Finger cord

[Mabel Figworthy]

Not sure that it's actually called a finger cord, but it seemed like a good name .

Years ago I bought a book at a flea market in Holland, called "handwerken uit grootmoeders jeugd", which translates roughly as "needlecraft from grandmother's youth". It was a compilation of crafts from old ladies' magazines, and although the book was published in 1979, actually most of the crafts dated from far further back than granny's youth, anywhere from 1850 to 1880.

Anyway, it has some interesting crochet patterns, and also things like paper flowers and so on, but what caught my eye was a cord that you knot using your fingers as "hooks" or "needles". I gave it a try using soft cotton in two shades (so it would be easier to see which thread did what), and I'm rather pleased with it, I could see myself using this (in two colours -- the effect is rather nice) to finish a cushion or something like that. I haven't got the tension quite right, but I'll persevere and one day use it in finishing a stitching project!

[kell]

We used to call that finger-knitting when I was a kid. THere are a variety of different ways to do it, but it's essentially crochet without a hook. I used to use up all my Mam and Grom's spare bits of wool doing that when I was little - LOL! I've never done it using two colours in this way though - I shall have to work out how to, though, because it looks lovely!

[Mabel Figworthy]

I've done finger-knitting too (not sure what we called it in the Nehterlands), but this uses two threads and the finger-knitting I was taught used only one; how did yours go?

Here you double over the end of thread A, then knot thread B around it so the forms a loop, then you pull the long end of thread B through the loop, then pull the long end of thread A the tighten it. And so on, every time you have a loop of one of the threads on your finger, then you pull the other thread through to make a new loop, and pull the "old" thread to tighten it. Hope that makes sense!

It forms a round cord rather than the flat one you get with crochet or finger knitting.

[kell]

I think I'm still too sleepy to decypher the instructions - LOL! I only ever did the "flat" finger knitting too, but I knew some kids who did the cord kind and I wish I'd asked them how to now! I used to do "dolly knitting" or "peg knitting" too - dolly knitting used a wooden "dolly" with a hole down her centre and 4 pegs in her head which would be used to knit the cord which would come down through the hole. Peg knitting used the two tines of a clothes peg to do the same thing.

[maggs]

I used to do dolly knitting, don't think I ever did fnger knitting.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Rose, would it be all right to post a picture of the page in the book, just the bit about the knotting, or would that breach copyright? If it does infringe on copyright, I'll try to take pictures of me doing it, that should be all right, shouldn't it?

[Lessa54]

I did dolly knitting too, though we called it French knitting. I've never heard of finger knitting, though it seems to make the same sort of cord. We also did braiding which you could do with multiple colours when we went through a fad of making friendship bracelets

[Rose]

Mabel if the magazine has a copyright date on it then no it can not be scanned as that would be illegal.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Well, I doubt the original magazine has, as it dates from the 1870s -- but the book which is a compilation of all those magazines probably does, and I suppose that comes to the same thing?

[agi]

Please, Mabel, make photographed step by step instructions - this looks simply too beautiful not to try!

[Serinde]

Lots of information on the web, for example: http://www.how-to-knit-guide.com/finger-knitting.html" target="_blank

Though I haven't found anything on finger cord yet... have found lots of people who play 'cords' on a guitar, though...

[Catwoman]

I seem to remember doing something like this some time ago. It involved a card disc with about 8 cuts around the edges and a hole in the middle. The strands of wool were threaded into the different cuts.

[SusanF]

That looks like a lovely way to finish a project, but I'm all fingers and thumbs trying to figure out how to do it

[Mabel Figworthy]

I'll try to get DH to photograph me making a cord -- I don't think I can do it on my own!

Serinde, the link you put in has a rogue /url at the end which stops it from working -- if you could edit that out it'll work again!

And looking at that link I realise I have never finger-knitted in my life -- what we did was more like finger crochet, I suppose

[kell]

That version of finger knitting is like a cross between the peg knitting and the dolly knitting we used to do. We just used a single finger for finger knitting in much the same way as you would crochet.

[coffee_freak]

neat! i could see that would look lovely as an ornament cord or pillow edging!

[burgundyice]

Like a few others, I used to do finger knitting when I was little but just with one strand. Your two-stranded version reminds me of when you make a paper concertina/chain with 2 different coloured strips of paper and keep folding them one over the other... I can picture it, might have to give it a try

Louise

[Serinde]

Fixed the URL above I hope...

[MaggieM1750]

I like this.. for the cord on my many bookmarks I have been making lately.
I found a book on finger weaving when I was looking for stitchy pattern books at the library. It was probably from the 70's.. lots of shawl patterns, and wall art projects.. but there were a few pages that did a good job explaining the technique.