If your future fiber artist received a stash of holiday cash from Grammy, here are a couple of ideas to consider when the shopping begins.
The Sew Easy children’s knitting machine is a fun way to introduce youngsters to the world of knitting.
It’s easy to cast on and operate, and seems to work better than many kid’s craft gadgets.
Made of sturdy plastic and costing about $25, the knitting machine comes with two skeins of fluffy yarn and instructions for making a variety of items using both tube and flat techniques.
The machine is recommended for ages 6 years and older, but we feel that even younger children might enjoy the process, provided they have adult supervision and help where necessary.
As mentioned above, casting on is quite simple and older kids should have no trouble on their own, but we suggest that an adult try the machine out first to become familiar with any glitches in the operation or places where the child may have trouble.
Once you’ve casted on, all that’s necessary is to turn the crank and watch the knitted piece come out the bottom.
We found our sample machine at a local fabric and craft store, but the item is also available online.
Another potential craft tool is a lap weaving loom.
There are many looms available in stores and online in a wide range of styles and prices.
We found a very inexpensive (less than $10) loom at a local craft store, and quite honestly had a blast weaving for the first time.
In fact, we enjoyed the new skill so much that we ordered an “adult” loom online, and Craft Corner readers will be seeing a column or two featuring weaving projects in the New Year.
For children, though, a simple lap loom is an excellent way to learn the skill of weaving, and even if there are a couple of pieces missing from the kit – as in the one we purchased – you can make do with household items if you choose. (You should certainly return the item if it’s incomplete, but we chose not to battle holiday shopping traffic or crowds and to improvise.)
The loom we chose was simple to assemble: insert precut dowels into slotted end pieces.
Once the loom is put together, the weaving process is to wrap lengths of yarn lengthwise around the loom, then to weave lengths of yarn crosswise into the base yarns.
The wooden piece used to press the crosswise yarn into a straight, tight line, and the pattern book were both missing from our loom kit, but we used a ruler in place of the missing piece (which worked just fine) and checked out some of our craft books for weaving ideas.
Simple patterns and weaving ideas can also be found online.
If you want a nice, consistent pattern in your woven piece, use the same kind of yarn throughout the project.
But if you want to do something a bit more interesting, try using a variety of yarns in different sizes, textures and colors.
A few suggestions for woven pieces are belts, simple purses, patches for sweatshirts or jeans, pockets, headbands, dog collars and coasters.
Fairly young children should be able to handle the weaving process once they get going, but they’ll likely need help with starting and finishing the piece.
Again, we found a lap loom for less than $10 in a local craft store – and it should have included the loom, a large needle, wooden piece, instruction book and project ideas – but in checking online, there are lots of looms available in quite a wide range of styles and prices.
Some are made of plastic, some of wood, and some contain more additional pieces and project ideas. You can go as plain or as fancy as you choose, but do make sure to get a loom that includes clear instructions in the basic set up and weaving techniques.
Hang on to this season’s greeting cards, because our New Year’s Day Craft Corner column will focus on a couple of simple projects you can work on with the kids while they are out of school.
You’ll also need some bottle caps, so if you have any lying around, don’t let them get away.
But not to worry; if the cards have already made it to the recycling bin and the bottle caps are history, any decorative paper will do, and you can buy bottle caps at most craft stores.
Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.
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