How to Use a Knitting Spool » Knitting-and.com

My father taught me to do french knitting in a knitting spool when I was a child. I still have my favourite spool that he made for me when I was eleven. It was made from an old axe handle and I loved it so much I carved my initials and the date in it so no-one could steal it 🙂

That spool had 4 nails and I have since purchased ones with 6 and 8 nails to expand the range of what I can make on them. Sure, I could just knit using the icord technique, but that’s not as much fun!

1: Thread the yarn through your spool
knitter from top to bottom.

2: Cast on by winding your yarn around
the nails in a anti-clockwise direction. Don’t pull the yarn
too tightly or you won’t be able to knit your first round.

3: To knit, wind your yarn around the
outside of the nails in an anti-clockwise direction.

4: Using a needle or pointed stick, lift the loop on each nail
up and over the yarn wound around the outside of the nails. Continue
working in an anti-clockwise direction until your cord is long
enough. To cast off, cut the yarn and thread it through each loop.
Pull tight to fasten off.

Want to make beaded jewellery with your french knitter? Check out this video from Clover Needlecraft