Finger Knitting . . . Phase I

Pamela is learning a new kind of handwork in her second term of the school year: finger knitting as a stepping stone to knitting with needles next term. She decided to knit scarves for all four of her babies (her family increased by one two weeks ago through adoption). Other possibilities include headbands for girls with longer hair, belts, gift ribbons, and googly-eyed snakes. One get get fancy and knit fashionista scarves with funky, fuzzy yarn. Another nifty thought: make a warmer scarf by braiding three finger-knitted cords. I prefer the chunky yarn (size 6) to give the scarf a fuller look.

To scaffold the process of learning, I broke it up into four steps:

• This week, Pamela learned to pull over the yarn loops.
• Next week, she will learn to wrap her fingers and then pull over the yarn loops.
• Every time she finishes a scarf (the baby scarves will go quickly), I will teach her how to bind off loops.
• Every time she starts a scarf, I will teach her how to start.

How do I know when she is ready for learning a new step? You can see in the video below a couple of tell-tale signs. She carefully adjusts the loops on her fingers until it feels right to her. She patiently pulled off a tight loop and showed a little innovation by holding down the upper loop with her thumb. Near the end of the video, Pamela giggled with satisfaction.