Craft. Crochet. Create.
This week I have been sluggish. I am trying to get the year planned out and organized, and it resulted in less articles appearing on Whistle and Ivy. I am so excited about what I have planned out for the year and I hope I can create content that you absolutely LOVE. This granny square cowl is a pattern that I designed about 18 months ago, but I am republishing it here so you can find it easier. It is very cozy, and quite easy to whip up, especially if you love making granny squares.
The Finger Knit Cowl is a guest post written by Abbey from The Firefly Hook. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
I teach crochet classes, and I love thinking of projects that younger children can make all by themselves. I am especially on the hunt for those projects that look amazing and not at all “kiddish” or only cute because your kid make it for you. You know what I’m talking about, right?
Enter the finger knit cowl. I came up with the idea when my oldest went to Kindergarten and he REALLY wanted to crochet a scarf for his teacher. Since I already taught him to finger knit (and he was a little too young to pick up crochet skills to make a scarf before Christmas) I put his forever-long finger-knit strands to good use.
I also like teaching kids to finger-knit because it’s a great way to get kids excited about yarn and interacting with it in a positive way. There’s no better feeling than making something with your hands! And finger knitting perfectly demonstrates the fundamental skill in knit AND crochet: wrapping yarn over an instrument (needle, hook, and in this case – finger) and pulled through a loop. I’ve found that kids who learn to finger knit are ready to crochet or knit with hook or needle, respectively.
There are a couple of ways to accomplish getting the yarn around each finger- wrapping or weaving. I am going to share my preferred method – wrapping.
1. Begin with the tail of your yarn between your thumb and first finger.
2. Wrap yarn clockwise around your first finger.
3. Wrap yarn clockwise around your second finger.
4. Wrap yarn clockwise around your third finger.
5. Wrap yarn clockwise around your fourth finger.
6. Wrap yarn clockwise around your fourth finger once more.
7. Wrap yarn counter-clockwise around your third finger.
8. Wrap yarn counter-clockwise around your second finger.
9. Wrap yarn counter-clockwise around your first finger and leave yarn dangling behind your hand between your first and second finger.
10. Observe that there are two loops on each finger. We will pull up the bottom loop on each finger and pull it up and over the finger (without pulling the top loop off.)
11. Pull loop off first finger.
12. Pull loop off second finger.
13. Pull loop off third finger.
14. Pull loop off fourth finger.
15. Push loops down on your fingers.
16. Wrap yarn counter-clockwise around your first finger.
17. Then counter-clockwise around second, third and fourth fingers. Note that the yarn ended between the first and second fingers the first time we pulled the bottom loops off our fingers, and this time the yarn ended between the third and fourth fingers. The yarn will alternate between these two ending spots at each pass.
18. Pull the bottom loops off each finger.
Repeat wrapping fingers and pulling loops off until finger knit section is to desired length. The finished cowl pictured used one skein of jumbo #7 yarn and measured approximately 6 feet. Thinner yarn will need more length to properly fill out the cowl.
Don’t forget to leave about five feet of yarn to wrap around the cowl.
I coiled up his strand so they were all even and tied the two ends together. Make sure to leave yourself a long (like five feet) tail when you cut the yarn. Then take your loooooong tail and wrap it around your coil to keep it in place. You could also tie the loose tails tight around your coil and sew on a button or flower. The wrapped yarn covers up the seam from the ends being tied together and keeps the coiled sections in place.
I used super-super bulky yarn (Jumbo or #7) because it filled in really nicely. Super bulky yarn will work well, too. And using high quality yarn will make your kiddos project shine without much effort.
Tip: If your kid (or you!) would like to take a break, carefully pull each loop off and slip them onto a pencil or clip together with a clothes pin. When you are ready to pick it up again, carefully slip the loops of and place each one on a finger.
Favorite or queue on Ravelry here.
Happy finger knitting!
Abbey
Cowgirl Meets Minneapolis is a guest post written by Abbey from The Firefly Hook. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Cowgirl Meets Minneapolis
Tumbleweed or graffiti art, cowboy coffee or artisan lattes, lonely mountains or crowded streets…it turns out you can love both.
I recently moved from Wyoming back to Minneapolis, and the culture, slang, and rhythms of both ways of life pulse together through my veins and find their way into my designs.
Growing up in a quiet, sleepy farm-town in rural MN, I lived on the same street my entire life until college. Minnesota with its crisp apples, wild snowstorms, and intense turn of the season is forever dear to my heart.
My husband and I moved to Wyoming shortly after we married, and we both fell in love with the stark prairie beauty and sunsets that fill the entire sky. After 8 amazing years and 3 amazing kids later, we moved back home to be near family.
This bandana cowl combines the spirit of the wild west with the urban fashion of south Minneapolis. Both places will always be a part of me and I love that this piece incorporates design elements from places so disparate and equally wonderful.
The piece is worked into a triangle, then after two corners are joined together, the cowl is created by working stitches in a tube. This is a straightforward project with simple stitches that crocheters of any skill level will enjoy.
Whether you are working up this project on a ranch or on a subway, you will no doubt find a way to wear this bandana that’s all your own.
Cowgirl Meets Minneapolis
Materials:
Gauge: 2 rows and 4 sts = 1 inch in dc
Completed dimensions: 19″ circumference, 14″ in height
Abbreviations:
ch—chain
sc—single crochet
dc—double crochet
st—stitch
sp—space
ch-sp—refers to space under the chain already made.
yoh—yarn over hook
Reverse Single Crochet (reverse sc) – working backwards across the row, insert hook into next st to the right (if left handed – insert hook into next st to the left), yoh, draw loop up (2 loops on hook), yoh and draw through both loops on hook, 1 reverse sc complete.
Pattern:
Row 1: Ch 4 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc in 4th ch from hook, ch 1, work 4 more dc in same sp. (8 dc)
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc here and throughout pattern), turn, dc in same st as ch, dc in each st to ch-1 space, (2dc, ch 1, 2dc) in ch-1-sp, dc in each st working 2 dc in last st. (14 dc) Note: Stitch count increases by 6 each row, here through row 22.
Row 3: Ch 3, turn, dc in same st as ch, dc in each st to ch-1-sp, (2dc, ch 1, 2dc) in ch-1 space, dc in each st working 2 dc in last st.
Row 4: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in each st to ch-1-sp, (2sc, ch 1, 2sc) in ch-1 space, sc in each st working 2 sc in last st.
Rows 5, 6: Rep row 4.
Rows 7 – 9: Rep row 3.
Rows 10 – 12: Rep row 4.
Rows 13 – 18: Rep rows 7 – 12.
Row 19: Rep row 3.
Rows 20 – 22: Rep row 4.
Finish off.
Top of cowl:
Row 1: Attach yarn to corner of triangle and sc evenly across entire top of triangle, working across ends of rows 1 – 20.
Row 2: Ch 3, turn, dc in each st across.
Row 3: Rep row 2.
Row 4 – 5: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across.
Row 6: Rep row 2.
Rows 7 – 8: Rep rows 4 – 5.
Finish off.
Sew ends of rows 1 – 8 just worked for top of cowl together.
Edging:
Work a reverse sc around top of cowl. Finish off.
Work a reverse sc around bottom of cowl. Finish off.
Favorite or queue on Ravelry here.
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Happy crocheting,
Abbey