And with great skillful skill and with great speedy speed, I took the soft tuft. And I knitted a Thneed!
Finger-knitting is a simple way to knit a chain of yarn without using knitting needles. Instead of knitting a Thneed like the Once-ler, finger-knit a better “Fine-Something-that-All-People-Need”—a Truffula Tree bookmark! The yarn chain is the tree trunk and a pom-pom is the bright-colored tuft.
What you’ll need:
- worsted-weight yarns in bright colors (about 35 feet per bookmark)
- ruler
- scissors
For the “tree trunk”
- Measure and cut a 4-foot length of yarn. Make a loose loop around the top knuckle of your left index finger (or your right if you are left-handed). Tie the loop with a granny knot but make sure the loop can easily slide off your finger. (Note that tiny hands will need help tying a knot.) Let the tail of the tied end rest in the palm of your left hand.
- Take the remaining length of yarn (let’s call this the working end) and wrap it once around your index finger, stopping above your knot. You should have two loops of yarn around your finger.
- Let go of the working end and use your right hand to lift the bottom loop over the top loop and all the way over your index finger. Now you have one loop on your finger and the first loop of your yarn chain.
- Wrap the working end of the yarn around your index finger again and then lift the bottom loop over the top loop as you did before. Keep doing this until your chain is about 10 inches long.
- To finish, instead of wrapping another top loop, take your index finger out of the remaining loop. Insert the last of your yarn through the loop and pull it tight to close your chain. Trim loose ends and your tree trunk is ready!
For the Truffula tuft
- Using a different colored yarn, measure and cut a 30-foot length and two 12-inch pieces. Set the two 12-inch pieces aside.
- Make a peace sign or letter “V” with your left index and middle fingers. Take your 30-foot length and wind it around the “V” near the top knuckles, leaving space between your fingers as you wind. Depending on hand size, you’ll need to wind around about 30-60 times.
- When you’re done winding, take the two 12-inch pieces you cut earlier and push them through between your fingers and the wound yarn at the bottom of the “V.” Loosely tie this yarn around the yarn between your fingers and then slip the yarn off your fingers.
- Tighten your loose ties now with a triple knot. You should have two sets of loops on each end. Use your scissors to cut open the loops and then hold the tying yarn ends to shake out your pom-pom.
Finish your bookmark
Take the tying yarn ends of the pom-pom and poke them through the last chain loop of your tree trunk. Tie the ends on tightly then trim their length with scissors to match your pom-pom. Now you have a Truffula Tree bookmark to hold your place in your favorite books!