October 30, 2020

No sharp objects needed – use your fingers to knit!

Finger Knitting

Knitting has been around in one form or another since somewhere between the 11th and 14th centuries. Throughout time, humans have knitted primarily to make clothing or blankets to protect themselves from the elements. Knitting has turned into a hobby for many, but it is an integral part of human history and can be found all over the world.

The most common material to knit with is yarn and most people who knit use large needles of some variety to create their projects. Though that is the most common way to knit, there has been a surge of people knitting without the large bulky needles and instead using their fingers in place of the needles.

Today, we are going to learn how to finger knit. Though at first it may seem challenging, after a while you will discover finger knitting is a simple and easy hobby that you can easily go along with you from place to place.

Materials:

  • A spool of yarn (Some people prefer a bulkier yarn but choose something that fits well around your fingers.)
  • Time

Directions:

  1. Lay 2-3 inches of the end of the yarn in your non-dominant hand.
  2. Hold the string with your thumb.
  1. Put the string behind your index finger as shown in these images:
  1. Wrap the yarn behind your middle finger, and in front of your index finger. Again, see the below images for reference.
  1. Repeat steps 3 and 4.
  1. Once you have two loops on each finger pull the bottom loop on each finger over the top loop of each finger and off the finger.
  1. Release the string being held by your thumb and pull to tighten
  1. Repeat steps 5-7.
  2. Keep going until you are ready to be done.
  3. To finish, cut the yarn about six inches from where you ended. Pull each loop off a finger, passing the yarn through the loop.
  4. Once the string goes through all loops, pull to tighten.

For younger learners, it may be helpful to use a little thicker yarn. Older learners can increase the number of fingers they use in the knitting project and/or use different sizes of yarn.