Amara's Crochet Page
1Mr. Bell's class was making a Hobby Guide for the school library, and each student would write one page about a favorite hobby. Amara picked crochet. She had gone to a crochet club at the community center every Saturday since summer, so she already knew a lot. Before she opened a single book, she wrote down what she remembered from the club.
2From her own experience, Amara wrote four notes. Crochet uses one hook, not two needles. The first stitch the club learned was the chain stitch. Thick yarn makes a project grow faster than thin yarn. Mrs. Reyes, the club leader, says to keep the loops loose so the hook can slide through them.
3Next, Amara looked for facts she did not know. In a library book called Hooked on Yarn by Teresa Lund, she read that yarn can be made from animal fibers, such as wool from sheep, or from plant fibers, such as cotton. Amara did not copy the sentences. Instead, she wrote a short note in her own words: "yarn = wool (sheep) or cotton (plants)."
4Then she visited a crafts website called Stitch Corner. It listed the tools a beginner needs: a hook, yarn, scissors and a large needle for weaving in loose ends. It also said that hooks come in many sizes, and bigger hooks make bigger stitches. Last, Amara watched an online video called "Your First Granny Square." It showed how small crocheted squares can be sewn together to make a blanket.
5Now Amara had a messy pile of notes. To organize them, she wrote three headings: Tools, Stitches and Projects. She moved each note under the heading where it fit best. One note said, "Mrs. Reyes brings oatmeal cookies." It did not fit under any heading, so she crossed it out.
6Finally, Amara made a list of her sources at the bottom of her page so that readers could find them too. She wrote the title and author of the book, the name of the website and the title of the video. She also listed "Saturday crochet club" to show that some of her facts came from her own experience.