Craft Challenge: Teaching crochet

You've heard the adage before - "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime."

My craft challenge today was of a different nature than my normal project.  Instead of making something, I was teaching others how to make something - about a dozen women how to crochet.  You never truly know who well you know something, until you have to teach it to someone else.  And although teaching a handcraft is different than teaching how to figure the breakeven point of a product for sale, I'm not sure which is easier.

Our first stumbling block was my instruction that they would have to figure out how to hold the hook on their own because I hold it wrong and didn't want them to copy me.  Explaining a slip knot and chain stitch were next, as we tried to determine what everyone was going to make - a blanket, a scarf, a "let's see how far I get and then we'll see".  Some people picked it up easier, relying on sewing experience or bringing back memories of home ec and watching grandma years ago.  Then we finally made it to the second row.

We laughed over the mistakes and the too-tight stitches, they imagined how cozy they're blankets were going to be when they finished, and talked about the different options for future projects.  We had a good time; I know I did, anyway.  Now I've got to go get my rows done so I'll be caught up for our next lesson.