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. Owing to the very basic structure of the elements required, spool knitting has long been part of educational practices in crafts classes. Thus, children get used with the main principles of knitting in a fun and functional way at the same time. The spool can be either improvised or bought ready made, but the other supplies necessary include a crochet hook, yarn and in case you want to, you can also bring brads, a hammer, drill and a drill bit.
In order to make spool knitting easier, purchase the spool from a tool or home improvement store and get directly to the knitting part. 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 first stage of spool knitting you follow pictures or close face to face instructions so that you may begin in the right way. 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 known that odd numbers are easier to work with in casting on, therefore, stick to the four or six variants particularly if you are a beginner. 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 allows for various color alternation particularly 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. When you finish knitting you will have to tie off the ends so that they do not unravel. 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.
