Provo Craft - Knifty Knitter

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Reported by: Katie Renz

Provo Craft has a plethora of products available to the crafty consumer and not all of their items are geared towards paper crafters. The Knifty Knitter is an example of a product geared towards individuals interested in knitting. Provo Craft carries a full line of Knifty Knitter Looms in a variety of sizes, shapes, as well as accessories to go with them.

When I decided to review the Knifty Knitter I had heard of them, seen them in the stores, and even knew friends and family who had used them, but I had never personally touched one let alone made anything with one. My background consists of knitting traditionally with needles and in general, I believe that's the image that most individuals think of when the word "knitting" is mentioned. I was intrigued by the Knifty Knitter and had heard that it made knitting very quick. I had even had an opportunity to see a couple of hats made from the loom. My mother-in-law had sent my twin boys a set of matching hats last winter that she had made. You can see that it has survived almost a year. I would have shown it with a model, but mine was being temperamental.

I also have to state that I did not purchase a kit, but rather borrowed the kit like the one in the above picture. The kit includes 4 different sized round looms, a hook, and a simple direction booklet all housed in a clear plastic bag. The round looms are generally used to make hats but can also be used to make flat items such as scarves. The blue loom is used to make baby hats, the red loom is for toddler/child sizes, the green loom is for adults, and the yellow would be for individuals with lots of hair or larger heads. The difference in the loom sizes are not only their circumference but the distance between the pegs. This space alters the "gauge" (the number of stitches in a specified amount of space) of the knit.

The direction booklet comes with a handful of projects that you can start right away. Because this was my first experience with the loom, I literally made the very first project and the easiest. I am a directions person and am not a great experimenter when it comes to knitting. I did not find the directions very helpful, but luckily, Provo Craft has provided an excellent beginning video tutorial that I found extremely helpful. You can find that tutorial by clicking HERE.

I purchased a skein of Lion Brand Thick and Quick Yarn and went to work. Once I got started things went very quickly. I can't say exactly how long it took me because I do things in very short spurts in between all the normal child caring chores, but it was very quick - probably just a couple of hours.

Here is a picture of what I started with. The loom, directions, and the hook are part of the kit. You will still need the yarn, a needle, and a stitch counter (or scratch paper and a pen). Then its just a matter of winding the yarn around the pegs and using the hook. It is really that simple.
This next picture really showcases what I feel makes the knitting so easy. First are the pegs with the slightly larger top. The top part of the peg keeps your stitches in place so they don't fall off. Secondly, if you notice, there are grooves in the sides of the pegs. This channel allows a fool proof way of hooking the bottom stitch in order to loop it over the top stitch.



For my pattern, it required 34 rows or times around the loom. At this point, your hat is essentially a tube. The next step is to cut the thread leaving a long enough tail to thread through the last loops. Then cinch tight and weave the end into your knitting. Another option is to leave top square and add tassels as in the child's hat pictured above.
And here is the final product. The hat is a bit large for me, but works if I just keep rolling up the bottom. It fits my husband just fine though - it honestly depends on the look you prefer. I couldn't find my "model" so I had to use myself unfortunately, but you get the idea of how the hat fits on me.

There are a lot of choices with the Knifty Knitter system. The looms are available to purchase in a couple of kit packages as well as individually. There is also a relatively large community of Knifty Knitter enthusiasts that offer free patterns and video tutorials. It is just a matter of using a search engine to find all that is available. Plus the main Provo Craft website also offers free patterns and help guides. If you are a hands on individual, there are also many pattern books available to purchase too.

The Knifty Knitter is indeed a great tool for anyone. It is one of those crafts that you could literally buy and make something in the same day. As I stated earlier, my mother-in-law enjoys hers very much. She has a crocheting background and is great with experimenting so she can do wonders with the Knifty Knitter. At the other extreme, I have a neighbor friend who is only 10 years old and she receives the same enjoyment from it. If you don't knit, but would like the satisfaction of creating something with your hands and aren't ready or willing to invest in a bunch of needles then I suggest you try Provo Craft's Knifty Knitter.

With that said though, I personally enjoy my needles. I might borrow the looms from my friend again, but I don't plan on purchasing the looms for myself. But either way, I have to admit there is something so comforting and pleasant in the handling of the yarn. I love how it feels in my hands and that pleasure is still there no matter what kind of tool you are using to knit with. Plus, the sheer enjoyment and pride in creating something with your own hands is immeasurable.

Pros:

• The Knifty Knitter is really for anyone interested in knitting; child to adult
• The process is very fast and the results are clean and even stitches
• There are lots of accessories and tools available
• Lots of online resources for books, patterns, and videos to help you with the Knifty Knitter

Cons:

• As with many kits, I wish that other essential items be included in the kits. In this case a needle and a stitch counter would be nice
• I find that the looms can be large and bulky
• Items made with the looms tend to be either loose or bulky items.

The Knifty Knitter is readily accessible in many of your local craft stores but can also be found at many online stores. Here are 3 online resources: Joann Fabric and Craft Store, Amazon, Create for Less

• Retail Value for the Knifty Knitter is $19.95
• The Knifty Knitter is very easy to use - child to adult
• When the kit is purchased the value is excellent
• I would rate the Knifty Knitter a 9 out of 10 for ease of use, construction, and accomplishing what its supposed to.

We at Craft Critique would love to read your responses about the Knifty Knitter. Are you an experienced knitter that loves to make a quick project here and there or are you a new knitter or a future knitter that might just purchase the Knifty Knitter for your collection?