What is French Knitting and what can you make with it?!

Melanie
Jun 19, 2023
2 min read

I don't know about you but I'm always looking for fun ways to use yarn, especially my

leftovers. I can't believe that in a previous post I wrote about 20 Ways to Use Left Over Yarn I totally forgot about French knitting! This seemingly juvenile past time is often a precursor to knitting for many, but don't let this simple fibre craft fool you.

What exactly is French knitting anyway, and what the heck can you really make with it? Turns out a lot! Read on to learn about this lost fibre art, including all the fun things you can create with it!

French knitting, aka spool knitting, corking, or tomboy knitting, is a fibre craft some of us remember from our childhood. For those who aren't familiar though, this technique basically consists of wrapping the yarn around all the pegs of a French knitting tool (also called a French knitting spool, a knitting Nancy, a knitting dolly, or a tricotin), twice. The lower loop of yarn is then lifted over the upper loop and off the peg, thereby creating stitches. The yarn is then wrapped around the entire loom, creating a new upper yarn on each peg, and the process of wrapping and lifting is repeated until the desired length of "tube" is complete. The end result is very similar to that of a knitted i-cord. For a more comprehensive tutorial, please click here.

Today, the term French knitting might conjure up images of cute little wooden painted dolls with metal pegs around their heads. I was surprised to learn however that knitting spools date back to over 400 years and are considered the oldest member of the knitting loom family! The earliest recorded reference to the use of a frame for knitting was in 1535 Strasbourg, in a legal record about the proper guild for sock knitters. If you're a history buff like me, you'll want to click here to read more on this.

So, what the heck can we make already (besides horse reigns from the 1800's of course)?! Here is a (dirty) dozen French knitting projects guaranteed to inspire and get you started on your spool knitting journey. Click on the pictures for links, however not all provide tutorials. Have you made anything with French knitting? Please share in the comments below!