French knitting is a fun pastime that’s easy to enjoy as a craft with kids or a relaxing hobby for adults. You’ll need a French knitting dolly to get started, together with some 4-ply or DK wool, a pair of scissors and a darning needle. Knitting on a French loom creates a knitted tube that you can use to decorate objects such as cans or you can create fun cords, straps and laces. They’re great for adding a new element to clothing, bags and shoes.
To get started, simply follow these easy steps:
1. Thread the end of the yarn through the middle of the dolly. It can be easier to use a darning needle to do this.
2. Weave the yarn around each peg. Start from the middle and pull the thread outward, before wrapping it around the peg and back inwards towards the centre. Repeat this movement on each peg, moving anticlockwise around the loom until you’ve covered each peg twice.
3. Hold the loose end tight to the side of the dolly to keep the yarn tight. Use your needle or a wooden pick to pick up the bottom loop and lift it up and over the top loop. Take it all the way over the peg so it sits on the inside edge. This creates your French knitting stitch.
4. Repeat this method on each peg and then repeat steps 2 and 3 until your knitting reaches the desired length. After a few rounds, you’ll see the knitted tube appear from the end of the dolly.
Fascinating facts about French Knitting
It’s thought that the French revolutionaries used a similar method to create knitted hats. The longest French Knitting is over 16 miles. Mr Hannaford has been working on it since 1969 and as far as we know, he’s still going! He’s held the Guinness World Record since 2016 .
Alternatives
If you don’t want to invest in the equipment required for spool knitting, then macramé is an excellent choice with a similarly relaxing level of engagement. No tools are required and it’s easy to find everything you need in a prepackaged macrame kit. Some examples can be seen here: https://www.woolcouturecompany.com/collections/macrame-kits.
French knitting is similar to crochet. A crochet needle will create a knitted string rather than a tube. This chain can be woven and layered to create knitted pieces. You’ll just need a crochet hook and some wool.