Knitting (Kids Can Do It)

The reason that I find this exciting is that I have taught the double-tail
cast-on method successfully to quite a few children, yet I never had a kids'
book to recommend to them to use as a memory-jog at home. Now I do! .

The other unique feature is that Sadler recommends "marking" one of the

knitting needles with a little piece of contrasting yarn before you cast-on.
This allows her to avoid terms like "wrong side row" and "right side row"
for young learners. I haven't tried this yet with my knitting club, but
since it is one more visual cue, I think it could be helpful.

Projects are all knit on two needles: pom-pom scarf, rolled-brim hat,
ribbed scarf, slipper socks, cozy blanket, pillow, patterned headband, book
bag, mini-purse, striped mittens, and boa. All of these would appeal to my
elementary school knitters. In fact, I *know* I never would have thought of
a boa to offer as a knitting project for my kids, but I also know that some
of them would love to have one.

The color illustrations and photos are excellent. My only unfulfilled wish
is that Sadler would have included one of the popular rhymes for learning
the knit stitch. Kids really benefit from the rhyme because it helps them
visualize the steps of the stitch and also helps them remember the steps.

All in all, Knitting by Judy Ann Sadler is an attractive, accessible, and smart first introduction to knitting for children.