Greetings knitters & all! 
I am returning to the German style (continental) knitting my grandmother taught me when I was eight (I am now 66). I have been able to work this technique, but because working on size 6 or larger needles felt like working with broomsticks (I am a shrimp :teehee:- 4’9" tall), I have generally used the English technique. Unfortunately, I find setting the needle into the loop for a knit stitch takes a lot of effort - as though the previous row of purl had been worked too tight (which it definitely was not). I have viewed the video on continental knitting and see exactly what I am doing, but the knit stitches look a lot easier! The yarn seems loose enough and travels well, but I sometimes really struggle to get the needle into the loop for a knit stitch. I do push the needle upward - but it sure is hard. Any suggestions? thanks much,
little audrey
Knit stitches in stockinette too tight
OK I’m not so familiar with the continental method but I know I was having trouble with getting stitches off myself until I figured out to stick the needle down into the loop behind the needle (like a purl stitch, but you stick the right needle behind the left) instead of bringing it underneath the loop in front of the left needle. does that make sense?
It really sounds like your purl stitches are twisted, causing it hard to knit the next row.
Look at the stitch you’re about to knit. The front leg of the loop should lean slightly to the right.
You may be wrapping the purl sts the wrong direction which will tighten them up and make them twisted if you try to knit into them on the next row.
I have trouble with this sometimes… sometimes I have the stitch pulled too tight, sometimes the work as it’s stretched between the two needles is adding tension (so slide the work on the right needle closer to the tip), and sometimes I just have to slip the stitch to the tip of the needle to pick it up.
Yes, I thought hard and remembered my granny “choking up” on the points - in fact, one of the difficulties I had with knitting as she did was that she always seemed to have each hand full of the work. This was too much for the hands of an eight-year-old. :wall: I started another project and had no problem with it (held the work on each needle closer to the points and choked up on them). Went back to the sweater work in stockinette and: 1. switched to longer pointed needles and 2. choked up on the points. That was much better - also concluded that the bamboo needles (with short points) which I had been using were sort of “sticky”. It’s working a lot faster now!:happydance: