French knitting
By Humbug25
@Humbug25 (12540)
November 8, 2008 10:53am CST
I used to French knit when I was younger. My mum would get an unused wooden cotton reel and bang four nails into it. She would then get some wool, start me off and away I would go. It would seem to take ages to do as I found it hard to get the needle down between the wool and nail. I am not sure what I was trying to knit but I would just carry on until one day I would be bored of it. The other week my mum bought me a French knitting dolly (as they are called), she started me off and away I went. Within an hour or so I had this long snake of knitted wool. Knitting dollies are made so much easier these days. I took it off the dolly and wound it around into a circle and there we go - one coffee coaster!
Do you French knit? What do you make with your snake of knitting? How do you change colours? I would like to know what else I could make, any ideas?
1 person likes this
9 responses
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
8 Nov 08
Hi p1kef1sh
You surprise me being a wordly man that you are!! It is very simple. You have a French knitting dolly, like the one in the picture, and you tie the wool around one of the prongs and then wrap the wool around each one. Then you just go round each prong at a time with the wool pulling the bottom bit of thread over the prong and the bit of wool you just wrapped around. Are you still with me? The knitted wool will go done the centre of the dolly forming a hollow sausage. It is very easy but I am probably not explaining it too well!
Cheers p1kef1sh
@GhostCat (313)
• United States
18 Nov 08
I did this back in the mid 60s, my Mom called it Spool knitting. She put these little spools together for us in the summer to keep our hands busy when we got bored. I haven't done this for since. I'm not sure what we made with the resulting ropes, but I guessing they ended up as hot pads or pads for seats, I'm also thinking that they might be interesting as small rugs made out of the right kind of yarns. I've seen the new devices in the stores, but I' not sure that I would be inclined to spend money on the device I think I can find spools with different sized holes so as to make different sized ropes to make the rugs with. Sounds like a great project. Glad you reminded me of this, Humbug.
Thanks
1 person likes this
@GhostCat (313)
• United States
19 Nov 08
I think that when Mom had us make these we used string as well. I was young enough I didn't care, and as my mother was a depression bride she was loath to waste money and was one of the original recyclers, as in reuse, remake, refresh, re-purpose or do without:) and we all managed to survive.
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
11 Nov 08
I cannot knit but when I was young I used to watch my grandmother doing lace. It is a bit complicated to explain how it is done. I have attached a picture of how maltese lace is done.
© ronaldinu 2008
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@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
10 Nov 08
Years ago, when Moses was walking the face of the earth and I was a kid, we would take a wooden spool from my Mom's sewing thread, and hammer four nails into it. Then we would wrap the yarn around the nails and use a crochet hook to do the knitting. It was also called a knitting knobby. I would make miles of the cord and then use it to make pot holders, hats, bracelets, rugs, even afghans and pillows with the snakes of knitting.
Your post brought back fond childhood memories! Thank you.
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@amanda333 (739)
• France
9 Nov 08
i knitted a scarf once for my first child, i think i was just bored at the end of my pregnancy. I've never heard of French knitting humbug, you sound good at it
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
9 Nov 08
Hi ya amanda333
A scarf is about all I can knit with ordinary knitting though I can't cast on or off so I have to get my mum to do it. French knitting is really really easy, that is why I sound like I am good at it but it can get boring because you are just doing the same thing over and over again, there is absolutely nothing complicated about it honestly. Once you have been shown only once you'd have no problem.
Thanks for your response
Thanks for your response 
@apples99 (6556)
• United States
13 Nov 08
I'm more of a visual knitter I pretty much tought myself how to knit and I use a method thats quite different then others but I usually just take another color of yearn and add it in to what ever I already started I knit using my hands only no needles what so ever, and I'm teaching myself how to knit other things too.
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@rosettaresearch (1285)
• United States
8 Nov 08
I don't think I ever knew the name of this kind of knitting before. I know they have all sorts of shapes now so you can do squares and rectangles and ovals. I tried it and got bored with how it went. Plus, you gotta watch what you are doing. Regular knitting if you are good you can knit without really looking. I like to sew or knit and watch tv. So, little concentration necessary is very important.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
8 Nov 08
I know you described it to p1kef1sh but I am not exactly sure if I understand it fully myself. I enjoyed the description though and I think the machine is something close to an older set of say sewing machine? I hope you can describe it to me, it sounds intriguing! I hope you enjoy making things with it, I wish I could offer some patterns or the sort! Maybe I can if you give me a description.
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
9 Nov 08
Hello SomeCowgirl
Thank you for your interest. I have now uploaded a picture into the converstation with p1kef1sh so that you can see more clearly what I am trying to describe and as you can see it isn't a machine but is small enough to hold in your hand. I don't think I uploaded the picture properly and assumed everyone could see what I was talking about - sorry. Let me know if you want to know more.
