LadyyOftheOak
November 22, 2006, 10:43 AM
I had a class last night and I wanted to share what transpired there, because it was truly an awesome thing to watch unfold.
A lady signed up for my class and I met her at Michaels to help her choose her supplies. She chose some beautiful Paton's SWS to make a very simple scarf out of. Her words to me were she wanted something very simply and monotonous as she took alot of medication for depression and her hands shook badly, so she wasn't sure if she could even do this.. but wanted to try and the simple pattern was so that she wouldn't get lost or have to concentrate too hard on a more difficult one. She had done some crocheting in high school, but she's now in her mid 50's and lets just say that high school was a LONG time ago.. so this might be a challenge.
Well class time rolled around and she was there with supplies in hand.. I got her started on a swatch just practicing stitches and (re)learning how to hold the thread and the hook. At first she was very tense, holding the hook and yarn very snug and her stitches were very tight... and as she had said previously, her hands shook badly. Being a counselor and a retired special ed teacher herself she was adept enough to know that her stitches reflected what she was feeling inside with her depression and problems.. she was all wound up and tight and it was showing in her hands and her work. The stitches however, although tight were very consistent and she caught on easily to turning the row and keeping count of her stitches.
After about 45 minutes of practicing she felt confident enough to start on her scarf and she picked up the hook and yarn. We started the beginning chain with a larger hook (I size) and when she turned for the first row we dropped down to an H to make going into that beginning chain a bit easier for her. There was another instructor in the classroom with a student doing the Wilton class and we four had a few laughs and the students commiserated on the difficulty of learning new crafts but they encouraged each other as well. It was an enjoyable, very relaxing evening and sounded more like a hen party sometimes than a class, but it was all good :)
By this time her stitches were looser and even more uniform and she was growing in confidence and doing absolutely wonderful. Most importantly though, and something I had to smile about to myself before I pointed it out to her... after about an hour of crocheting even with the stress of learning something new and having to focus on what she was doing, her hands were barely shaking at all. An hour of crocheting had done what medication and doctors had not been able to do, relax her enough that for a few moments her troubles were forgotten and there was peace in her soul. An hour of crocheting had settled her nerves enough that her hands were not shaking ... something she told me she never thought would happen again.
She left after class with my phone number in case she got stuck and a huge smile, with thoughts of coming back for more classes.. and probably a few more laughs. This to me makes doing these classes worth it.. it's not the pay for the class, it's not the hourly pay and it's not even so much the employee discount (altho that rocks lol) It's the smiles on the faces of people that learn something new, learn they CAN do something wonderful and creative ... and for one very nice lady, it was looking down to see the shaking in her hands finally quieted, at least for now. :hook
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.. crochet is majical. It touches something deep inside and I can't explain it.. but it's a gift I am very honoured to have received from my grandmother. I hope she knows just how special this gift is..and how thankful I am to her for bringing it into my life. :manyheart
A lady signed up for my class and I met her at Michaels to help her choose her supplies. She chose some beautiful Paton's SWS to make a very simple scarf out of. Her words to me were she wanted something very simply and monotonous as she took alot of medication for depression and her hands shook badly, so she wasn't sure if she could even do this.. but wanted to try and the simple pattern was so that she wouldn't get lost or have to concentrate too hard on a more difficult one. She had done some crocheting in high school, but she's now in her mid 50's and lets just say that high school was a LONG time ago.. so this might be a challenge.
Well class time rolled around and she was there with supplies in hand.. I got her started on a swatch just practicing stitches and (re)learning how to hold the thread and the hook. At first she was very tense, holding the hook and yarn very snug and her stitches were very tight... and as she had said previously, her hands shook badly. Being a counselor and a retired special ed teacher herself she was adept enough to know that her stitches reflected what she was feeling inside with her depression and problems.. she was all wound up and tight and it was showing in her hands and her work. The stitches however, although tight were very consistent and she caught on easily to turning the row and keeping count of her stitches.
After about 45 minutes of practicing she felt confident enough to start on her scarf and she picked up the hook and yarn. We started the beginning chain with a larger hook (I size) and when she turned for the first row we dropped down to an H to make going into that beginning chain a bit easier for her. There was another instructor in the classroom with a student doing the Wilton class and we four had a few laughs and the students commiserated on the difficulty of learning new crafts but they encouraged each other as well. It was an enjoyable, very relaxing evening and sounded more like a hen party sometimes than a class, but it was all good :)
By this time her stitches were looser and even more uniform and she was growing in confidence and doing absolutely wonderful. Most importantly though, and something I had to smile about to myself before I pointed it out to her... after about an hour of crocheting even with the stress of learning something new and having to focus on what she was doing, her hands were barely shaking at all. An hour of crocheting had done what medication and doctors had not been able to do, relax her enough that for a few moments her troubles were forgotten and there was peace in her soul. An hour of crocheting had settled her nerves enough that her hands were not shaking ... something she told me she never thought would happen again.
She left after class with my phone number in case she got stuck and a huge smile, with thoughts of coming back for more classes.. and probably a few more laughs. This to me makes doing these classes worth it.. it's not the pay for the class, it's not the hourly pay and it's not even so much the employee discount (altho that rocks lol) It's the smiles on the faces of people that learn something new, learn they CAN do something wonderful and creative ... and for one very nice lady, it was looking down to see the shaking in her hands finally quieted, at least for now. :hook
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.. crochet is majical. It touches something deep inside and I can't explain it.. but it's a gift I am very honoured to have received from my grandmother. I hope she knows just how special this gift is..and how thankful I am to her for bringing it into my life. :manyheart