Home Economics: Knitting & Crocheting {How To Homeschool For Free}

Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

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Learning to crochet or knit can be a useful and profitable skill for your children to learn. Some moms, like me, learned just enough to finish a home ec project and move on to something else. Others picked up the skill and developed it into something wonderful. Whichever kind of student you were, maybe you will find something useful here. Whether it is learning all over again with your children, or learning how to teach the skills of knitting and crocheting, I hope you will enjoy this post.

Lion Brand Yarns

Lion Brand Yarns sells yarn, it is true, but they also want you to know what to do with it. After all, the more knitters and crochet fans there are, the more yarn they can sell. Even if that is their motive, the video lessons here are among the best I found in my search for free video lessons. The Learning Center has help for knitting, crocheting, and using a loom for various projects.

Knitting Help

Knitting Help is a website dedicated to knitting. The videos are practical and useful. KnittingHelp.com has become one of the most, if not the most, popular online instruction web site for knitting. There is an iphone app (not free, however) for accessing the video tutorials on the go. There is also a forum for asking questions and showing your projects.

CyberSeams

CyberSeams is a site to show you how to knit, but they also have sewing and other crafing fun on there as well. On their YouTube channel, they have 66 tutorials for your learning pleasure. One impressive feature of this website is that they are thoughtful of the Left-handed group of learners who have to learn by mirroring the action, not copying it.

Knitting Tips by Judy

Knitting Tips by Judy starts with tips on which size needles to buy, what kind of yarn, and other helpful information for getting started. She also has free videos (scroll way down the page to find them) showing the techniques up close and with clear directions.

The Crochet Crowd

The Crochet Crowd is not just for crocheting, although it is a great resource for that. There are knitting videos and tutorials, for using needles and well as using looms. You can visit this link for the list of video categories. If you see a project on a video and want a printable version of the directions, visit this page and you will find a .pdf file for your use.

The Knitting Site

The Knitting Site is for anyone at any level of knitting. “Whether you’re completely new to knitting or a seasoned veteran I aim to bring you new skills and answers to your knitting problems.” The owner of this site also has suggestions and ideas for helping you make money from your knitting success. She is another teacher who shows Left-Handed knitters how to get started.

Crochet Geek

Crochet Geek is teaching the world to crochet, one stitch at a time. She has several videos for Lefties. There are also several YouTube videos available for viewing patterns for cute hats and other, more complex, projects.

All Free Knitting

All Free Knitting has a free e-book available for downloading. It’s called Knitting for Beginners. One of the best parts of this free e-book is the chart on page 7 that tells you about the weight of yarns and what they are best used for. There is also a sister site called All Free Crochet which has numerous free pattern e-books for downloading.

Local Resources

There are website for the Crochet Guild as well as the Knitting Guild. They should have resources to help you find a local chapter with members who might take you under their wings for a few free lessons.

Last, but not least, I want to encourage you to remember your local library and churches as a resource. I have been fortunate to find a retired school teacher who is willing to teach my girls to crochet. For Free! I found out about her through a local church group who crochets prayer shawls as a ministry. All it took was a phone call to the number on the church website and my girls are set to begin lessons very soon. If you have a true desire to learn or have your children learn to knit or crochet, I encourage you to ask around and find something that will work for you!