Reading?

I've been reminded several times lately, how important the ability to read is whether it's reading: music, literature, news or written instruction. The ladies in my crochet class had to tell me more than once that they passionately wanted me to present some information about interpreting written crochet instructions and diagrams. I take it so for granted but having just met their requests, I'm now more aware of my own  ability to read and work out a pattern. I'm also grateful to the designer of this beautiful square for her ability to write out the recipe and publish it so that I could make it. I'd like to incorporate it in a shawl.

Second Session

Our second six-week session of knitting and crocheting at Caroline County Parks and Rec is over. We have concentrated on crochet. I am so excited about the skill level my students have achieved! Everyone in the class has accepted challenges from me and often challenged themselves. I have watched fingers limber up as several people worked with smaller yarns than they are used to and I've correspondingly noticed brains limbering up too, as all have worked to stay in charge of stitch counts and changing patterns.

As a lesson for the last two weeks, we worked at learning to read both written instructions and diagrams made of symbols. I picked this project for its level of difficulty and not for its beauty. Besides learning what asterisks, parenthesis and abbreviations mean, my students also learned how to start with a sliding ring and how to make "clusters." Everyone who was present for the last session completed the resulting motif. Richard came at the end of class and took this wonderful photo. Yay!