Thinking about teaching crochet? I’ve been there! From showing total beginners how to hold a hook to helping people finish their first projects, I learned a lot. In this post, I’m sharing what it was really like to teach crochet, plus a bunch of tips for anyone thinking about doing the same.
Back in 2023, I had several people come up to my vendor booth saying how much they would love to learn crochet. It got to the point that it would be ignorant of me to ignore the opportunity. I had already been doing markets for about a year and I was pretty comfortable with the amount of time it took weekly to prepare and I felt like I could take on more. I picked a weekend night and a weekday that I was free and posted on Facebook to advertise.
I was expecting maybe 3 people to take interest, but I had close to 25 different people ask to be put on the schedule. My mind was blown. If you’re interested in teaching, I hope you have the same response.
Here’s how I got everything planned out.
Place to Teach
When I made this post to Facebook I didn’t have an idea as to where I could teach, there were several places but it took some time sorting it out.
I first contacted a family-owned yarn shop in my town and they had agreed to let me teach there for free but I had to use their kits to teach. Which was an immediate no for me, as I have a major disliking towards crochet kits, to me, they make learning how to crochet a whole lot more difficult than it should be.
My next option was the church I was currently going to, they said I would have to go through a whole process of approval and there were times I couldn’t use their building which was understandable but it seemed like it was going to be more challanging than I wanted to deal with.
Next was another church, this one was small and shed-like like which was cozy; however, the pastor told me if the church ever needed it on a night I was teaching, I would have to cancel on my students. Not very professional, so I backed out.
At this point I was exhausted of ideas and didn’t know where would take me that would work with me, and then I stumbled upon it… The public library! I contacted them, and they had no issue with me teaching people there, and they were excited to have more people coming in.
Later on I had some concerns with teaching at our library as they let homeless people come in as well, which I didn’t mind, however I had a man who wouldn’t stop staring at a young girl I was teaching and the moment I had to have her mom come in to walk her out I knew it wasn’t a safe place for me to teach my young students anymore. Luckily, a local coffee shop was more than happy to let me teach there.
Pricing
After finding a place, the next thing to do was to come up with a price. I knew for the first lesson I was going to buy yarn, a hook, a bag, and a tapestry needle. All of that combined was around $13 with no sales (I made sure I bought almost everything on sale but there was always a time when I couldn’t so this covered me for those instances.)
I decided to teach one-on-one as I learn better this way, and group settings scare me lol (social anxiety for the win) I did have a few who asked to be taught together, and I agreed but it was never more than 2. The one drawback to teaching one-on-one is the pricing. If I taught a group of 6 then I would probably be okay with $8-10 an hour; however, doing it for that price wouldn’t bring me much profit so I decided to go with $15 as well.
So the first lesson would be $30 and it would include all you needed to start; any lesson after that would be $15. With this pricing, I did have a few turn away; however, most were okay with it.
An average week would have about 7 lessons, I made about $105-135 a week, depending on if I had any multiples.
Lesson Plan
Most people wanted to make items and didn’t really care to just learn stitches. So I made a plan to help people learn but also make something cute
The first lesson I would teach how to chain and single crochet, most of my students were able to learn both in one lesson, but I did have a few who it took more time. I had one student who took 3 weeks to learn a single crochet. For this I would have them single crochet a square and we would make a bunny out of it. This is the pattern I used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK_dikwdNeQ
*Teacher tip: I would have my students chain 25 for theirs, and I would chain 15. This made my bunny smaller but I was able to finish the square in their lesson, so I didn’t have to worry about it the next week*
The next lesson I would teach a half double crochet. To learn this stitch, I would have them buy cotton yarn and make a washcloth. I used my pattern for this, just chain until you’re happy and do as many rows as you need to form a square.
For the next lesson, I would teach a double crochet. To learn this stitch, I would have them make a baby blanket. Most students were excited; however, if you have a slow crocheter or someone uninterested in a baby blanket then I would suggest a scrunchie. This is the pattern I used: https://daisycottagedesigns.net/easy-crochet-blanket-pattern/
The next lesson would be a basic granny square; this one is up to you what you teach. I varied depending on the student, some I would have just make a square, some would want to make a baby blanket, and some wanted to make purses.
And for the last lesson, we would make an animal, something going in the round so I could teach increases and decreases. If your student doesn’t want to make an animal, then I would suggest a ball.
Somewhere between these lessons, I would also have one at the craft store, here I would teach them the difference between yarns (explain what each yarn suits what item best), hook sizes and how to tell them apart, yarn weights, lot numbers, and show them other useful tools to buy. A lot of my students appreciated this lesson.
Oftentimes, it would last longer than 6 lessons; most of the time it was 10 minimum, as double crochet and granny squares were pretty tricky for most. Early this year, when I stepped back from teaching for health reasons, I had 3 students still coming 2 years later. We had built a good bond and I would find new challenging things to teach them, whether that be new stitches, complicated patterns, or just being a listening ear for their life. I had a lot of women who were finally doing something for themselves, and they enjoyed my company. One of the sets of students I had, I still meet with just to hang out. I’m thankful I had the chance to meet them, and they have continuously been a blessing for me and some of my biggest supporters.
Extra Tips
- Some students will quit in the first few lessons. Don’t get discouraged; most of the time, it’s them not believing in themselves or having the patience to learn.
- You will have to respect your time as some people don’t. I had a lot of students who wouldn’t let me know they couldn’t come and I would be left waiting, and those who would cancel 5 minutes before, and so on. With these types of people, it is best to just drop them.
- Another respect issue is that some will purposefully stay past their paid time. I had a few students who would either find out I had a cancellation or would stay during the 15-minute break I planned to prepare myself for the next lesson. These people can be very pushy, and I am a people pleaser, so for me, it was difficult to send these people on their way.
- Have faith in yourself and trust that you’re a good teacher.
I hope this helps and good luck on your teaching journey!
