By Mandi ^[1], Contributing Writer

We recently discovered finger knitting and my 7- and 8-year-old daughters are having so much fun knitting these fluffy yarn ropes. This is a cozy winter craft and also a great activity for road trips, time spent in waiting rooms and more.

And it's so easy to do:

Start by holding the end of your yarn tightly between your thumb and first finger.

Then begin weaving the yarn over and under your fingers.

When you get to your pinky, wrap the yarn around your pinkie and continue weaving back toward your thumb.

Repeat two more times. You should have a total of four rows of yarn, two on the front and two on the back.

Pull the bottom loop on each finger over the top loop. Push the remaining loops down on your fingers.

No, here's where it gets fun! Take your yarn and weave it across your fingers to your pinkie. And then back to your thumb so that have a second loop on each finger. Pull the bottom loop over the top loop.

Repeat.

As you go, your rope strand will grow on the back of your hand. Pull it gently to give the rope more structure. Keep going until your rope is as long as you'd like it or you run out of yarn!

To end the rope, carefully life the loop off your pinkie finger and put it on your ring finger. Lift the bottom loop over the top. Then take the loop from your ring finger and move it to your middle finger. Lift the bottom loop over the top. Move that loop to your pointer finger and lift the bottom loop over the top. Pull the tail of the yarn through the loop and pull tight.

Doing More with Finger Knitting

Once you've mastered the basic steps for finger knitting, try these variations:

• Change colors by tying the ends of two different colors together and knitting the strand like normal.
• Finger knit on two or three fingers instead of all four to make thinner strands.
• If you need to take a break in the middle of a rope strand, slide the loops off your fingers and onto a fork (or anything else with four prongs).

And here are a few ideas for all of your colorful strands:

• headbands ^[2]
• scarves ^[3]
• necklaces ^[4]
• bracelets ^[5]
• garland ^[6]
• baskets ^[7]
• cowls ^[8]
• door curtain ^[9]
• flowers ^[10]

Do you finger knit? What is your favorite winter craft activity?