Crocheting left-handed is not too different than crocheting right-handed, though it can result in mirror-image products. Visual instructions can also be difficult to follow, when the images show the right hand holding the crochet hook all the time. There are some tutorials on-line and in books that describe how to crochet the basic stitches left-handed, and some links are listed below.

I mostly learned to crochet on my own, with help from my grandmother long ago, and a few booklets and websites, though none were left-hand oriented. I have worked through a few differences on my own, and here are some tips that might help. When making a project that has a different right side than left side, such as clothing with buttons on one side and buttonholes on the other, basically you just need to swap "right" and "left" in the directions. Of course, this means your buttons will be on the opposite side from the original pattern. Alternately, you can swap "right side" and "wrong side" with stitch patterns where the two sides look similar.

Patterns sometimes have you join in a particular spot to add a border or collar. For right-handed crocheters, you move from right to left along a piece, but left-handed crocheters move from left to right, so you may have to start in an opposite corner. For instance, if the directions say to start at the top right corner of a jacket to add a collar, you may have to start at the top left corner.

After making an initial chain, most patterns say to turn and make the next stitch in the 2nd/3rd/4th chain from loop. I have had problems figuring out exactly how to do this, and I believe it is because doing it left-handed makes it a bit different from the pictures most sites show. When I turn, I end up with the bottom of the chain on top instead of the top. This means I tend to stick the hook through the bottom single loop, instead of the top 2 loops. I've found that doesn't really matter too much, but you can flip it around and just move your yarn back over to the other side of the hook.

Here's a short list of some other websites that discuss left-handed crochet:

• CraftBits.com All the basic stitches for left-handers, with nice illustrations
• Crochet-mania Very nice videos on the basic stitches for left-handers
• Crochet Guild of America lessons for left-handers - click on the stitch name to get more detailed instructions with illustrations
• Tapestry crochet Instructions for left-handed tapestry crochet
• Youtube Video Left-handed crochet chaining

There is a small paperback book, available at Amazon.com, written just for left-handers. Make sure you get the left handed version, though, since there is a right-handed version too:
Learn to Crochet in Just One Day/Left Hand
by Jean Leinhauser