Nursery World - A great yarn

To give children the satisfaction of creating something for themselves, why not initiate them into the ancient craft of French knitting? Here Christine Green explains how Knitting is making a comeback. Julia Roberts, Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker are all partial to knitting one, purling one - even Russell Crowe has been pictured with knitting needles. But how many people have heard of French knitting?

Knitting is making a comeback. Julia Roberts, Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker are all partial to knitting one, purling one - even Russell Crowe has been pictured with knitting needles. But how many people have heard of French knitting?

The ancient craft, also referred to as bobbin or spool knitting, involves winding wool around nails fastened to a reel. The basic principle is to guide the yarn around each of the nails and in doing so slip the underneath 'yarn around the nail' over the top of the other thereby creating a stitch.

This is repeated around each of the nails until it eventually appears down through the centre of the bobbin as a long knitted tube.

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