New Needlecrafts Teacher Interview: Vanessa from Mixed Martial Arts and Crafts
As an add-on to my series of posts about getting started as a local needlecrafts teacher, I’m virtually interviewing some teachers I’ve met online.
My first victim, er, I mean interviewee is Vanessa from Mixed Martial Arts and Crafts. We are in a group together on Ravelry and that is how I learned about her blog. If you haven’t already checked out Vanessa’s blog, do it now! – it’s downright awesome. Plus, she takes really good pictures (something I aspire to do one day also). Thanks to Vanessa for being brave enough to be my first interviewee, even though she is relatively new to teaching crochet.
UC: What inspired you to teach crochet?
Vanessa: Lack of funds! There was a knitting cafe near me that needed a new crochet teacher since the last one quit so I agreed to do it since I was the only person the owner knew that could crochet. I thought it would be fun so I agreed.
(UC comment: Wow, that’s awesome. You were recruited!)
UC: Has teaching crochet had an impact on your own personal crafting? If so, how?
Vanessa: Teaching has made me really think about what a pattern says to do and why you need to do it that way.
(UC comment: I am a self-taught pattern reader, and teaching was what inspired me to become a designer. After helping students through some really badly written patterns, I was determined to write instructions as clearly as possible.)
UC: Do you have plans to expand your crochet teaching? What do you want to work on in the next year?
Vanessa: I’ve only taught two classes but the cafe I was working through closed. So I suppose that I’m looking forward to having more students and those who really want to learn! The students I had didn’t return and didn’t want to practice.
UC: What are you hoping no one will ask to learn 
?
Vanessa: I’m hoping that no one asks how to do filet crochet, because honestly, I have no idea how to do it. I’ve never tried. I would like to try my hand at teaching a beginner knitting class since I really prefer knitting over crochet.
(UC comment: This a perfect segue to tomorrow’s post, an interview with West Coast knitting teacher, Angela Davis.)
