Knitting spool

The other day, at the yarn shop, they were just lying around. I used to have one of those, but they haven’t been available for a long time. So I picked one up again. And now? Goodness gracious, how does this work again? I never thought I’d forget how to use it....

Did you figure it out again? Thread the yarn through the hole, wrap it once around each pin at the top, and then keep passing the yarn past the pins and lifting the loops over the yarn.

My dad made us knitting spools out of old thread spools—he hammered in four round-headed nails at the top, gave them a coat of varnish, and we all had one, because my brothers loved spool knitting with them, too.

Best regards, Inge

You can actually achieve even more great results
with these cords than you’d think ;)







 

Dear Petra, you’re not actually doing all that with the old hand-knitting dolly, are you? I bought one from Prym years ago—it goes in a flash.

 I always use a lot of these cords—
I make them with the hand-crank mill… it’s basically the same thing… just a bit faster ;) 

And I recently got my two older grandchildren some yarn spools and taught them how to use them.
The next generation has to learn, after all. 😉
The little one will learn soon, too...

Thanks, Ruth—yeah, eventually it all came back to me.
At first, I made them out of old spools of yarn, and later I added one with a yellow dress.
At first, it was just a nostalgic whim to try making them again. But if I really needed to make cords, I’d probably get one of those machines—this method is just too slow.

Oh yes, the good old knitting dolly. Mine’s in my sewing basket—one made of wood and a plastic replica. I used to love working with them.
These days, my fingers don’t always cooperate. I also got a newer one with a crank. It goes in a flash. I use it often for my little crocheted bags. Handy.
It’s all coming back to me.

I also have one of those with a crank, but I guess it was a “defective one” or maybe I’m doing something wrong. Mine always skips stitches.

Hi Ruth. Here’s my experience: the thread tension MUST ALWAYS be the same....then it works just fine...
 

Knitting dolly—it’s really great; I loved doing it even as a kid. I also have quite a few knitting dollies in different sizes—for both narrow and wide “strands.” These two chickens here, for example, were made with the knitting dolly; an empty kitchen or toilet paper roll keeps the whole thing stable.
 
And here’s a view from the back.

For my knitting dolly rug I needed a looooot of these knitting dolly cords. That’s why I bought a Prym knitting mill with a crank. It worked pretty well.

However, it works even better—or faster—if you use a cordless screwdriver. You remove the crank and insert the screwdriver bit into the now-empty square opening. It’s important to work at a slow speed or to use a battery that’s already low, so it doesn’t have as much power. That way, you can quickly make the cords for larger projects with the push of a button. . 


Of course, I’ll show you the result:
 
I wouldn’t use the really old knitting dolls anymore. I much prefer the ones with the crank. Even kids can handle those just fine.

Best regards, Ina

 

Using a cordless screwdriver is a great idea!

Hello claros-design:
I completely agree with what you wrote. With the third- and fourth-graders I help with crafts, I notice exactly this lack of dexterity, and many of them also lack perseverance (though there are always welcome exceptions!). Now I hope I can spark a love of crafts in my four-year-old granddaughter…
Warm regards, Christina

 

With stories like this, it always comes down to the role models these kids have. For example, my two youngest grandchildren learned to sew from me when they were 7–8 years old because they showed a strong interest. My granddaughter then wanted to learn to knit at age 9, since, unfortunately, subjects like needlework aren’t taught in school anymore these days.
I think knitting with a knitting dolly is a great way to get started with crafts. Sure, many will lose interest at some point, but that’s normal—priorities simply shift. I always saw knitting with a knitting dolly as a way to find peace and do something just for myself as a child. With five siblings, that was quite therapeutic ;-) :-)

Love, Inge

Names are easy to make with the finished cords, too ;)

It doesn’t really matter what you think of knitting dolls or how quickly you can make cords with them. As an adult working on a big project, I naturally approach it differently than a child who still needs to practice their dexterity. As ClarosDesign writes, it always depends on the perspective from which you view a thing.

In general, I believe that in a household where parents or grandparents do some kind of handicraft, children automatically become curious and want to try it too. You just have to leave yarn or other craft supplies lying around, and before you know it, everything is being curiously examined, taken apart, and the kids want to give it a try too. You don’t have to do anything special—children’s natural curiosity drives them to explore and try everything.

Best regards, Ina






 

My mom had a knitting dolly like that with a crank. She used the skeins to crochet thick rugs. That’s how she used up all the leftover yarn and cheap balls of yarn.
And every kid had a lot of fun cranking the knitting dolly. 

Did you weave a wire into it?

The question was for Petra

In the meantime, I’ve started spinning, and do you know what came to mind as my very first childhood memory? Goodness, it takes forever for anything to come out the bottom! 🤣🤣

 

Dear Veronika, you have the model for those with a lot of patience. The ones with the crank were invented for everyone else :-)

Best regards, Ina