I have wanted to learn to knit for a while, and as soon as my daughter saw me giving it a try, she begged me to teach her as well. Being as she has just turned 5, I knew the knitting needles would be too much for her to handle (I was struggling with them!) and decided to find an easier way for her to knit with me.
I found a wonderful tutorial for teaching kids how to finger knit on NurtureStore, and knew right away that this was something Little Miss would be able to do.
We picked out the perfect yarn and set out to make some fabulous accessories for her Barbies, baby dolls, and her Amma (that is what my kids call their grandmother).
We decided to set up in the living room, nice and comfy on the couch, and got to work.
The method:
Finger knitting is really very simple.
- You start by making a slip knot with a loop in the bottom of your yarn. Make sure to leave a fairly long tail for tying later.
- Place the loop over your index finger. This is the start of your chain.
- Holding your piece of working yarn (the piece coming out of your yarn ball) in your opposite hand, wrap the yarn around your finger in front of the first loop.
- Pull the first loop forward over the second loop and off of your finger.
- This is your first stitch.
- Repeat the process until you reach the desired length for your chain. Tie off the end with a simple knot through your last loop to prevent the chain from unraveling.
Here’s a video that shows you everything:
There are so many things that your child can do with this new skill. They can make scarves for their baby dolls, funky and unique bracelets, or even a really neat brooch – what a great gift that would be!
Her first attempt! Little Miss turned this into a bracelet for me
Once your child has mastered a simple one finger chain, you can add more rows to make a larger product! There are many different methods, but I like the tubular result from this How to Finger Knit video and the fancier look from this Finger Knitting video.
This is a fun and super affordable hobby for your child! Keep an eye out for different colors and textures of yarn at garage sales, resale stores, and the clearance bin of your favorite craft store.
Happy Finger Knitting!!
About Jessie
This looks like fun. Something to do on these cold winter days. Perhaps a snow day craft
.
Monica – This would make a perfect snow day craft! Or a great project to keep your kids busy in the car.
Great craft Jessie! I love knitting so now I have to give finger knitting a try too.
Kristina – it really is a lot of fun! I have been enjoying it just as much as my daughter.
No kids at home anymore, but I’ve got some extra yarn, and I’m going to give this a try.
I’ve never learned to knit or crochet, so maybe this will be a great new hobby for me.
Wonderful instructions!
Libby – I hope you have/had fun trying it! We have been making all types of things this way. My daughter just loves it