Hello!
I’ve recently started knitting. My girlfriend taught me the basics so I learned my techniques from her. However, I’ve been watching some videos on youtube and I’ve noticed that I seem to wrap the yarn the wrong way around the needle. So I’m wondering, does the direction matter?
When I do a knit stitch, I usually take the yarn between the needles and wrap it to the outside, so the yarn is going clockwise around the needle. When I purl, I again take it between the needles and to the outside, so it’s going counter-clockwise. My stockinette seems to look fine to me, so that’s why I’m wondering if the direction matters.
I double-checked with my girlfriend, who’s been knitting for years but never had any real teacher, she just kind of went with it. She wraps it the same way I do and says it’s fine, but since ALL the videos seem to do it differently, I want to make sure…
First, there are no knitting police. If what you’re doing is working for you and you are happy with the result then it’s OK. Wrapping the yarn clockwise on knits “twists” the stitch. You might try wrapping it the other way and comparing the results. Usually a stitch wrapped clockwise is considered to be mounted backwards. Knitting into the back loop will untwist the stitch from the last row. Many people purl more loosely than they knit and some people wrap the purls clockwise because that makes them tighter, then they work into the back leg of it on the next row to untwist it. Find what works for you and enjoy your knitting.
Welcome to KnittingHelp!
Here’s an example of the difference made by wrapping clockwise.
It’s a non-standard way of knitting that tightens up the knit fabric. Even for a loose knitter (I’m one) too much of it may make the sts too tight to work comfortably. Plus, if you always knit this way you lose the ability to use a twisted stitch as a decorative addition. It may also give you problems down the line when you do more complicated patterns than stockinette.
That said, it is a nice look and if you’re devoted to it, then continue on and enjoy!