either. My first project was pot holders with a simple single crochet stitch. Then I worked up to baby/doll blankets and beyond.