Knitting Patterns for Children

Teaching young children to knit requires small steps and lots of practice. Children who are under 5 may not be ready or have the attention span to learn to knit. However, children a bit older might be able to start a few smaller projects with practice. Knitting patterns for children should be easy, fun, and colorful to help them fully appreciate this hobby.

Many children who are learning to knit will have a hard time with needles that are too large and heavy, or not large enough to hold easily. Size 10 knitting needles should be appropriate for most younger children. If the child is under 8, consider buying plastic or wooden needles, as they tend to be safer than metal needles. Children may have troubles with casting on and off, so make sure to help them specifically with these aspects of knitting. Once the child has mastered these basics, he or she should be ready to learn some knitting patterns for children using some basic wool yarn.

Knitting patterns for children are not always easy to find. Besides scouring the internet, several knitting magazines, like Knitting Magazine and Simply Knitting, offer ideas for patterns and stitches that children can do. Often, the best pattern for a beginning knitter, child or otherwise, is a scarf. Kids might enjoy making a rainbow-colored scarf, for instance. Socks are another easy knitting pattern that older children might be able to make.Try using the same rainbow-colored yarn as the scarf was made out of to have a matching set.

Complex stitches and large projects for younger children are not a great idea. However, teenage or preteen children are perfectly capable of handling almost all knitting projects.