It was exactly 200 years ago since the first known crochet instructions were published in a Dutch fashion magazine. The hobby has come a long way since 1823, today anyone wanting anyone wanting to unlock the secrets of the slip-stitch simply has to open their preferred social media app. From Youtube tutorials, Facebook groups and even TikTok videos, the internet has given hopeful handicraft enthusiasts an entirely new avenue to teach themselves the ins and outs of crocheting. But if you were to ask one group of ladies who gather each Wednesday afternoon at the Guy Hunt Library in Holly Pond, they would be happy to tell you how sometimes the best way to teach traditional techniques is the traditional way.

Technically speaking, the weekly gathering could be referred to as a crochet class, led by Pat Hicks, but she will be the first to tell you how she has learned nearly as much while instructing the class and she has taught her pupils. When visiting the class in May, Hicks was demonstrating the rather complex reverse single crochet stitch which she had only become familiar with the previous week. “We really do teach each other,” she said.

Hicks, like the majority of craft hobbyists, was first introduced to crocheting by her grandmother before ever beginning grade school. She said she could remember being enthralled by her grandmother who would spend hours in her rocking chair while meticulously weaving threads of yarn until they became a fully formed item, some of which she continues to proudly display in her home. Hicks said she was taught the most basic techniques by her grandmother but it wouldn’t be until she was an adult before she expanded her skillset to the point of being able to complete a project.

Hicks said shortly after her wedding her interest in crafting redeveloped. She purchased a how-to book on crocheting and it didn’t take long before the memories of those evenings she spent with her grandmother came rushing back to the forefront of her mind. From practical items like afghan blankets to more decorative pieces such as crocheted angels to place on her Christmas tree, she said she began filling her home with her handmade items.

She is now modeling that same method of first learning and then expanding on the fundamental crochet techniques with the ladies in her class. Hicks said she will walk each new student the types and sizes of yarn and the varying tools that can be used before showing them the four foundational crochet techniques (the slipknot, the single and double crochet stitches and how to chain those stitches together). From there, she said, it is mostly variations and combinations of these basics that make up a much wider catalog of more elaborate and decorative techniques.

“The more you practice, the better you get and that skill increases. If you’re inquisitive you can build upon those skills to build other things. There are so many stitches in crochet. In any craft, you build upon it,” Hicks said.

Hicks may be the designated instructor, but this type of curiosity from her students has caused the gatherings to feel less like a formal class and more like a weekly get-together amongst friends. The students will often come to Hicks with projects or patterns they have found online, some of which may feature techniques and methods she has never seen before, and the group will come together to learn the process before bringing the projects they have completed throughout the week to showcase to the class.

Some of the more unique projects have been at the request of Mary Wilson, who found her way to the class after seeing pictures of two dimensional crocheted chickens online. Wilson, a young mother of two children ages one and three, said her mother had previously attempted to teach her how to crochet after she had found a scarf she liked but wasn’t particularly fond of the available colors.

“I had seen a really pretty scarf but I didn’t like the colors of it. My mom knows how to crochet so I asked if she could teach me how to make it but she just ended up making me one because I tried but I wasn’t doing very good. A few years later I tried again to learn on my own. I bought several books but every time I tried to make a square it wouldn’t work out or I would try to make a circle and somehow make a cylinder. It just never really clicked,” Wilson said.

Wilson said, unlike her previous attempts to teach herself through books and online tutorials, attending the class has given her the chance to get real-time feedback and instruction, which has made a dramatic difference in her abilities. She has since completed a “granny spike stitch” blanket as well as several three dimensional stuffed animals (known as amigurumi) for her children.

“Even with Youtube, you can be doing something and it can look right but once you look at the finished product it’s pretty obvious that it wasn’t right,” Wilson said. “Coming here you can start doing something and she [Hicks] will look at it and watch what you’re doing and tell you to alter just one little thing. That’s something you can’t see in a video or in a book.”

Gracie Reid, one of the group’s youngest members, has even taken to finding her own projects to complete in addition to the group’s endeavors. The eleven-year-old who attends each week with her grandmother Judy, presented to Hicks a completed broomstick lace scarf, “It took me two days to finish it,” she told her instructor.

Reid, like Hicks, first became interested in crocheting while watching her grandmother Judy, who also attends the weekly class, when she was around six. At the time, she said her hands were too small to hold her tools effectively but last year made a second attempt at learning with a friend. Hicks said Reid was able to master the basic techniques after her first week in class and returned with a handful of completed projects. “I think she has encouraged all of the older students to do as good as they could,” Hicks said.

Reid has also started growing the classes pre-teen member base by inviting her nine-year-old friend Anne Halsey. The two met through church and Halsey welcomed Reid’s invitation to begin attending the class with her each week.

“My mom told me Gracie was learning to crochet and I really wanted to try something new so I thought about doing it to. It’s been really fun,” Halsey said.

For Hicks, each time she is able to see the delight and and sense of accomplishment on the faces of her students each week, it reminds her of the importance of keeping traditional craft work alive. She remembers those evenings spent with her grandmother, the love she felt and the lessons she learned. She said those lessons, she is more than happy to continue passing along to as many people that welcome them.

“It’s family, it’s tradition, values and discipline. It’s love and just sharing the knowledge from her that was passed on to me and now to others. It’s something that should be treasured and is just such a wonderful and fulfilling experience when a family shares their knowledge with each other. It’s that time spent together, those are minutes, moments and memories and that is a love that can never be taken away from you.”