We bought this for my 8-year-old daughter's "business" project at school. She ended up having to make about 13 scarves. The machine works fine but the person turning the crank has to be very careful to watch that the yarn is picked up by each hook properly. After a while, your head starts to spin because you're watching closely and the thing just keeps turning. Aside from that and the yarn which comes with the set (not good), it works fine. Test it out with various thickness yarns and you'll see what works best.The tube scarves are much easier than the panel scarves.Don't expect to "get it" the first or the second time. But after that you'll be used to it (and the child using it with you) and you'll be amazed at how quickly you can make a scarf.