i have been knitting for 10 months but sadly knit pathetically slow,
On purls I knit 58 sts in 3 minutes
On knits i knit 66 sts in 3 mins
I knit Irish Cottage Style
Any help!!
Have you tried other knitting styles, such as German (thrown) or English (Continental?) Some people are faster at one method than another.
Knitting isn’t a contest or a race, it’s a skill that’s learned with experience. If a person only sits down with it once every week or so, that’s not frequent enough to get comfortable with the movements. A little bit every day is better.
But you can try other styles or other ways of holding your yarn and making your stitches. Watch knitting videos on Youtube for a wide variety of styles - English, continental and combined, and look at how they hold the yarn and wrap it around the needles.
People often comment that I knit really quickly, but it’s really that right now I can knit for longer. 
If you feel you must knit faster, sit down and watch yourself knit and really think about where you are wasting time and motion. There are really fast knitters in every style, so unless you want to try other methods, there’s usually bits of your knitting that can be streamlined.
I’m still having more fun learning to care much about speed - I figure it’ll wait until I’ve corrected my tension issues!
There are really fast knitters in every style,
That’s true. The worlds faster knitter does continental, but the 2nd fastest does english and she’s only about 3 sts/second behind her. Many how to videos for english do show ‘throwing’ your entire hand around the needle and that’s a wasted motion. I knit english at a fairly good clip depending on the yarn and needles and my right hand skims along the needle with the fingers flexing out. Here’s a couple videos that are similar and shows you don’t really have to let go of the right needle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCO8qALs4-w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeG1U2_LvXg&feature=related
The other thing is to give yourself time. There might just be a point when you can just zip along. With me, it came a good three years after I really “got into” knitting. I was initially taught to knit when I was 6 and am in my mid-30’s now.
You just need time and repetition to build up the muscle memory that then equals into speed. Try getting a good stocking stitch in the round knitting pattern and just sit there and knit. Two things will happen, you’re tension should likely improve/standardize and you will get faster. For sure!
Most of all… it totally doesn’t matter other than you want more fun knitted stuff faster… that or you’re trying to get through your current project because you’ve found a better one 
Give yourself time. I find that when I reach a point with any pattern where I don’t have to think about what I was doing, my speed increases.
But I’m also not in it for speed. I find that the snick snick of the needles and the process of knitting to be soothing. Finishing a project is nice, but knitting itself - that’s where the real joy comes in.
I have only been knitting since July and I find that when I really get to knit for extended periods of time my speed increases. I am an English knitter. I prefer to knit small simple patterns that way I get to see the results of my knitting more quickly. I am however working on a Log Cabin blanket and really enjoy the repetitive garter st. I also have other small projects going so when I get tired of the garter st, I put it down and work on something else. For me it’s just the knitting that I enjoy.
Another point to consider: speed is great, but just make sure you’re not hurting yourself! Once you find a technique that feels comfortable, you’ll still need to remember to take breaks now and then.
I type for a living, and when I’m not typing I’m knitting, so I need to be very careful about repetitive stress injuries.
If something starts to hurt, stop what you’re doing and rest. Better to take a breather now than to be forced to stop knitting forever.:verysad:
i am a fairly fast knitter… i loose time shifting stitches and readjusting on the needles
I’ve not timed myself knitting yet but I can safely say you knit faster than I do. I only started knitting a few weeks ago so give it time you will get faster the more you do it.
I never heard of Irish Cottage Style knitting so googled it and found this link with a video:
http://www.theanticraft.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/124-Irish-Cottage-Knitting.html
Sue-- One thing interesting about those videos: Both knitters were using fairly thin needles and yarn. I find I knit much faster with fine yarn and small needles, while I plod along with bulky yarn on size 10s. I suppose it’s because the yarn has less distance to travel with every stitch. Or because my fingers aren’t throwing as much weight around.
To Matt98: Suzeeq is 200% right: knitting is not a competition.
Stop timing yourself (not to be sexist, but maybe that’s a guy thing.) Speed comes naturally when you establish a smooth rhythm, but trying to knit against the clock just breeds tension. Relax and enjoy.
not to be sexist, but maybe that’s a guy thing.)
You are not trying to be sexist, but are being sexist.
Interesting, I knit faster with worsted weight and larger needles. It’s not just because the sts are larger and I get done faster. I have to knit slower with thinner yarn even using medium size needles. Could be that for timing, smaller needles and yarn are an advantage because for counting sts, you can do more of them in a minute.
I find it easier to do sport-to-worsted weight on size 5-8 needles. Not too big, not too small, easy to see! I find myself going slow when I do socks because if I accidentally drop a stitch… oy!
Why knit fast the slower you knit the longer you get to have the nice soft yarn in your hands.
I too am a slow knitter. I took a class recently and out of the 5 in the class, I was always the last to finish up a section before moving on to the next part. I felt so humiliated! I think I tend to knit slowly because I knit to relax. I’ve learned alot of techniques and am getting pretty good at knitting, but am still slow. I just figure that I’m not punching a time clock and since I know how long it takes me, I should not procrastinate in making items for presents or in KALs! LOL!!! 
There is this knitter (Miriam Tegels) that goes at something like the speed of light…so I tried to see how fast I knit. Cripes. Every time I clicked that timer, I botched it. The timer made me go slower.
She’s from HOLLAND, and she’s got a certificate from Guiness World Book of Records! She knits 118 st per min.
Shees. My top speed was something like 27 st per min.
Well, I get a lot done cuz [U]I knit a lot[/U], but [I]not fast[/I]! :teehee:
I’d quite like to knit a bit faster, if only to get some of these WIPs off the needles. Maybe not as fast as these girls, though, I think I’d have to work a bit too hard for that!
I noticed today that my purl has slowed down considerably, and I’m not sure why. I’m sure it’ll pick back up again. This is probably the sort of thing that comes and goes in waves…yes?
Yes, your ‘speed’ can vary depending on the yarn, needles, pattern, your mood and concentration, and probably the phase of the moon…