Just learned the term “throwers” today… weird.
Anyway, I’ve been trying out different ways to hold my yarn to help with tension and speed. I’ve watched all of the videos, but wanted to ask you all. I can’t find anything comfortable anymore, including the way I’ve held my yarn for years now. Knitting too much lately.
My hands been cramping and not wanting to knit. I do all the stretches, but I figured holding my yarn a different way might help as well.
Under my pinky and across the inside of my hand and then under my index finger. I can take a picture if you want.
I weave the yarn through my fingers over the index, under the middle, over the ring and curl my pinkie over the yarn. Here’s a few videos from youtube that show different ways of holding the yarn and making stitches…
I’m a Thrower
Knitting english
I’m a "flicker"
That’s How I Do It
Around my pinky, under my two middle fingers and up over my index finger.
Jeremy and Jan- that’s the way I used to hold it for years because that’s how it’s shown on this website 
First place I even learned about wrapping yarn. It’s just not giving me correct tension right now (making a scarf in the round so I’m knit knit knitting!)
suzeeq- thanks! ive seen the im a thrower one but not the others! i’ll keep trying some different ways and see if i can make one that will help my wrists…
im showing the beginning signs of rheumatoid arthritis, so im trying to be as ergonomic as possible hah…
I can’t explain it, I know I don’t do it the “traditional” way. I kinda wrap it around my palm but the stick my index finger straight up and wrap there too. LOL I don’t know if that makes any sense. I am also a continental knitter, so my yarn is in my left hand.
I let it dangle from the fabric. When it is time to make a stitch I grab it up, wrap it, and drop it. Then move my needles.
I happen to be a VERY tight knitter naturally, and If I hold my yarn, I get even tighter! This way I can actually get my right needle in the stitch on the left needle. IF I try to HOLD the yarn then it will take me at least 15 minutes to work the needle tip in becasue of how tight it is.
When I first started knitting, I did it that way but when i wrapped the yarn, my speed increased tenfold.
IF I wrap (or hold) the yarn my speed slows down to almost nothing. Like I said I am a VERY TIGHT knitter naturally, so tight in fact that I have trouble getting the right hand needle into the stitch on the left needle. It can take me 15 minutes or more to get the needle in for just one stitch If I am trying to hold onto my yarn. It only takes 1 minute to do the same thing If i just let the yarn dangle.
I have had many knitting friends show me different ways to hold the yarn so the stitches will not be as tight, but the only thing that works is “the dangle.”
My yarn is wrapped around my index finger and then just held against my palm with the other 3 fingers. I tried more complicated ways but usually ended up with the very simple method. In the beginning my fingers would get quite stiff but now it is great and I can knit quite fast (not as fast as I could probably do it in continental… if I could do continental) but fast enough for me to enjoy the process as much as the product.
TEMA
I hold my yarn only when I making the stitch, other wise it dangles from the fabric.I put tension on the yarn as I am making the stitch and release as I pull it off the needle. I guess you could call me a thrower since I never could master wrapping the yarn over and under the fingers of my right hand… I use those fingers to hold the needle.
I do the same technique, not holding the yarn at all, but taking the yarn, knitting the stitch, then letting it go, repeat…however, this is the only way I can do it: I have only half of my index finger! (from an accident: I’m an official member of The Nub Club.) I’m just a beginner, but this is the most smooth and comfortable for me.