My 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.]
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.