Meet Ali: Get Hooked on Crochet
Ali was asked to teach someone to crochet and after that went brilliantly she decided to teach professionally. At the time she had a home office so she set up a teaching area, posted ads in the local area and Get Hooked on Crochet was born.
She has since grown her little business into an international business. She is the first in the UK to start a crochet eCourse which teaches beginners how to make stitches properly, how to read patterns and even how to read charts.
More recently she celebrated the release of her first book Crochet for Beginners Who Want to Improve. She has a special gift at teaching crochet to beginners.
Do You Want to Teach Crochet?
Ali uses CourseCraft a free to use eCourse builder. Learn more about how to make your own course.
Don’t let non-certification stop you from teaching others. Yes, certification can be useful but remember Great Grandma and Grandma taught the craft without any official training.
Crochet is a gift and a skill. Teaching it is also a skill. Some people can and others can’t.
There are a variety of ways you can teach. Ali covers her local area, online and now print.
Teaching at Your Local Craft Store
Michaels has a teaching program. You do have to be certified through the Craft Yarn Council but you can be enrolled while teaching. You are responsible for getting students and you receive 90% of the class fee. Last I checked classes were around $30 – $40. (approximately $36 if it is $40)
Teaching at Local Recreation Centers & Schools
We have a Learning Exchange center here. It offers all sorts of classes in art, life skills, and spirituality. I’ve considered teaching there but the fear of presenting myself has kept me from it.
I did manage to build up enough courage to approach one craft shop about a class but the market was more for knitting than crochet. For some reason they looked down on crochet.
I also taught a ladies church group how to crochet scarves for Christmas gifts. I’ve done 1:1 classes on a ‘On-Demand’ basis. I free up some space, advertise my class and then if someone wants to learn they can join me.
Teaching at Parties
Another idea is to offer craft parties. I got this idea from a local fiber artist. I’ve only done this one but it was super fun.
You gather a group of girls or boys (or ladies and gentlemen) and have a craft night. You teach them a craft (I did a wee purse with a little doll to put inside) and they get to take that home with them.
There are so many options for teaching crochet – just imagine it and make it happen.
Want to learn how to teach a craft class?
Craftsy has a class ‘How to Teach It’ by Gwen Bortner. She is a nationally acclaimed knitter and author.
You will learn:
- To develop teaching agreements
- How to form a strong partnership with local shops
- Project development techniques
- To create marketing materials
- Logistical teaching tips
- Best classroom practices
This class is $40 US which is about the price I paid to have a private instructor ‘spill the beans’ about how she developed her class.
About Sara Duggan
Sara here, Don't forget your copy of 
Lots of great information again
Thank you!
No – I’m not ready to teach – I don’t have the ‘time’ to commit to something like that right now with my Littles –
Rhondda
Rhondda Mol recently wrote…My Crochet Bucket List – Sleeping Buddies
Rhondda, In the beginning when I considered teaching I was super nervous about it. Homeschooling my son made it difficult to plan out ‘work hours’. That is the beauty of online courses though. It is a course your students can take at their
Yes, and I do teach (with help from Ali’s handouts).
The Craftsy course is great. I enrolled on it and found it invaluable.
Really helped me get my courses on track. Hadnt found the course builder so will be checking that one out.
Thanks to both Ali and you, Sara. You are both inspirations for my business.
Petra recently wrote…New Kitty!
Petra, lovely to hear you teach. I agree, Ali is a great teacher and a gem of a person.
I teach Beginner’s crochet at A C Moore Craft Store but would like to expand to giving private lessons at home or at the customer’s home. Just not sure how much to charge. I recently looked into teaching at a community center in our township. Great information here.
Diane, There is a lovely crochet business mentor, SEDE, who has a book “Pricing Crochet Fairly for Maximum Profit” on Amazon. It is a great read. She also has some excellent tips and resources on her blog. (yarnobsession.com)
Also, I’m sure that Ali wouldn’t mind answering some questions for you. I find her to be really helpful.