How to finger knit garland for your Christmas tree

My seven-year-old learned to finger knit one day in aftercare at her Montessori school. Many Waldorf based education philosophies teach this too, using stories that go along with the craft that has been passed down from generation to generation. My daughter also enjoys teaching this skill to others, including me.

So last weekend, my oldest daughter and I sat together, and talked, and knit – using just our four fingers and two balls of yarn. The goal is to knit enough garland to go around our Christmas tree, which is about 9 feet tall sitting under our 10 foot ceilings. (Don’t fret, lengths of finger knitting multiply quickly!) We are still working on all this garland, which is why for now, you get snapshots of our tree so far.

Making Christmas tree decorations is part of my mission this season to go about the holidays simply, slowly and creatively – not rushed or doing anything I feel like we should be doing because that’s what you’re supposed to do this time of year.

And now to pass this craft on to you and your children so you can do the same, is my daughter in her first ever YouTube debut on How to Finger Knit. She loves looking up videos on YouTube, from how to work a latch hook to creating hairstyles for her dolls. She’s no veteran of YouTube, and I think that’s evident by her finger knitting instructions.

Our weekend knitting was fun, but I think the favorite part for both of us was the time we spent together. I wish there were more times I could throw making dinner to the wind and do nothing but craft with my kids. But I have to say it doesn’t happen nearly enough in the short after school hours. So this weekend I look forward crafting it up again, one stitch at a time.

To recap our week of crafts so far, here are links to the other posts on our ornaments for our homemade Christmas tree. There was upcycled burlap balls, ornaments made from stencils, and candy canes from beads and pipe cleaners. Still to come is garland from felt and photos from tree stumps. Hopefully that will keep you stumped! Come back for more crafting soon.