Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Is Your Child Ready to Learn to Knit?

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knit with kids Madame La MarchandeMy daughter is almost three, but she thinks she can knit. She likes to take my needles (usually pulling all the stitches out in the process), rub them together and call it “knitting.” It’s actually pretty cute (cuter than the ball of yarn she destroyed “knitting” me a “coat”), but the truth is she’s still pretty far from actually being able to teach how to knit.

I’ve heard of some people who learned as young as 4, but 5 or 6 seems to be the standard age to teach kids to knit. And of course you can try with the needles, or use a knitting device with knobs (sometimes called a knitting Nancy, a knitting doll or a French knitter, among other things) or teach them finger knitting.

If you’re ready to help your child or someone else young in your life get acquainted with the knitting life, check out these tips and ideas from Craft Foxes. If you ask me, it’s almost never too early to start raising up the next generation of fiber lovers!

Have any tips for knitting with kids? Spill ’em!

[Photo of Knitting with Kids kit from Madame La Marchande, via Craft Foxes.]

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Comments

  1. IT’S 6 MONTHS SINCE I’M TRYING CROCHETING.I MAKE SURE I TAKE SMALL PROJECTS THAT I COMPLETE IN A WEEK, THOUGH TRAINED PEOPLE CAN DO IN FEW HOURS. THIS GIVES ME THE JOY OF COMPLETION AND CONFIDENCE TO TRY MORE.THIS COULD BE A GOOD IDEA FOR KIDS TOO

  2. My six year old grand daughter really wanted to learn how to knit and crochet. I tried teaching her but it was difficult. We tried spool knitting but that was too tiny for chunky hands. Then my daughter discovered finger knitting on the internet. She bought big, soft, thick yarn at Zellers and they started finger knitting.
    They have made a very cute long scarf and are now working on a second.
    I have never heard of finger knitting and I am amazed at how fast and easy it is to do. Please pass this message along to all grandmas who want their grandchildren to learn the value of making useful items with their own hands.

  3. Have you discovered finger knitting? My daughter taught her little girl how to do this from an article on the internet. They bought big, chunky, soft yarn at Zellers and have made a really cute long scarf. What a fun and easy skill to learn that requires no tools, just your fingers.

  4. I have one friend who, when she teaches kids to knit, let them make their own needles as well. She takes dowel rods cut down to size, lets the kids sharpen them with a pencil sharpener, sand them and then make the ends with clay which she “cooks” for them. The kids love it and it makes them really want to use their needles for knitting since they made them too!

  5. I have been teaching my daughter (6) to knit and some girls (9-13) at a camp I attend. I found several little rhymes on various knitting sites that the kids found extremely helpful.

  6. When I teach kids to knit, I find that kids aged 7 or older manage better than younger kids. Also I teach with 2 different colored needles – I think it helps the kids to see the stitches better and makes it easier to explain the process.

Have you read?

Knitting Patterns for Pride

It seems like every year there are more rainbow colored (and other flag hued) knitting projects out there to celebrate Pride. Whether you celebrate at a local event or just want to add some more color to your wardrobe, these Pride knitting patterns are a great place to start.

See also these Pride knitting patterns, tiny Pride flags, and more rainbow projects if you need more inspiration.

These Pride socks from Birger Berge are a free pattern on Ravelry. They feature a rainbow flag on the heel and toe, plus stripes on the cuff with the word Pride and a heart worked in. 

Or you can Put Some Pride in Your Step with these allover colorful socks from Oriahna WhimsyStitch. Using a self-striping fingering weight yarn, they have a spiral rib on the legs and come in three sizes. The pattern has suggestions for if you don’t have self-striping yarn to use. You can find it on Ravelry.

Amy Snell’s Pride Like the Wind is a triangular shawl that uses slipped stitches to add texture to the multicolored stripes. The pattern was made with a large skein of rainbow colored yarn and mini skeins in rainbow colors, but you can use stash or whatever you can find in theose colors for a different look. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Pride and Elegance is a pretty pair of rainbow striped arm warmers made by martaschmarta. They call for fingering weight yarn and have sparkly beads incorporated at each end for extra flair. This pattern is also on Ravelry. 

Pride in Parallelograms by Treena Evans is a mobius knit cowl worked in a multicolored ombre yarn. It calls for DK weight yarn and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Stephen G. Krueger has designed a lovely kippah/yarmulke pattern that can be worked in the colors of any Pride flag you like. The pattern is free on Ravelry and uses fingering weight yarn.

And if you want to make a full progress flag in knitting, you’ll need the modular progressive Pride flag pattern from Kim Smith for Alterknit Universe. The pattern comes in two sizes using different weights of yarn to suit your needs, and the modular style of the project makes it seamless. You can purchase this pattern on Ravelry.

If you want to add a touch of Pride to a sweater, wall hanging or other project, the abstract waves chart from Hits Knit Patterns is a great place to start. It uses the colors of the lesbian flag, but you could change it to whatever colors you like (there are six colors used and the chart is 49 stitches by 80 rows).