Learning to crochet is a wonderful handicraft to add to you homeschool. You can make an unlimited amount of projects, and it is fun to boot! Crocheting is also great for fine muscle development and hand eye coordination.
This page contains a plethora of resources (including things that will appeal to boys) to help you incorporate the handicraft of crochet into your homeschool.
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History
If you are interested in the history of crocheting, you may want to read the following books.
Supplies Needed
To get started crocheting, you will need a crochet hook, sharp scissors, and the right kind of yarn.
Crochet Hook
The best kind of crochet hook to start with is an aluminum crochet hook. The yarn glides better with an aluminum hook than it does with a plastic or wooden hook.
Crochet hooks come in different sizes. An I/9-5.5 mm is a good starting size for a beginner. It will create larger stitches that are easy to see. You need to make sure to match the yarn size to the hook size. You can bend this rule later, but when you are just starting out it is easier to have the sizes match. The Craft Yarn Council has a free sizing chart that shows the size of the yarn needed for each crochet hook.
Since different kind of projects need different sizes of hooks, it may be a good idea to get a kit with many different sizes.
I just bought this crochet kit off of Amazon. It has everything you need to start. The case is small and compact, and the elastic bands that hold the hooks are very tight. I loved how comfortable the ergonomic hooks were. I also appreciated having many different sizes of crochet hooks.
Here are a couple more options from Amazon that had good reviews.
Yarn
There are so many beautiful yarns to choose from, but when you are first starting to crochet it is important to choose the right kind. Individual stitches can be hard to see for beginners, so making sure to have a bright color is really important. Having a dark colored yarn will make it harder to distinguish where your stitches are.
You will want to purchase a medium worsted weight yarn that is not textured. You don't want wavy, bumpy yarns to start with or you won't be able to see your stitches.
Books
Beginner Books
This selection of beginner books will appeal to a wide range of ages; from kids to adults.
Advanced Books
Organizations
craftyarncouncil.com-The yarn industry's one stop resource. Has crochet and knitting instruction and free patterns, and Humans That Yarn video series. This series has stories about men and women who knit and crochet.
crochet.org-This is the website of The Crochet Guild of America. They have some basic instruction for right and left handed crocheters. There is also a paid membership option that gets you things like free patterns, a crocheting magazine, member discounts, etc.
Charity
There are literally dozens of charities that need donations of crocheted items. This is only a small sampling. Each charity listed donates to a different demographic group, and the item that the charity needs is italicized and underlined.
The Magic Yarn Project This charity makes princess wigs for little girls who have lost their hair to chemo.
Crochet for Cancer This charity donates handmade chemo hats to cancer centers for patients who have lost their hair.
Project Linus Provides handmade blankets to children who are seriously ill or traumatized.
Red Scarf Project This organization helps young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. One of the ways they help them is to send them a red scarf in a care package during the Christmas season.
Operation Gratitude This charity sends care packages to soldiers who are deployed. They include a handmade hat and scarf in every package.
Care Wear Provides handmade items to local neonatal intensive care units. Some of the items they need include full term booties, shawls, lap blankets, toys, and quilts.
Movie
The Yarn Film-"Meet the artists who are redefining the tradition of knit and crochet, bringing yarn out of the house and into the world. Reinventing our relationship with this colorful tradition, YARN weaves together wool graffiti artists, circus performers, and structural designers into a visually-striking look at the women who are making a creative stance while building one of modern art's hottest trends."
Cool Kids
Jonah Larson is a crocheting prodigy! He started crocheting when he was 5 years old. Check out the video and his newly launched Youtube channel!
Websites
Vickiehowell.com-This website has tutorials, videos, a podcast and The Knit Show.
Mooglyblog.com-This website has so many patterns, but it looks like it is mostly for people who already know how to crochet.
Youtube Channels
BobWilson123-This channel teaches basic crochet stitches up to actual projects.
Jayda In Stitches-This channel has tons of different crochet tutorials.
Melanie Ham-The owner of this channel is a maker and has tons of tutorials on crocheting and many other crafts.
Crochet Guru-It looks like this channel isn't active anymore, but there are a lot of really great videos on it. There are right and left hand tutorials, and it looks like most of the beginning tutorials are only about 5 minutes in length.
Click here to see our entire Ultimate Handicraft List.