Teaching kids to knit
January 20, 2009 by Del
Filed under crafts, knitting, yarn crafts
Maybe you learned to knit at the knee of your mother, grandmother, aunt, uncle or friend. Unfortunately, for many of us today, learning crafts at the hands of older friends or family isn’t as commonplace as it used to be. Knitting is no longer taught in most schools — as a matter of fact, the arts are sometimes greatly curtailed due to budget restrictions.
If you’re fortunate enough to teach a child to knit, consider yourself — and that child — very lucky. I think it’s great to pass along such traditions first hand. Chances are, if you learned to knit from an adult in your life, you know exactly who it was and how it was to first hold yarn and needles in your hands.
A lot of beginning knitters are taught scarves as a first project, but when you’re dealing with kids, you’re usually dealing with a shorter attention span. So what makes suitable first projects for the younger set? Projects that they can complete relatively quickly without giving up due to boredom?
Some ideas:
- Dishcloths
- Neckwarmers
- Bookmarks
- Doll or toy blankets
- Hats (a great way to teach them to use circulars)
It doesn’t always have to be scarves.
Image: stock.xchng
