Being left-handed and learning to crochet presents a unique set of obstacles. But there are many crochet resources for lefties!
I grew up in a home with a left-handed father and sister. I write with my left hand and am left-eye dominant, but I do most everything else with my right hand, including knitting and crocheting.
I have witnessed first-hand the frustration of left-handed individuals and the accommodations they need in a right-handed world. From scissors to potato peelers and even patterns, they need things designed especially for someone left-handed.
My short answer when people ask if I teach left-handed is, “No, I do not know how to teach you to crochet or knit left-handed.”
But…
I do have resources and strategies for you! EVERYONE who desires to learn should have the opportunity, regardless of their dominant hand.
Today, I will provide links to creators who teach left-handed yarn crafts and strategies you can implement to learn from anyone.
So, let’s dig right in.
Strategies For Success
First, it’s essential to understand the only difference between right-handed and left-handed crochet is the direction of your work.
A right-handed crocheter works from right to left. A left-handed crocheter works from left to right.
Simply understanding this basic concept often removes much of the trepidation and overwhelm. Whatever a right-handed person is doing in a tutorial, a left-handed person must do it in the opposite direction.
Once you understand this, you can utilize these strategies:
Sit Across From the Instructor
If you have someone to teach you in person, the traditional way to teach is to have the person sit beside you so they can mimic what you are doing.
If you are learning from someone with the opposite dominant hand, you need to sit across from them, creating a mirror image of what they see. Then, mimic what you see, the opposite of what they are doing.
You are mirroring them. In other words, you will move your left hand when they move their right hand.
This strategy is very effective, especially for a parent trying to teach a child with a different dominant hand. It removes frustration, relaxes the brain, and allows learning to happen.
Learn to Crochet Right-Handed
Before you balk at this suggestion, let me explain.
Crochet and knitting use both hands and both sides of the brain. It can feel counterintuitive to put the hook in your right hand because the hook is assumed to be the dominant player in crochet. However, the hand manipulating the yarn uses the same skill level.
I taught myself to crochet left-handed to test out this theory.
Two caveats to this demonstration are:
- I already knew how to crochet, so I applied the knowledge and skill I already possessed.
- I write with my left hand, so I already have a lot of manual dexterity in that hand.
That being said…it was odd at first, and I had to figure out how to work everything in the opposite direction, which made my brain do somersaults. Also, I was not skilled at holding the hook or the yarn, much the same as when I was a beginner crocheter. Finally, even after working at it, I do not have the speed and agility I have with my right hand.
However, I absolutely can crochet with either hand now. If I think about the hours I have spent crocheting to be at my level, it’s easy to understand that I would need a lot more practice with my left hand to master it at the same level.
So, don’t assume that having a dominant left-hand means you have to stitch left-handed. You have to use both hands, so you can assign whichever task you want to either hand. When you are a beginner, everything feels awkward and messy regardless of whether you are right-handed or left-handed. The learning process is messy and chaotic until your hands learn what they need to do.
If you feel you need to learn in person and other strategies haven’t worked for you, shift your mindset and learn to manipulate the hook with your right hand rather than your left.
Video Tutorials for Lefties
There are a plethora of resources available for left-handed stitchers online. There are entire courses written specifically for lefties. There are also YouTube channels that are entirely left-handed tutorials.
Online learning is perfect if you can learn on your own using video tutorials or attending a virtual course.
In the next section, I will provide links to some quality online resources I have found.
Left-Handed Crochet Resources
YouTube is by far one of the best resources for learning anything. Left-handed stitching is no exception. But many websites offer courses, free and paid, along with blogs and tutorials.
Here are a few recommendations:
- Moogly
- The Crochet Crowd
- Bella Coca
- Crochet.org
- All Free Crochet-Patterns for Left-Handed Crocheters
- Annie’s Craft Store
- Udemy
These are just a few of the MANY videos, tutorials, and courses available for left-handed crocheters. You can do a simple Google search for “Left-Handed Crochet” and find a list of hundreds of resources, tutorials, patterns, videos, and classes available to teach you how to crochet.
Don’t Give Up
The key takeaway from all this is that there are multiple ways to learn, strategies you can use, and endless resources available if you want to learn to crochet.
If something doesn’t work for you, set it aside and try something else. The benefits of crochet for your mental well-being outweigh the frustration of trying to learn this craft.
So be patient with yourself and the learning process. It is so worth it, and you deserve the best!
I love to hear from you! So drop down in the comments and let me know how your crochet journey is going, or DM me on Instagram.
🧶 Happy Stitching!
xo —Lavena
P.S. Don’t forget to grab your copy of The Ultimate Guide to Crochet For Your Mental Health and tap into the benefits of creativity so that you can become one of the many women who have unlocked the secret to experiencing joy and living an inspired life.
