Crochet

Crochet is a historically significant artistic method to create clothing, blankets, and other items for sale, charity, gifts and for oneself.  Crochet began as a "fake" of French lace in the 1600's. (French lace was so expensive, many people were sent to the New World as prisoners for stealing just 4 inches of it.)  The art of crochet began as a cheaper, faster, and easier way of creating the look of lace. Since then, it has redeemed the Irish people during and after the Potato Famine of the 1800's. It has warmed soldiers during the wars which marched through the last three centuries. It has swaddled infants, warmed elders, nurtured children, comforted those who mourn. 

A hook and a piece of string -- can shelter the world.

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• · Beginning Level is $20 per class.  
• · Advanced Level is $30 per class.
• · Entrepreneurial Level is $40 per class.

Each class is a 2-hour session. 

Each session is one or two weeks apart, depending on the class.

Pricing for Classes Held via Zoom

• · Beginning Level is $20 per class.  
• · Advanced Level is $30 per class.
• · Entrepreneurial Level is $40 per class.

Each class is a 45 minute session. 

Each session is one or two weeks apart, depending on the class.

Concepts taught:  proper handling of hook and yarn, launching, beginning circles, chain,, slip stitch, single crochet, half-double crochet, double crochet, triple crochet, turning.

Crochet is magic. Take one very long straight string, move the hook above, below and around it rhythmically, and you have a three-dimensional article you can wear, wrap in, or hug. 

Don't you want to learn how?

This  course will help you develope the skills to creat simple scarves, afghans, and caps.

Concepts taught: basic granny squares and some diversity, turning, color changing, configuring the squares into afghans, math of areas, placement patterns, stitching, borders.

Granny Square Afghans bring to mind frugal housewives who use every scrap of yarn and waste nothing. The colors boast joy through hard times. The geometry reiterates repetitive patterns of colors, solids, and spaces bound together by one firm hue. Done as a whole (rather than small blocks), a GS Afghan embraces eternity, because it could keep growing and expanding with each new row.

Learn  how to crochet basic body, head, arms, legs, tails, and ears to create any stuffed animal or doll.

The very first afghan I remember was crocheted by my father's mother. It was autumn colors and the zigzag fascinated me.

It's all in the numbers - 9's or 7's, decrease and increase. But once you learn the basics of a ripple pattern, you can differentiate it using as many different stitches as you know!

The color brings it to life, so part of this course will look at complimentary and contrasting colors and their affect.

You will learn the basic cap pattern and then learn to embellish it with flowers, animals, stripes and ruffles.  Once you have that covered, you can differentiate it according to size (infant, child, teen, adult) and weather conditions. Acrylic versus wool will be a heavy topic for discussion!

This is actually almost an advanced class, but you should be very successful, as long as you know how to do the basic stitches. 

We will introduce a special piercing crochet hook (available as part of the course fee). Once you learn the basic technique, you will apply it to handkerchiefs, napkins, jeans, skirts, collars, socks... 

Warn your family -- anything that looks frazzled or in need of a trim will get it!

Mittens are your way of holding everyone else's hands. This pattern looks hard, but is very simple and easily adapted to decorations and motifs. 

This class is a perfect match with the scarf class!

If you can crochet the basic stitches, you can crochet a scarf! 

Patterns, colors,  fabric of yarn, and safety issues will be part of this course.

This class is a perfect match with the mittens class! 

Ida Saxton McKinley (President McKinley's wife) crocheted thousands of these versatile slippers, giving most of them away to veterans and orphans.

Intermediate Class

Concepts Taught: adjustable handling of hook and yarn, identify basic yarn weights and fabrics, gauge hooks to yarn and pattern requirements, reading patterns

You know how to do the basic crochet stitches, but now what? How do you know which yarns to use with what hooks? How do you read and follow patterns? If it is now time to take a deep breath and apply what you know, this class will provide you with the information you need to go forward in your crochet skills.

Learn to crochet flowers, leaves, and other foliage.

Learn how to adapt these botanicals into appliques, button holes, pins, boarders, and afghan motifs.

Three motifs are taught in each course.

Learn to crochet flowers, leaves, and other foliage in the Irish Lace style using mercerized cotton thread..

Learn how to adapt these botanicals into appliques, button holes, pins, boarders, and lace shawl motifs.

Three motifs are taught in each course.

Learn how to crochet animal motifs to decorate clothes, backpacks, scarves, gloves or afghans AND as the basic center motif of granny squares.

Three animal motifs per class.

Learn how to crochet basic and advanced booties. The proper choice of yarn (weight and fabric) as well as safety issues will be part of this class.

As an advanced crochet artist, you will learn how to take the basic patterns for vest, arms, hood and closures as adapt them to meet your needs. We will look at fabrics (cotton, acrylic, wool, etc) colors, trims and borders. Special attention will be paid to safety issues.

Special stitches that breath excitement and texture into your crochet.

How to make triangles, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, ovals, ad stars.

Granny Square expertise is definitely a

pre-requisite.

Have you an old piece of crochet - an heirloom or half-finished yard sale find that you've never seen in books? Why not bring it to this class and learn how to decode the pattern so you and others can reproduce it? 

The course culminates with publication of the patterns and photos of the original and reproduced items in a book. 

Create your own patterns. Write the pattern so others can follow your directions. The course culminates with publication of the patterns and photos of the creations in a book.

Learn how to videotape your own lessons and crochet skills. Advanced computer skills is a must. You'll need to bring your own laptop and wi-fi device.

Be prepared to set up your own YouTube and Pinterest accounts.

One of the wonderful things about crochet is its ability to be profitably done from home. This course teaches you how to set up your own cottage industry as a crochet artist.  We will help you with pricing, finding and establishing, etsy and other on-line venues,  learning the tricks of the trade with real-world places to sell, making a profit, etc. 

End result of this course:

Crocheting a place for yourself in the world!