designing a knitting class

[to_love_a_rose]

So apparently I'm teaching a friend to knit this Sunday. It randomly happened via text message today, and now I'm a little freaked because I have to actually...teach her. I taught myself with magazines and books over a period of about two years, so I know nothing about the process of sitting down and learning to knit with an instructor.

I'm going to buy the needles and yarn for her first project on the understanding that if she enjoys it she'll buy them from me and if not I keep them for myself. I want to keep things simple and easy and inexpensive for both our sakes. I was going to make her first project a knitted dishcloth with a ball of cotton yarn. I'll grab a ball of Peaches and Cream and some size 7 or 8 needles.

I was hoping for some advice on teaching someone how to knit. What worked for you? What didn't? Wood, metal, or plastic needles?

Also, I've made up the pattern for the dishcloth since I couldn't find something that was quite what I wanted. It's a basic basket weave pattern. I've created things without a pattern before, but I've never actually written a pattern, and I was hoping you guys would glance at this and tell me if this seems easy enough for a beginner to read and work on on her own.

Rows 1-3: k48
Rows 4-10: k3, (p7, k7) 3 times, k3
Rows 11-17: k10, (p7, k7) 2 times, p7, k3
Repeat rows 4-17 3 times more
Rows 60-62: k48

Comments

[owlectomy]

I teach knitting at the library where I work. I've had some successes and some failures.

The kids like the bamboo needles once they've tried them because the stitches don't slip around as much. I find cotton to be too splitty and also too inelastic -- cheapish worsted-weight wool actually works much better, and non-novelty acrylics. Light colors are better because they make it easier to see your stitches.

Let your student get REALLY comfortable with just the knit stitch before you bother introducing purl, or knit/purl patterns. A garter stitch dishcloth or handwarmer is fine to start with.

I find it's easier to cast on the student's first stitches. After she gets comfortable with the knit stitch, then it's super-easy to introduce the knitted cast-on.

[to_love_a_rose]

My only fear is that a garter stitch scarf could get dull. I'm going to be prepared with a few different projects and use best judgement the day of. So many people have recc'ed wood/bamboo needles that I'm leaning toward them though I use metal myself.

Do you have a pattern for a simple fold-over handwarmer?

[seryn]

For the handwarmer, you want it to be measured off the wearer's hand. So double the width of the four-finger knuckles and long enough to reach the wrist (or longer if desired.) For me that gives about a 7"x5" rectangle. Then fold it over a hand and see how much should be sewn. (Thumb comes out the middle side seam.)