Crafts have always been popular at children’s birthday parties and are an excellent way to entertain and educate. D2knits, a handknit design company based in San Mateo, CA has begun to offer in-home Learn to Knit parties for children aged 9 and older.
Deb Doyle, D2knits owner/designer, travels to the Bay Area homes for knitting instruction tailored to each child’s skill level. Everyone receives a pair of knitting needles, an original pattern, and enough yarn to complete a small hour-long project.
Beginning knitters learn to make a simple bookmark, sachet bag, or doll scarf. More experienced knitters may begin with a party hat or a grown-up scarf. Fees are $25/child for up to 10 children – with a minimum fee of $100 per session.
“Knitting is cool and fashionable like it never was when I was growing up,” says Doyle. My friends say their 12-year-old daughters are knitting in the hallways at school. I’ve heard of boys having knitting recess once a week. These parties are my way of introducing a relaxing tactile art form to the next generation.
Doyle has been knitting since she was 12. At the age of 16, her first real project was an Irish cable-knit sweater, not realizing this was one of the more complicated patterns a knitter could tackle. She established D2knits in 2002 to produce hand-knit scarves from original designs.
Her work has been sold at Bay Area boutiques such as Leaf and Petal in Palo Alto and featured at the San Francisco Appel & Frank trunk shows.