Learning to Crochet

"I'm learning to crochet."
Sitting down happily on the couch with some yarn and a crochet hook, 10 yo Becca has gone completely independently into the Handwork area of the library and chosen a book and some starting supplies.

A few minutes pass, during which time she carefully reads the introductory pages, examines the diagrams, and begins to work.

"So, this is like finger knitting?"

"I'm so happy!"

"Apparently I learn best with pictures."

"Leah, I'm crocheting!

(off-stage we hear 11 yo Leah's voice)
"I could have taught you if you wanted to learn."

"I used Kids Crochet This is so easy to understand."

(Leah comes into the room)
"When we go upstairs, we can finish our project."

"I'm going to be crocheting..." Becca says dismissively, then yells into the kitchen where her 13 yo big sister is finishing up the dinner dishes,

"Natalie, if you want to learn crocheting without Leah, pick up the book Kids Crochet "

Kids Crochet: Projects for Kids of All Ages

Now they have all dashed off up the stairs.

It took me the entire month after the baby was born to organize our library. It's not fancy, just a plain room with yellow walls and 1950's original linoleum floors. This was the playroom when my grandparents set up the house, but I put all of our bookshelves in there and organized the books into categories and labeled every shelf. Since the girls came back it has been a source of complete delight. They each have two paint sticks which they decorated with their names, and they "check out" two books at a time by placing the sticks where they took the books from the shelves. Naturally, they need to return them before getting two more. It has helped the girls to be much more independent when finding something to read and it has also made them curious about what all we have. The encouragement from me to choose handwork and art projects for this school year has helped, but having all the books sorted and accessible is the most crucial step. Now Becca is tickled pink at teaching herself something new!