French Knitting Instructions
French knitting is a fun activity for all ages and easy to teach children! Mums and Grandmas will remember this. You need a spool and some string.
PREPARING YOUR CHOOSEN MATERIAL – You can use string, but for beginners I suggest wool as it has some slack. 1. Make a loop at the end of your string.
2. Place the loop on the peg.
PREPARING THE BASE 3. Turn to the next loop on your right and…
4. Wind the string around it and…
5. Form a loop. Don’t make the loop too tight or you won’t be able to work with it.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 till you get to the last peg as shown.
START KNITTING! 7. Now repeat steps 4 and 5 on the first peg you started looping on. The loop is the one you tied in step 1.
8. You will notice that the peg now has two loops on it.
9. Take the bottom loop with your index finger and thumb. If you find this difficult, you’re looping the pegs too tightly. Don’t worry; you can use a crochet hook to do the job for you. A crochet hook is also good for tired fingers!
10. Lift the bottom loop up and above the top loop as shown.
11. You may have to hold the top loop down to stop it coming off. Remember you only want the bottom loop to come off.
12. Take it off the bottom loop completely and simply let go.
13. Repeat steps 9- 12 one peg at a time. When you get the hang of it, you will be knitting faster.
14. Two completed rows will look like this.
15. Three completed rows.
16. You’ll soon notice the knitted piece growing through the hole. These are made from the dropped loops. It will resemble a tube.
TAKING YOUR KNITTED PEICE OFF THE SPOOL – CASTING OFF 17. When you are happy with the length, cut the string but leave roughly 10cm in length.
18. Pull a loop off the peg.
19. Thread the remainder of the string through the hole and pull the string.
21. Pull the next loop off and again thread the string through it.
23. When you have all the loops threaded none will remain on the pegs and you can take the spool away.
24. Pull the string tight to tie up the ends and you’re finished!
These instructions are written by Donna Vokes using her own chunky handmade spools and pegs. The knitting method shown here is a basic method and therefore easy to teach children and adult beginners. Please note that there are many variations of spools on the market which may require slightly different instructions.
Dear Donna Vokes,
I came across your website and liked the interesting things that you do. Please can you tell me where you buy the circular spool with pegs for the round tube like knitting? Also, if possible how much do they cost?
Thank you.
Regards,
Susmita Roy
Hi Susmita, Thank you for your comments. I made my spools myself. I haven’t seen any spools this size on the market, but they are very simple and easy to make if you can get anyone in your family to help you. All you need is thick MDF and dowels (pegs) from Screwfix or Homebase. Be aware that the larger the circle and the more pegs used, the spool becomes very delicate and will easily break. Let me know how you get on and if you do find any larger spools on the market. Good luck!
Kind regards
Donna
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