Spool Knitting

All right!  By now everyone should've eaten all of their ice-cream and have their Spool Knitters ready to go.  Let's get started!

All you need for this project is your spool knitter and a ball of soft, fluffy wool.
This week I'll show you all the steps through three videos.  I'll post a summarized version below step by step for those of you who aren't able to watch the videos, but it will probably make more sense in real time:


Setting Up:

Tips:


Casting off:



Summary Steps to make a flat scarf:

1) Choose one section as your starting point (it doesn't matter where).  Weave your wool in and out of each section, stopping when you get to the last section.  Loop around last section and wind back to the beginning, making sure each section now has one line of wool in front and one in back.

 2) Now you should be back at your first section, loop wool around.  It should be sitting in front of the second section.  There are now two lines of wool in front of section two.  Gently pull the piece that's on the bottom over top of the top line of wool, and over the section, placing it behind the section.

 

 3) Now you're spool knitting!  You just keep repeating this step on each alternating section.  When you get to the end wind around and continue, never knitting on top of the same section twice.  (sorry, the rest of the shots are going to look a little funny because they're screen grabs from the video.  I got so into knitting that I forgot to take photos!)

4) Eventually it starts coming out the bottom of your knitter.  Don't worry that it's stretched out at the top, it naturally tightens up.

5) When you get near the end of your wool you'll need to cast off.  First make sure you have enough wool left to run around the knitter once.  Don't cut anything, just wrap it around to make sure you have enough.

6) Now that you know you do (if you don't, just unloop one row of stitching), you will simply loop the wool under each section.  Don't miss any sections this time.  This will secure it so that it won't unravel when you take it off the knitter.  Once you get to the last section you can gently take the scarf off of the knitter.  Pull the tail to tighten up the end and make it the same width as the rest of the scarf.  You can stretch and pull the scarf a little to even it all out.

7) Just weave any tail that's left over into the scarf and secure with a knot.  Voila!  You're done!  And probably in record time!

Some tips:

-Control your tension by gently tugging on the wool in front of the section that you just looped over.

-It doesn't matter how many sections you have, it will always work.

-If you have arthritis or other aches in your hands, try using a crochet hook to do the looping for you.

I really hope that you're able to watch the videos because it's so much easier to follow that way.  In any case, have fun with this, try different types of wool, or different sizes and shapes of spool knitters.  Add a fringe on each end for something extra.  (Just cut pieces of wool approximately 8"long, group into three's, fold in half, and loop into each hole that runs along the ends.)

Leave a comment and let me know how you get on with it (no goofy jokes aboot my Canadian accent, eh~).  These make lovely Christmas gifts that are fast and easy to make but still have a very personal touch.  If you want to learn more stitches or how to make other projects with your spool knitter make sure to let me know and I'll do other video posts throughout the winter.

Happy knitting!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!  Just sign up as a follower and leave a comment on the Desk Set: The Rest of the Story post, link is in the sidebar.
(There are only 14 comments so far so your chances of winning are really good!)

Thanks to Between Naps on the Porch for sending so many visitors my way this week.  Go visit Susan and check out the other fun ideas and projects there.

I'll be posting this project at the linky parties throughout the week so make sure to check out the tab at the top of the page, including TCB .