samba2nite Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I want to teach my girls 5 & 8 how to knit or crochet. I was taught basic stiches by my grandmother when I was my daughters age. It was a great way to kill time in the summers. I do not remember much of anything...in fact out right nothing. Although I suspect that once I saw how it was done it would come back to me. I am looking for suggestions on how to teach them something I really do not know anything about? Anythoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Do you have a yarn store near by? Most small yarn stores will help you if you get stuck or have beginning classes. Since you have some idea about how to do it, maybe a very detailed beginners book will be all you need. I'm sure u-tube or somewhere else on-line will have visual demos. I found crocheting easier for beginners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I love to crochet, and have started to teach myself knitting. I too think that crochet is easier. (I'm self taught on both). You might want to pick up a "knitting nancy" (aka spool knitter or corker) for your daughters. My 5 year old has one and likes to do it while I crochet. I have to help her get unstuck a few times. I think it is a good way to get a feel for yarn and see some quick results. It also helps teach the concept of the way knitting is constructed. There are lots of great books about teaching children how to knit and crochet. I personally find books teaching kids how to do crafts BETTER for ME because they are written so simply! Here's a link to a book on Amazon about the craft. I got Ingrid's at my local yarn shop (it's so cute -- has a little face on it). You can even make them yourself. There are lots of websites about these. (I bought it on Amazon and honestly, it didn't blow me away...definitely a library read.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 The spool knitter is cool. Children that young might enjoy finger knitting, too. It's very Waldorfy:-) It's great for the hand/eye coordination. I learned to crochet for crocheting "soakers" for my son's cloth diapers. Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Are you in Sacramento? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I have this knitting book and have found it quite useful. The patches are small enough that they are achievable. By the time you've made enough patches to make a cot blanket, you'd have the hang of it, and have tried a few different stitches. There are plenty of things you can do with the good old plain and purl to get your confidence up before you try something a little trickier. I have the same author's crochet book, but I haven't had the chance to sit down with it yet, but I imagine it'd be just as good. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donovans4 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 in addition to lots of great beginner knitting books you can find at your library, be sure to check out youtube. Seeing someone cast on or do the knit stitch is really helpful when a diagram in a book just doesn't make sense. Just search under the basic terms and tons of videos should come up. LauraD in MN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick is a great resource for young or new knitters. Also you can see instructional videos at this website: http://www.knittinghelp.com/ I heard on the KnitPicks podcast where she said she never has a brand new knitter do a project first. They just do a piece where they can learn how to do the stitches and not worry about how it looks. Then they throw it away and start a project. A scarf can be a bit long of a project for a beginner. Kids Knitting has some smaller projects to start with--small squares to make bean bags. Washcloths are also good small projects but cotton yarn is hard for beginners to work with as it has no stretch. But some people like acrylic cloths for washing dishes as they are scrubbier. When you're ready for an overwhelming amount of info on knitting/crochet patterns you can join Ravelry. One of the best things about it is being able to see the patterns worked up in various yarns. You'll also see more patterns/yarns than you ever imagined existed. http://www.ravelry.com/ Enjoy, Cinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Here is a great site for learning to knit http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/learn-to-knit I've used it a lot when trying to figure things out. An excellent dvd I purchased is this http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Beginners-Guide-Knitting/dp/B000A0P6A4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1247062839&sr=8-1 I found a copy at our local wallyworld a few years ago for around $14. Ours doesn't carry them any more but yours might, I'd check. It is sooo worth it! The instruction is terrific - it goes slowly and pauses after every step to let you practice. This is how my dds and I learned to knit as our internet connection was rather spotty. My dds really took off with it and have knitted a lot of different things-baby clothes (think cloth diaper related), dishrags, blankets, etc. My dds learned to crochet a couple years before they learned to knit and they said that knowing how to crochet made it easier to learn to knit. They took a crochet class at Joanns to learn. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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