How do you learn best?

I am a self taught crochet and knitter as well as sewer, baker, cook, etc.  As for my learning style, well, I read and do, and try, and screw up sometimes, and do again.  I have a few crochet patterns and books picked up through the years but find other than perusing them every now and again for pure entertainment, inspiration, and eye candy I rarely follow the actual patterns.  I am happiest creating my stuff from scratch and am quite comfortable with my trial and error ways.

Other than the steps for an actual stitch, the books and patterns sit in a pretty pile in my craft/office room.  Oh! Have I mentioned that I am an avid reader and will seriously read just about anything. My husband finds this amusing as he has found me curled up with a Nuclear Physics book, a good drink and a blanket and so engrossed you would have thought I was studying for a major exam or reading a steamy romance.  I just really love to read and all books are sacred brain candy.

Some of the crochet/knit books I have hanging around and love to look at or read are:
I admittedly have a serious weakness for books but especially for How-To, DIY, educational, historical and craft books (these are all books, unfortunately, that I do not enjoy looking through on my spiffy Kindle.  It was a Christmas present).  I have a hard time putting down a book with good pictures, instructions or any kind of educational information.

I have numerous cookbooks but don't use a recipe unless I bake.  I have several how to books but prefer to wing it or simply read a products instructions on use and go to town.  I love to learn new things, whether useful in my life or not.  My brain is full to bursting with all sorts of random info.  I am also a research nut when it comes to an idea.  If I don't know, but get a hankering to, I will research the subject to death until I do know, and know as much about it as I can (this however in no way makes me an expert as I do not have the following certificate to certify my knowledge).  This is probably due to my avid desire to learn and read but strangely this desire disappears when in a classroom environment.  LOL! I just hate how limited the classroom feels to me.  Boo! I would probably have twelve or more degrees by now if I didn't hate structured learning so much.

Oh well! I am well aware that a degree does not equal talent/smart and smart/talent does not always equal a degree but they sure come in handy when getting a nice job, don't they.  Those HR people sure do like paper certificates of all kinds (good thing I have a few stashed away if I ever need them). 

I am much more a hands on, trial and error, self taught/paced sort of individual.  I prefer to learn by doing.  This doesn't mean I do not like being taught because I really do love to learn, just not for hours on end in some boringly over chilled/heated classroom with a hundred other souls taking up the surrounding space while some professor drones on and on and I am expected to take notes, remember said dull lecture and actually absorb/learn something.  Nah! That is so not my style.    I think US education needs to take a more vocational/hands on approach and less of book/professor says regurgitation method but that is just me and I know others learn quite well this way or it wouldn't be.

So how do you learn best? Do you follow patterns, instructions and guidelines to a T or are you more like me? Ha! Ha! That last bit rhymed.  I'm a poet now (you can check out some of my work through poetry.com *snickers* )

P.S. I do actually have poetry on poetry.com but that was merely me making a joke about my accidental rhyme.