knitting patterns

[mimififi]

Hi there, didn't really know where to put this.  I have just taught my 11 yr old DD to knit.  However, I don't have any really simple patterns that require little shaping and only a few different stitches.  I am short of time and don't have time to trawl google for free downloadable patterns (pdf's are fine).

So, does anyone know any good knitting sites where i can download some free patterns for a young beginer knitter???

Cheers Dears.

[shaneystar]

The best knitting pattern site ever mimi Although it is an American site and you will have to convert the needle sizes.
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/
In this country for yarn and patterns I get a lot of stuff from here
http://www.cpu-enterprises.com/
How nice to see litle girls learning to knit.My Nan taught me to knit when I was about seven and it has been a lifelong hobby and I am now fifty years older !!

[thikasabrik]

I was out shopping the other week and noticed that long 'holey' scarves are back in fashion...and cost a bomb in the shops. My 10 year old daughter loves to knit so I dug out a pair of size 1 knitting needles (sorry, I don't know the metric sized equivalent). She is now producing a scarf a night and selling them to her friends. They save a fortune and it makes my daughter some extra pocket money. What was the point of this story....oh yes....you don't need a pattern!

[mimififi]

thickasabrick: Cool, that is so great. We have been crocheting scarves, but that has it's own problems (in hindsight, I'll leave a much bigger gap between teaching knitting and teaching crochet, the handling of the needles cause confusion.)

Is the way you're doing it, with one big needle and one small needle, or are they the same size??? How many stiches do you cast on?????

Shaneystar: I've met you on other posts, can't believe you are 57, I thought you were a young slip of a thingy!! ha ha ha. Thanks for the sites, am checking them out. I love knitting, wish I had more time to knit stuff for myself. One day huh, but probably, by then, there will be grand children!!!!! I'd move to the Bahamas, and abdicate grandma duties if I thought I could, but then you don't need knit ware out ther. Cheers guys, you are both stars.!

[thikasabrik]

mimi, we use a pair of the huge size 1 needles (which I used to knit scarves in the 1970's when they were trendy the first time round!). The number of stitches depends on how thin you want the scarf to be, the type of wool etc. Daughter is currently knitting a batch of scarves from some superb chenille type wool we picked up for peanuts at a car boot sale. This wool is quite thick so she is casting on 30 stitches and using a simple stocking stitch. Have fun experimenting!

[shaneystar]

Thanks for the compliment.!! Wish I still was a young slip of a thing !! Last year I did a lot of scarves too in that eskimo wool for my hoard of nieces and great nieces.Mind you they are done on a smaller needle ,old size 8.But they only take a couple balls and they have some great colours .Ponchos are another easy knit in chunky wool too. Just two triangles sewn together, a good way of practicing increasing and decreasing.
Or knitted squares are a good idea.You can do different stitch patterns on each square and then crochet them together to make a blanket. All good practice pieces.Thirty stitches and thirty rows.You can often pick up cheap wool on ebay.
Anyway good luck ..nice to see knitting is not a dying art.