Today was my first attempt at using the Knook by Leisure Arts.

 This new tool for knitting has been widely publicized by Leisure Arts on both their website and on Twitter.  The highlight of the Knook is

I knit every day and have a wide variety of needles-Straights, circular, and double pointed in every possible length.  I have a favorite for each different type of knitting project.  I also crochet although not as often as I knit but there are specific items that I enjoy crocheting.  I also like a crochet border on some of my knitting projects including the collar of the dress dish cloths.

As with any knit technique, I started with my trusty worsted weight cotton yarn (affectionately called dish cloth cotton).  I followed the instructions that came with the Knook Beginners Set and watched the videos on the   LeisureArts.com

I cast on 10 stitches using the 5.00mm (u.S. Size 8) hook and started to knit.  It went smoothly and was a simple method for achieving garter stitch.

 My first thoughts revolved around using this technique and the Knook to teach children to knit.  I’ve taught many children some as young as 8 years old.  I believe that this method may be a great first step to introduce knitting to children.  Using the hooked end to pull the yarn through the existing stitch is simpler than the 4 step process of creating a stitch with tradional knitting needles.

The next technique that I thought would be a great use for the Knook was making i-cord.  I love i-cord as trim and use it as a drawstring on many of the doll clothes that I create.  As pictured the i-cord came out beautifully.  

 

My next project with the Knook will be my dish towel topper.  

I think that the flexibility of the cord will be useful while knitting the topper.  Since I haven’t conquered the purl stitch yet, I’ll make the first topper in garter stitch.

And one last thing, I’m left-handed and I found both the instruction booklet and the videos geared towards left handed individuals to be clear.