Kids Learn to Knit (Paperback)

~ (Author), FranCois Hall (Author) "Knitting is a clever way of linking lots of loops of yarn together to make a piece of fabric..." (more)
Key Phrases: large sewing needle threaded, toy filling, right needle, Hooting Henry, Happy Herbie (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Guy and Hall, who previously collaborated on two adult books about knitting children's clothes, now offer a most appealing manual for kids who want to do their own projects. After introducing the basics of knitting, the tools, and the materials, the handbook starts at the beginning (the slip knot, broken down into four steps); casting on (three steps); the knit stitch (five steps); and binding off (four steps). Each simply explained step is illustrated with at least one clear, larger-than-life illustration. Knitters confident in the basics can proceed to sections on the purl stitch and the stockinette stitch, followed by six projects with detailed instructions, patterns, and colorful photos of the finished products. Helpful advice on fixing problems such as dropped stitches and finishing off projects that require stuffing or stitching with a needle is provided. With breezy ink-and-watercolor cartoons of frolicking animals as well as bright photos, this book infuses instructions and advice with a welcome dose of fun. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Guy uses conversational language to get the kids incrementally working on a stuffed square owl, triangular butterfly and, finally, an 'all-together' bag incorporating everything they've learned, empowering them to stitch on."  —Yarn Market

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570763356
• ISBN-13: 978-1570763359
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #184,365 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book with a few caveats , April 9, 2007

By	Denise Patterson (Carmel, IN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I got this book as an adult beginning knitter (I had made a scarf before picking up this book) to help teach my 7 YO daughter to knit when she decided she wanted to. It has been extremely helpful. The diagrams and instructions for beginning stitches and such techniques as casting on and binding off are quite honestly the best I've seen so far. The explanation of how to make a slip stitch in particular I found clearer and easier to follow than anything I had seen in an adult book.

The projects also are attractive, well-photographed, and are actually the sort of thing kids might want to make. The very first project, the flag, became a series of flags with letters on it to make her name for her room. She's not quite to the final project, a felt-lined purse, but she's looking forward to it. The other projects are stuffed animals and fabric books - cute in a kid-friendly way, not too precious or 'boring'. Plus they are QUICK - kids won't get bored spending three weeks on a giant scarf or anything like that.

A few small caveats - they do all the projects on size 6 needles, which is AWFULLY small for beginners. We did ours on size 8 instead - it makes the projects a little larger, but so far we have not run out of yarn, so it doesn't seem to matter, and it's a lot easier for me to see what she has done, especially when something has gone wrong.

They also do all the projects on 'double-knitting yarn'. I had no idea what that was (remember I'm a beginner too), nor could I find it at the local craft store. I finally went with worsted-weight yarn as that looked about the same from the pictures in the book. I later found that double knitting yarn refers to the weight, and is about halfway between sport weight and worsted weight, so my choice of worsted seems to have been ok.

Finally, and this is a little detail, I certainly never would have thought of it. The first project is a little flag, and it is important to have the yarn end in a particular corner. My daughter did it twice getting it to end in the wrong corner. Finally we realized that it was not clear whether to count the row of cast-on stitches as a row or not and so she was always one row off, putting her yarn in the opposite corner of where it should have ended. Not a mistake a more experienced knitter would make, but one that could have been a little clearer in this book for kid learners.

Would I recommend this book? You bet, in fact, I already have. The quick, attractive projects and the wonderful instructions more than make up for the for points where we had some confusion. There is always some confusion when beginning to learn a new skill after all. I wouldn't have gone into as much detail as I did on this if it wasn't that I thought it might help other readers of this book.

Highly recommended, but best for a child who has a more experienced adult around to help them with the few points that might be confusing.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent learner's guide for the very young., February 2, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Parents of five-to-ten-year-olds will find this an excellent basic guide to knitting which pairs very easy directions and kid-friendly patterns with lesson plans. Kids learn knitting in stages, with many fun projects to test new skills - and will also learn special techniques from sewing up seams to placing buttons. An excellent learner's guide for the very young.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect first knitting book!, January 8, 2008

By	Mother of Three (Macomb, IL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this for my six year old daughter who was interested in learning to knit. It was explained so well in this book my mother in law now knows how to do a slip stitch where as before she would just tie the yarn to the needle, yes. Really. But no more! My daughter and her Grandmother are now slip stitch aficionados! The casting on for the six year old is coming along nicely but the actually knitting part is taking a little more practice. A great easy way to understand learning how to knit basics for the young (and young at heart).