Finger knitting–a path to mindfulness?
Finger knitting: an easy way to get started working with yarn. I don’t know about all of you, but during this time of staying home, I find it hard to focus. I like being home, really. But the world has turned upside down. We don’t know what’s coming. Some of us, like me, are far from family and loved ones. And some of us are home with our children for who knows how long.
Doing handwork can help us to calm and center. Finger knitting, in particular, is easy to learn. Because learning something new requires focus, but once you get it, your mind can relax and let your hands do the work. And children as young as 4 or 5 can do it to–and once they get the hang of it, they’ll keep going.
And all you need is a ball of yarn and your hands! I do suggest starting with thicker yarn, if possible, just to make it easier.
The tutorials
I had intended to make one tutorial, but I did the first one in the evening. After I went to bed, I realized that I hadn’t demonstrated how to finish this work, so I added part 2 rather than stretching my extremely limited movie editing skills and putting it all together in one.
Coming soon–what to do with all that finger knitting
I promise to share some ideas of what to do with all your finger knitting–or you can do some online research yourself. I also have a lovely book by Vickie Howell called “Finger Knitting Fun” that has 28 projects in it.
The children will enjoy making bracelets or necklaces from their finger knitting–or jump ropes if the yarn is heavy enough. Did you know that you can also finger knit your finger knitting to make a thicker rope?
There are all different kinds of ways to knit with your fingers (1, 2, 3, or all 5 of them). You can knit with your arms, too. I tried it–and still do it once in a while. I’ve found lots of wonderful resources in books, blogs, YouTube if you want to learn more.
I like to use crochet hooks or knitting needles most of the time and will be sharing some crochet tutorials as well.