Spool Knitting
In contrast with other traditional forms of knitting, spool knitting relies on the use of a spool and four nails for the creation of an initial fabric pattern. Because of the very basic structure of the items it requires, spool knitting has long been part of educational practices in crafts classes. Thus, this way of getting children to learn knitting is both instructive and fun. The items necessary for spool knitting include the spool, whether ready-made or improvised, some brads, a hammer, a drill and yarn.
If you try to make the spool yourself, the process could get too complex and time consuming. The first step to begin with is to pass the yarn through the spool, from top to bottom, but make sure to leave a few inches of yarn hang out from the bottom.
It is a good idea that for this initial spool knitting stage you follow pictures or close face to face instructions so that you have a smooth beginning. Then, you can start pulling the yarn with the crochet hook by making small loops every time and passing them over the brads, in the process known as the casting on.
The number of brads used in spool knitting varies depending on what you want to achieve; the most basic of projects available for spool knitting is cord making, and this can be designed with four, five or six brads. Yet, it is common knowledge that odd numbers allow easier casting on, therefore, stick to the use of four or six brads even if five are also possible. When knitting, the yarn has to be wrapped around all the brads and the passage to the next knitted line requires that you pull the previous loop out, up and over each and every brad.
Spool knitting makes color variations possible since the changes are almost basic. All you need to do is to cut one yarn type and tie in a different one so that you may be able to continue the knitting process but with a different color. When learning spool knitting from books or web pages, it really helps to match the illustrations with the instructions and understand each step separately before moving to a different one.
Before completing work, remember to tie off the ends so that you don’t spoil the knit. For those who need professional spool knitting, it is preferable to buy a spool knitting machine that works a lot faster and with superior results.
