Handwork Series - grade 1

I've been wanting for a while to do a series of posts on my suggestions for Handwork in each grade. So I will work on that now! These are my own ideas of what to do when, partly informed by my Waldorf Handwork Teacher Training and partly by what I think works well from personal experience.

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If you are interested in training, I very highly recommend the Applied Arts Program. Admission to the 14th Cycle of the Applied Arts Program is now open! It will start on March 15, 2026!

This four-year program meets for two weeks each summer and one week each winter, covering two grades each year. Course sessions take place at the Fiber Craft Studio, which is located in the Threefold community in Chestnut Ridge, NY, just 30 miles from New York City.

If you're looking for a curriculum with videos and whatnot, I recommend Waldorf Handwork Educators. Currently they just have grades 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Back to School Sale - Labor Day Weekend!

August 30 through September 2, 2025

All 4 grade level guides will be on sale for this special weekend event!

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Now on to my notes. I'll update them if I come up with new ideas:

wool paintings

instructions for dry wool "paintings" are in
Magic Wool: Creative Activities With Natural Sheep's Wool


we translated a watercolor painting into a wool painting

spinning wool into yarn with a stick

winding a ball of yarn

a good story for this is “Teasel and Tweed” from
A Donsy of Gnomes: 7 Gentle Gnome Stories


rainbow ball of yarn for making paths in the yard to nature treasures

unwind and rewind a ball of yarn, find a nature treasure in the middle

story of the cotton plant

slipknot

finger knitting - cotton yarn

wind around bamboo tipi for morning glory / moonflower / beans



braided belt (blue, yellow, red)



2- and 4-Finger Knitted Snake (video)



Pony Reins

making knitting needles

instructions (I like the acorn cap ones) are in
Kids Knitting: Projects for Kids of all Ages


please also read my blog post on Not Pushing Knitting!

introduction to knitting

this "woolly" form is a perfect transition into learning to knit!


the image is from The Very Hungry Lion by Gita Wolf


my favorite book to read before teaching knitting is Red Berry Wool

knitting - wool yarn

kitten



chicken (can dye yarn with onion skin)



turtle (can dye yarn with fresh mint)


lamb (can dye yarn with acorns + iron)



pattern and instructions are in
A First Book of Knitting for Children


knitted pouch with felted button closure


star gnome

'Visible Mending': The Healing Powers of Knitting

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