I bought this cone of thread at a car boot sale. It weighs over 2kg! It was attached to a length of (what I call) French Knitting complete with the bobbin. The friend I was with told me that where he comes from it is known as corking which I'd never heard of.
This made me wonder if this old craft exists all over the world (and what it might be called where you are!)The length of knitting was several metres long so I've made a chain of it and will stitch it together to make a circle.
140717
Missed this when you had first posted this Sue, but I can not get over the sheer faith that the person who started this project had chosen this monstrously large spool of thread. I do wonder if they had plans on using the whole amount and what was their ultimate plan? I do like the chained effect you have now started. I do think that just a short time of working this spool will send you running for your embroidery machine or else turning to one of the sock looms or similar looms so at least you could have a finished pair of socks instead of just a thicker braid of thread that will then need to be formed into a usable item. If you like the spoolie, then I also imagine you could use the resulting cording to crochet or knit the cord into whatever project you desire. Enjoy
8217Also in Australia we called it a knitting Nancy..or French knitting as was mentioned...Last year I purchased two for my GD's and bought a 'corking book' also for them...think I was the only one who played with it...last year that is...
1 comment
25546Yep had a wooden spool with 4 nails in it. We kids called it "making rat tails" Grand mother called it spool knitting or busy work to keep our little hands out of mischief. Her favorite saying was " idle hands are a devils workshop" /Lillian
145791I did this when I was a kid long ago... I think I still have the original spool we used. IT is coming back and getting popular once again. What goe around hehe Try it you might find it fun Suzanne
111380I believe my old wooden spool had 5 little nail tacks in it. I sat hours when younger making the knitted ropes the sewing them together in a circle making doilies. I remember using varigated thin threads and yarns. Now Walmart sells the plastic one. Bought one of my granddaughters one for Christmas stocking and she never used it. I bought it because she used to sit here while spending the night and tried working one I had my husband make her from a block of wood.
18491What a fun find! I remember it as a 'knitting knobby'...a search came up with several listed at Amazon :)
1 comment
2834My dad would hammer for nails in a wooden sewing thread spool, my mum put a darning needle in a cork and we were happy for a number of (rainy) days. Goes by the name of "klosje breien" (spool knitting) or "punniken" and I could not give a translation for that even if my life depended on it as I think it's a nonsense word.
Nowadays my grands have nice bought and painted ones, often shaped as a fungus, red with white spots, that don't have nails but nicely rounded staples on top. And then there are the plastic ones that come with a handle you have to wind and the stitches are formed automatically - cheating!!
4 comments
by ethan
04 Aug 2015
I also have a cheat version but I have yet to find a use for resulting knitting, any ideas?
by Patricia109
13 Aug 2015
I gave it up as a child as I could not see the use for the knitting lines.
Have seen some nice things made with the knitted line. Maybe you should try googling "knitting nancy projects" or some other combination of words to that effect.
by seamssewcreative
22 Sep 2015
Oh my, flashback from the past! Used to make yards of this with the empty thread spool (wooden, of course) and 4 nails. Mom would stitch it in rounds or oval shapes, as in a rag rug, and we used them as hotpads on our table. Sure kept our hands busy and used up lots of scrap yarn!
145304As you can see it seems to be Universal lol. we had an old one too made from a wooden spook with 4 nails poked into it & we did it for hours & hours. A terrific way to pass long car rides too. you can pretty much do it with anything thin enough like salvages or yarn, plastic bags cut into thin strips....the list goes on. Even Miss Ava could do this when she was just 3 years old & she still does it & loves it too. the only name I can remember using was Ma's spoolie. Have fun with it ~hugs~
299559Memories...did this a lot as a child with an empty wooden spool and four nails in the top...don't ever recall hearing a name for it though...
318449yes here in Canada i have done this as a child .many moons ago.We had no tool so Dad used a big spool of empty thread from our Gramma and we girls made many things Thanks or the memories ,Hus Carolyn
2 comments
360644We called it French Knitting here in Australia. We used wooden cotton reels with 4 nails in the top. My late brother who was Autistic made I would say miles of it over the years. He was always asking for thin wool to add to his collection. I recall seeing him working with a great big ball of wool he had wound from who ever he could get it from. Hugs
52686there is a video on youtube, I have one of these made of plastic but it only has 4 pegs
www.thecraftytipster.com
2 comments
by crafter2243
03 Aug 2015
Same here. As a child we used empty wooden thread spools with 4 nails. Did not have a name then. I guess later it became commercialized.
67271Yes, Sue, it exists in Germany as well. We call it "Strickliesel" and there are new versions to buy. It's a good start into knitting and helps kids to understand the way it works in general.
You will find many examples if you google "Strickliesel" It is of wood and often coloured like a girl
1 comment
54557it look like the knitting that is made with an old wooden thread spool and all kids here in South Africa will at some stage will knit something and as you have guess make a little round to be use as a potholder etc. a lot of fun to keep them busy with left over bits of wool
2 comments
1969