To explain, a little storytime:
My whole life, handwriting has been a struggle. Cursive especially was the bane of my existence in elementary school.
Here’s why: right-handed people just put their pen to paper and smoothly pull it along the paper smoothly forming letters. For Lefties, the pen has to go away from our hand to write letters, and we have to be careful not to smear the ink as we kinda inchworm our way accross the page.
I made a discovery last night as I was making left-handed and right-handed pics to explain how to crochet the head onto a dino body: Lefties crochet left to right, just like the instructions are written. I actually feel kinda bad for Righties who have to flip the written instructions to crochet right to left. Kudos to them for the extra effort that takes.
I knew there was a reason I like to crochet!
Exemple:
The Round instruction is
4) 2sc, 2sc through the neck and body, 14sc (18)
I’ve always thought patterns written out as diagrams with symbols would be a little hard for right-handed crafters for that same reason. You’d have to fight your natural tendency to read it left-to-right or clockwise. I’m sure it’s easy enough if you’re used to it, but I’m glad I don’t have to try, haha
I think the reason there are more right handed crocheters is more from the fact that lefties in general are outnumbered in the world and there are more patterns and videos for RH than LH. It’s harder for LH crocheters to learn the craft, but once we get it, patterns are simpler to read… you just go left to right.
I guess I was just shocked to realize that something is more straightforward for Lefties for once.
This is amazing that you make it accessible for both righties and lefties ! If I was a right handed crocheter and found a pattern for both or just righties I would be so happy ! Same thing with lefties ! Because if lefties could use markers with out smudging it or getting the marker all over our hand ,write with out smudging the writing , etc it would be a LOT easier !
Side note : maybe that’s why some of the patterns I try do not work out very well …
Well, in the settings down below the pattern, Ribblr has a left-handed mode. This means all the tips videos are shown left-handed. Only problem is any demo pic or video linked by the designer won’t be flipped. That’s why in my patterns, I include a left handed version. You should check out my free chicken pattern. The pics and videos are all left handed if you choose that option.
Then you have the weird lefties, like me. I am left handed, but I crochet a twisted variation of right/ left handed. I learned by sitting opposite a right handed person, and by looking at books. I don’t really know how to describe it, but the rest of my family who is right handed say I crochet weird. I can still look at the pattern and figure out how to make it come out right, so that is good.
No wonder I learnt to read patterns so quickly! Videos on the other hand not so much it takes me 2 hours to follow a video for a 30min pattern; simply because I have to reverse the video in my head for my hands to understand what’s going on
it takes me 2 hours to follow a video for a 30min pattern; simply because I have to reverse the video in my head for my hands to understand what’s going on