Review: Teach Me to Knit

I’m teaching some classes at the “summer camp” at my daughter’s school this year that will include a couple of general fiber arts courses for different age groups and a class just focused on learning to knit.

So I have been looking with special interest lately at books that aim to help get kids interested in learning to knit and that include easy projects younger people will enjoy making and using.

Teach Me to Knit from Leisure Arts is a brief booklet that covers all the basics, from yarn and needle selection to casting on (long-tail), knitting, binding off, purling,decreasing, seaming, increasing, working yarn overs to make eyelets, slipping stitches and producing the make 1 increase.

Each lesson is accompanied by a project or two that will help knitters of any age use their new skills. It starts with Garter Stitch coasters and a flower made by casting on, binding off and sewing up. There’s another coaster worked just in purl (which is still Garter Stitch), a washcloth, can cozy, dog’s ball toy, eyelet scarf, lap afghan made with the ripple stitch and a pillow worked in wedges that are seamed together.

Other projects include a fish-shaped cat toy, leg warmers, mitts and a hat, all worked flat.

There are lots of pictures and words to guide knitters who are learning new skills, and links to online video tutorials are included for anyone who needs more help. If the child knows an adult who knits, so much the better, though it’s not strictly necessary to be able to follow this bookk.

I like the variety of patterns in this book and that it manages to cover a lot of skills quickly, giving new knitters confidence to try new things and to make projects they will love to use and give as gifts.

I will definitely have this book on hand while I’m teaching this summer.

Book specifications: 64 pages, paperback, 13 patterns. Published by Leisure Arts, December, 2015. Suggested retail $14.99.

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

Have you read?