Kids' Knitting

Thought you'd enjoy seeing the kids' knitting progress. Both StringBean and LegoManiac had gotten knitting kits from their grandma at Christmas. The one on the left, LegoManiac's, was an Alix kit with slick thick yarn that causes him to be really loose with his knitting -- he's using the needles we made rather than the 15s that came with his kit. StringBean's work is on the right -- her kit was a Lion Brand that came with 19s! (way too big and uncomfortable even for me to use) plus they were plastic and the yarn kept slipping off -- very frustrating. Her work here is using LegoManiac's 15s and her stitches are pretty even.

They both cast-on just 10 stitches -- in this thick yarn, the "fabric" is about 10 inches wide and it's easy to count the stitches every row so we can catch dropped stitches or extra stitches right away.

They're enjoying the process of knitting and if I can keep them from thinking it's a race to see who can finish first, it will be a very successful homeschool project!

On a side note: many have asked about teaching their kids to knit. My advice -- avoid the premade kits like my kids got -- unless you feel very comfortable at fixing mistakes or have other supplies available for them to mix and match. StringBean's needles were just way too big; LegoManiac's yarn is too slippery. I've seen kits that look really cool -- and include novelty yarns that are fuzzy or bumpy or loosely twisted. These yarns look great and the final product -- made by professionals -- looks very seductive but as a teaching resource, they stink -- they only lead to frustration, split strands, and no possibility of then ripping out mistakes.....just my $.02!