Exploration Crochet

In this episode of Exploration Crochet, host ReRe breaks down the detailed coursework behind the Craft Yarn Council’s (CYC) Certified Instructor Program for Levels I and II. Moving from foundational stitch control to advanced intermediate techniques, she explains how candidate swatches are rigorously evaluated on exact gauge, structural accuracy, and strict adherence to written instructions. The episode covers the step-by-step progression of the program's nine lessons, including chart reading, tapestry colorwork, and original lesson plan design. ReRe highlights the culmination of the program—a fully structured, professionally finished child’s cardigan—and reflects on how certification shifts a maker's perspective from simply creating to effectively teaching. Finally, she shares evaluator feedback on her performance and teases a potential next step into the CGoA Masters Program.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCESTip ReRe a Tea ☕️ | Help support the research, storytelling, and yarn-filled adventures behind Exploration Crochet - https://ko-fi.com/explorationcrochetBlog | https://open.substack.com/pub/explorationcrochet/p/hooked-on-learning-becoming-a-certified-53d? Hooked on Learning: Becoming a Certified Crochet Instructor | https://exploration-crochet.captivate.fm/episode/hooked-on-learning-becoming-a-certified-crochet-instructor-cyc-level-i-s2-ep20/CYC Certified Instructor Program | https//www.craftyarncouncil.com/teach.htmlCGoA Masters Program | https://crochet.org/become-a-master/Sound Attributes |YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.htmlABC Song Music Box by Anastasia Chubarova https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=156934 📬 Subscribe to the Exploration Crochet Blog/Last Week in Crochet Newsletterhttps://ExplorationCrochet.comExplore Yarn Over Hook 🧶 https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/📅 Explore Crochet Events https://crochetevents.com 📬 Subscribe to The Stitch Newsletterhttps://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/Play Name That Stitch 🎮 https://namethatstitch.comWatch on YouTube 📹https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ABOUT YARN OVER HOOKYarn Over Hook is the global home of crochet — a platform built to help crocheters create, learn, and connect through tutorials, podcasts, livestreams, events, stitch libraries, crochet games, and community resources.Built by makers, for makers. 🧶🌍 https://yarnoverhook.comExploration Crochet is a podcast hosted by ReRe and produced by Yarn Over Hook.© 2026 DesignOps as a Service DOaaS LLC d/b/a Yarn Over Hook. All rights reserved.

In this episode of Exploration Crochet, ReRe begins her Craft Yarn Council Level I journey to become a certified crochet instructor. Drawing on her experience teaching others, advising Yarn Over Hook members, and working with elementary-school students, she explores the difference between knowing how to crochet and knowing how to teach it. ReRe explains the CYC certification requirements, including evaluated crochet work, lesson planning, pattern interpretation, and at least 15 hours of student teaching. She also introduces notable crocheters connected to the program, including Linda Dean, Karen Klemp, Marie Segares, and Elise Rose. Along the way, she discovers why returning to crochet fundamentals can help an experienced maker become a more thoughtful and effective teacher.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCESTip ReRe a Tea ☕️ | Help support the research, storytelling, and yarn-filled adventures behind Exploration Crochet - https://ko-fi.com/explorationcrochetElise Rose: How to Become a Certified Crochet Instructor | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tLOtg2GgVs&t=26sCYC Certified Instructor Program | https//www.craftyarncouncil.com/teach.htmlSound Attributes |YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.htmlMusic by Geoff Harvey https://pixabay.com/users/geoffharvey-9096471/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=383248 📬 Subscribe to the Exploration Crochet Blog/Last Week in Crochet Newsletterhttps://ExplorationCrochet.comExplore Yarn Over Hook 🧶 https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/📅 Explore Crochet Events https://crochetevents.com 📬 Subscribe to The Stitch Newsletterhttps://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/Play Name That Stitch 🎮 https://namethatstitch.comWatch on YouTube 📹https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ABOUT YARN OVER HOOKYarn Over Hook is the global home of crochet — a platform built to help crocheters create, learn, and connect through tutorials, podcasts, livestreams, events, stitch libraries, crochet games, and community resources.Built by makers, for makers. 🧶🌍 https://yarnoverhook.comExploration Crochet is a podcast hosted by ReRe and produced by Yarn Over Hook.© 2026 DesignOps as a Service DOaaS LLC d/b/a Yarn Over Hook. All rights reserved.

Have you ever confidently announced, "I'm almost done," only to discover you completely omitted an entire section of a crochet pattern? You aren't alone. In this episode of Exploration Crochet, host ReRe confesses to making hundreds of crochet mistakes and explains why every single one of them is actually a secret superpower.We step away from the pressure of perfectionism and explore the fascinating intersections of fiber arts, history, neuroscience, and even Star Trek. Discover how legendary accidental discoveries like penicillin, microwaves, and Post-it notes share the exact same DNA as your latest wonky crochet project. Learn about "error-based learning" and how your brain functions like a prediction engine recalculating a missed turn on a GPS. If you've ever felt discouraged by frogging rows or struggling with a complex chart, this episode will completely reframe your mindset. Remember: mastery isn't built from perfect stitches—it's built from curiosity, resilience, and the power of "yet."🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES |Tip ReRe a Tea ☕ | https://ko-fi.com/explorationcrochet Help support the research, storytelling, and yarn-filled adventures behind Exploration Crochet.Dr. Manu Kapur | How Failure Drives Learning - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv952Z0lfsIProfessor Robert Bjork | How We Learn vs How We Think We Learn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxZzoVp5jmIProfessor Carol Dweck | Developing a Growth Mindset - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQHow the Kobayashi Maru Test Actually Went | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGIYT519PVM&t=8sblog | https://open.substack.com/pub/explorationcrochet/p/learning-crochet-why-mistakes-are-b34?r=4mgl69&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=webSound Attributes |YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.htmlMusic: Hopeful – Reaching the Summit by AK Academy https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=464332Adventure Time | Utopiaa 📬 Subscribe to the Exploration Crochet Blog/Last Week in Crochet Newsletter | https://ExplorationCrochet.comExplore Yarn Over Hook 🧶 https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/📅 Explore Crochet Events https://crochetevents.com 📬 Subscribe to The Stitch Newsletterhttps://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/Play Name That Stitch 🎮 https://namethatstitch.comWatch on YouTube 📹https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ABOUT YARN OVER HOOKYarn Over Hook is the global home of crochet — a platform built to help crocheters create, learn, and connect through tutorials, podcasts, livestreams, events, stitch libraries, crochet games, and community resources.Built by makers, for makers. 🧶🌍 https://yarnoverhook.comExploration Crochet is a podcast hosted by ReRe and produced by Yarn Over Hook.© 2026 DesignOps as a Service DOaaS LLC d/b/a Yarn Over Hook. All rights reserved.

In this episode of Exploration Crochet, ReRe explores the fear of the first chain and why many beginner crocheters feel anxious before they ever pick up a hook. Through humor, research, and Roman’s Skinny Scarf™ story, the episode looks at fear of failure, perfectionism, avoidance, cognitive load, and the emotional pressure of learning something new. ReRe explains why beginner crochet mistakes are not proof of failure but useful data that helps makers understand tension, stitch count, and technique. The episode also celebrates frogging as a normal part of the creative process and encourages beginners to start small, practice for five minutes, and let the first project be ugly. Ultimately, this episode reminds listeners that crochet does not require perfection, natural talent, or total confidence — only the courage to begin.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCESTip ReRe a Tea ☕ | https://ko-fi.com/explorationcrochet Help support the research, storytelling, and yarn-filled adventures behind Exploration Crochet.Roman’s Skinny Scarf Pattern | https://yarnoverhook.com/product/romans-skinny-scarf-crochet-pattern/companion blog | https://explorationcrochet.com/p/learning-to-crochet-for-beginners?r=4mgl69Tip ReRe a Tea at https://ko-fi.com/explorationcrochet 📬 Subscribe to the Exploration Crochet Blog/Last Week in Crochet Newsletterhttps://ExplorationCrochet.comExplore Yarn Over Hook 🧶 https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/📅 Explore Crochet Events https://crochetevents.com 📬 Subscribe to The Stitch Newsletterhttps://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/Play Name That Stitch 🎮 https://namethatstitch.comWatch on YouTube 📹https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ABOUT YARN OVER HOOKYarn Over Hook is the global home of crochet — a platform built to help crocheters create, learn, and connect through tutorials, podcasts, livestreams, events, stitch libraries, crochet games, and community resources.Built by makers, for makers. 🧶🌍 https://yarnoverhook.comExploration Crochet is a podcast hosted by ReRe and produced by Yarn Over Hook.© 2026 DesignOps as a Service DOaaS LLC d/b/a Yarn Over Hook. All rights reserved.

In this episode of Exploration Crochet, ReRe uncovers the fascinating history of the American Red Cross, Florence Marshall, and the World War I "Knit Your Bit" campaign. Learn how ARC-400 helped standardize patterns, yarn, and production methods decades before modern craft standards existed. Discover how millions of volunteers created more than four million sweaters and millions of other garments for soldiers during WWI. Explore the surprising connections between wartime knitting, crochet, and the development of organized fiber arts charity work. This episode reveals how the Red Cross helped create the blueprint for modern crochet volunteer organizations.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES |Tip ReRe a Tea ☕ | https://ko-fi.com/explorationcrochet Help support the research, storytelling, and yarn-filled adventures behind Exploration Crochet.Companion blog | ExplorationCrochet.comLibrary of Congress Blog | https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2026/04/knit-your-bit/American Red Cross: Instructions for Knitting | https://collections.theworldwar.org/argus/final/Portal/Default.aspx?component=AAAS&record=6eec2929-de90-427f-91aa-6911f1d1a1daKnitting the Nation | https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/knitting-nationMen’s Sleeveless Sweater for Navy Use | https://digital.centerforknitandcrochet.org/items/show/8892Bear Brand Yarns: Directions for Crocheted and Knitted Articles | https://open.substack.com/pub/explorationcrochet/p/hooks-for-humanity-the-red-cross-7d2?r=4mgl69&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueFREE Red Cross First Aid Kit Pattern | https://www.yarnspirations.com/products/red-heart-red-heart-cares-crochet-first-aid-kit?srsltid=AfmBOoqZexOoH3_D7KmPz2sQWFg9JeXKz_u7TZzcod9DKkmkW3XP1IEeRead aloud: Knit Your Bit: A World War I Story | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tg30gZi33E 📬 Subscribe to the Exploration Crochet Blog/Last Week in Crochet Newsletterhttps://ExplorationCrochet.comExplore Yarn Over Hook 🧶 https://yarnoverhook.com/social-media-for-crochet/📅 Explore Crochet Events https://crochetevents.com 📬 Subscribe to The Stitch Newsletterhttps://yarnoverhook.com/the-stitch-newsletter/Play Name That Stitch 🎮 https://namethatstitch.comWatch on YouTube 📹https://youtube.com/@YarnOverHookSocial━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ABOUT YARN OVER HOOKYarn Over Hook is the global home of crochet — a platform built to help crocheters create, learn, and connect through tutorials, podcasts, livestreams, events, stitch libraries, crochet games, and community resources.Built by makers, for makers. 🧶🌍 https://yarnoverhook.comExploration Crochet is a podcast hosted by ReRe and produced by Yarn Over Hook.© 2026 DesignOps as a Service DOaaS LLC d/b/a Yarn Over Hook. All rights reserved.Sound Attribution |YOH Tune | https://dova-s.jp/EN/_contents/author/profile162.html""K-K-K-Katy" was a popular World War I-era song written by Geoffrey O'Hara in 1917