Book Review: Fun and Easy Finger Knitting for Beginners

I don’t know if this happens at every school, but at my daughter’s school in late elementary, finger knitting became a Thing. I guess they probably learned it in their tinkering class but it seemed like kids were finger knitting all the time, which of course I loved because any kind of fiber art is great for kids and adults alike.

If you or your kiddo wants to go beyond knitting up endless snakes of finger knitting, Vickie Howell’s Fun and Easy Finger Knitting for Beginners will show you what to do with all those stitches.

It opens with an overview of finger knitting over four, three or two fingers, as well as how to change colors as you knit, how to fasten off your knitting and how to finish it in different projects (such as using mattress stitch or whip stitch).

Projects are divided into wearables and accessories, and use a skill rating of one to three. You’ll start with a basic strand looped and sewn into a necklace, but there are lots of other options including bracelets knit with leather cord, a hat made of a finger knit tube stacked and sewn on itself, a flower for a headband and a twisted scarf, to name a few.

Accessories include ideas like a garland for a tree house, a bag made out of homemade T-shirt yarn, snakes (of course!), an animal pillow (the one in the book is a panda, but you could make it any animal you like), a bath mat, a jump rope and a planter cozy made out of jute rope.

It should be noted this is a republication of an older book of Vickie’s, Finger Knitting Fun, so some of the yarns used in the projects have been discontinued in the meantime. (You can see all the patterns from the original book on Ravelry.) It’s still a great source for ideas of what to do with all that finger knitting if your kid is already obsessed with making it, or a low-key entry point into yarn crafting for kiddos in late elementary and middle school.

About the book: 80 pages, paperback, 27 patterns. Published 2004 (adaptation of a 2015 release) by Quarry Books. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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