Knitting

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Get Kids Started with Finger Knitting

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finger knitting craftfoxesI’ve been writing a lot this week over on About about arm knitting, but another great way to knit without needles is finger knitting.

Finger knitting is a good way to get kids started because they don’t have to fumble with needles so it can feel a little easier and still gets them the concepts of making loops and slipping stitches around to make a knit fabric.

Craft Foxes has a good illustrated tutorial on finger knitting, which it calls a boy craft, but it’s a good gateway into regular knitting for all kinds of kids. I may try this on my daughter soon, since she says the knitting needles are too slippery.

Have you done finger knitting with kids or yourself? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Craft Foxes.]

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Comments

  1. I love finger knitting! So glad to see this post! When I was about 7 I made garland by finger knitting for my grandpas Christmas tree and it has been on the tree every year since and I’m 33 now! I was proud and it felt great to see it every Christmas.

  2. Wow! I used to make these as a kid and never knew what to call it and eventually forgot all about it… thanks for the flasback! Now if only my daughter were not fourteen 🙁

  3. We love finger knitting in our house! I taught my son and daughter when they were 5 and 4. They have made many necklaces, scarves, and headbands! We moved onto knitting with needles this oast year, but they always go back to finger knitting because they can do it in the car or anywhere really with no help from me.

Have you read?

Fun Tank Top Knitting Patterns

It seems like every summer there’s a new crop of tank top knitting patterns, and what I noticed about a lot of the new releases this year is that they have fun little details that make them a little more interesting both to knit and to wear. 

Like the Sailoress Top from Joji Locatelli, which has a pretty cable worked up the center from and back, with shorter sections of cable work on the shoulders. It uses DK weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes up to a bust circumference of 72 inches/ 158 cm. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. 

Combine lace and cables in an allover pattern on the Mountain Laurel Top from Andrea Gaughan. This sport weight pattern is worked from the bottom up in the count and has 10 sizes. It’s available on Ravelry.

The Vienna Textured Tank Top by Sarah Hatton has wide ribs broken up by eyelets. There’s very little shaping so it’s a pretty easy knit worked in fingering weight yarn. There are nine sizes available and it’s a free download on Ravelry.

Make a tank with a boho vibe perfect for festival season with Mary Beth Temple’s Tropical Sunset Tank Top. Worked in worsted weight cotton yarn, it’s knit from the bottom up in pieces to make it more stable. The coloring changing yarn is perfect for this one, or you can make it solid or work in your own stripes. You can get the XS size free on her blog, and other sizes are available on Ravelry.

Looking for a cropped lacy V-neck top to knit for summer? Jessie Maed Designs has the Sundae Swirl Tank, worked in DK weight yarn in the round with a fun combination of lace and cables. The ribbing under the arms helps give it a great fit. There are six sizes up to a chest measurement of 62 inches/157.5 cm. You can find this one on Ravelry.

How about a tank top with buttons? The Ridge Tank Button Down from Bluebird Pine Shop could double as a vest in cooler weather. This one is made with light fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Grab a copy on Ravelry.

An otherwise simple top can be made a little more interesting with the addition of a fun edging, like on Sarah Opie’s Seashell Tank. Worked in fingering weight yarn, it has a whopping 24 sizes and lots of customization options for making it fit the way you want. The edging is crocheted. Learn more on Ravelry.

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