Maggie's Rags Knitting Tips

Finger Knitting

There are two ways to finger knit. One is to make a chain. Start by making a slip knot at the beginning of a ball of yarn (leave a tail of about 6"). Then pull the loop of the slip knot out large enough to easily insert your thumb and first finger through. Pinch the yarn between your thumb and first finger and pull a new loop through the first loop. Pull on the new loop until the original loop is fairly snug around it. Continue to pull a new loop through the previous loop and to pull up the slack in the old loop. Keep going until the chain is as long as you like. To end, cut the yarn and pull the tail through the last loop.

To knit a band four stitches wide, you must cast on around all four fingers of your hand. If you are right handed, wrap the yarn around the fingers of your left hand. If you are left handed, wrap the yarn around the fingers of your right hand. With your palm facing you, leave a tail of yarn hanging behind your hand, between the thumb and first finger. Wrap the yarn in front of the first finger, then all the way around that finger to the front again. Next, wrap all the way around the second finger. Continue until all four fingers have a strand of yarn around them. Be careful not to make these wraps tight!

Now you are ready to start knitting. The yarn is hanging from the pinky finger. Wrap it around the back of the pinky and let it hang down between the pinky and the ring finger, over the palm of the hand. Lift the old strand from the back of the pinky finger, over this new strand, and off over the end of the finger. Wrap the yarn behind the ring finger, and let it hang down the palm betwen the ring finger and middle finger. Lift the old strand on the ring finger over this new strand, and over the tip of the finger. Do the same for each finger, across the hand. You've worked one row of four stitches. Now work across the hand from the first finger to the pinky, wrapping the yarn behind each finger, and lifting the old strand over the new and off the finger. Continue working back and forth like this, and you'll have a surprisingly long strip of knitting in a short time. To end, cut the yarn, and pull the end through all four stitches.

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