Teaching kids to knit

[KnitKnitKnitting]

Has anyone got any tips on teaching kids to knit?

My 7 year old has decided he desperately wants to knit. I never learned properly, can just about produce a wobbly scarf! We’ve given it a go and he wants to keep going.

So specifically, are there any type of knitting needles that are better for kids to learn with? We just picked some up from a charity shop but they seem very grippy, and long, and feel like there must be a better option. Yarn, I think the main thing is for it to be fairly tightly made so he’s not picking up a single strand by mistake, but again any tips would be great.

My kids learnt finger knitting which is relatively easy and quite good fun. Lots of YouTube stuff around.

There are children's knitting kits with shorter needles, which I think are a good idea to start with. I taught my niece to knit reasonably successfully. Initially I cast on for her and did the first couple of rows, as the stitches are always tight at that stage, then taught her the routine I remember learning - in, round, under, off. Having YouTube videos available made it a whole lot easier.

Ah, I’ve never tried finger knitting but that sounds like a good idea!

Fab, I’ll have a look for a kit.

I think you’re right about starting it off for him, that sounds like a good approach.

The only success I’ve had in teaching my 9 year old to knit, was to send them to Granny’s.

In all seriousness, I originally bought short needles thinking they’d be easier, but they preferred the number 4 needles from hobbycraft. It helps that they’re purple I think. The are actually a nice weight and are a pleasure to knit with.

Sadly Granny cannot knit, but has encouraged him by buying a knitting book for him, so now I am trapped in to this!

Thank you for the needle suggestion.

I agree there are a lot of great YouTube tutorials on knitting and crochet.

I bought really fat knitting needles. They’re wooden & came from Hobbycraft. Also, recycled fabric “yarn”, which is thick, so you get big results quickly. This is really satisfying! After practising with these for a while & getting more proficient, you could gradually introduce thinner needles & wool. The young man I taught was in residential care & moved on at 18, so I didn’t get to that stage with him, sadly. It’s great that your DS wants to learn to knit. I wish mine had!

I wouldn't go for a kids kit, they tend to be cheap needles and not enough yarn to make anything.

I'd say to get some wider needles, 6mm would be good and some chunky yarn.

You can go down a needle size once they have got the knack of the stitches.

It's not that easy teaching someone to knit, even if you can do it well yourself! I run a knitting and crochet club at the school where I teach, and it takes the beginners quite a while to get the hang of it, especially knitting. Crochet is a bit easier but I prefer knitting!

I would go for medium needles and wool rather than fine or super-chunky to start with - say 5mm needles and aran-weight wool.

It's really worthwhile spending some time working on how he holds the yarn and needles, as it's very difficult to knit properly unless you're controlling the tension of the yarn. That's an essential basic imo (not something to fine-tune later) because it makes the process so much easier and it can be hard to train yourself out of an awkward technique!

There are loads of videos on YouTube, but make sure you go for ones that use English-style or European-style, depending on which he's started with (totally different technique).

I taught my niece to knit at a similar age and one thing that helped was me taking over every now and then to do a couple of rows for her. It meant that the work grew pretty quickly and kept it's shape and she didn't get too bored or discouraged by it growing too slowly. As she got more proficient, I did less and less for her.
I started her off on a small circular loom that I found in a charity shop and she was able to make wrist warmers and leg warmers quite easily which gave her lots of confidence.
I also taught her to crochet and she found that much easier and more enjoyable.

I've taught quite a lot children to knit. My advice would be don't get a kit, buy short 25cm needles in a 5mm (any bigger and they become difficult to handle) and Aran weight wool. Let them pick their favourite colour. Knit squares initially, and do what a pp said, knit a couple of rows for them every now and then so they can see it growing.
My daughter loves the colour of these needles
https://www.blacksheepwools.com/products/25cm-knitpro-zing-knitting-pins?variant=44136283963636