The video posted above and Amy’s videos here are how I switched from English to Continental. It took me a while to get the purl part. I enjoy it, but I have noticed that my tension has changed A LOT. When I knit English, I’m a much tighter knitter. I bet I’d have to go down at least 2 needle sizes to get gauge with Continental.
About the “throwing” with the right hand in English, I was one of those whose hand completely left the needle, I think. I’ll have to get out some yarn and needles and give it a try to say for sure. I’m curious about those of you who knit English and don’t throw. I feel like I have more control over my tension when I knit English, but I prefer Continental because it’s less arm movement for me. I’d love to see how some of you knit English without your right hand leaving the needle.
Some people knit combination style, where you also hold the yarn in your left hand. I believe there’s a few videos here for it, and more explanations at www.anniemodesitt.com
Speed comes with practice, a person can knit just as fast english as continental. You don’t have to actually move your whole hand around the needle when knitting english either. There are several videos on Youtube that show various ways of knitting english, just do a search for knit english.
I completely agree with the Crochet theory. I taught myself to knit and used the english method with the throwing of the yarn because wrapping on my right fingers never felt comfortable. I can knit pretty fast doing this too. I discovered this site and started watching the different video’s and tried the continental method and it felt comfortable right away. I think it is because I have been crocheting so many years and the wrapping around the left hand comes so natural.
Just throwing in my two cents.
Practice the method you like and if after trying/attemting it is uncomfortable then don’t use that method.
When knitting English I work up at the tip of the needles so that it’s just a matter of tipping the right hand towards the needle tips and flicking the yarn around the needle with the index finger. I still hold the work with the other fingers and thumb of the right hand.
When I first started learning Continental it was SO awkward!!! But part of it was I was holding the yarn wrong. Then I found this video and suddenly it all came together!
If you’re trying to learn continental I’d highly recommend you watch this. I’m so glad I did because I now use continental and things go so smoothly and FAST!!!
I found when I was first learning to knit that I really preferred knitting Continental. I’ve used it for most of my projects but I also learned English just for the sake of being able to use it to do stranding work. It’s still awkward and I don’t like it (makes me feel lopsided, having my right hand do almost all the work), but I can do it. It just takes a lot of practice. It’s almost like learning how to knit from the beginning lol
I have noticed that my tension has changed A LOT. When I knit English, I’m a much tighter knitter. I bet I’d have to go down at least 2 needle sizes to get gauge with Continental.
I don’t. I use a lot of bulky weight yarns and big needles. My first afghan was made with SUPER bulky yarn and size 19 circs!
Magic loop is AWESOME. I’m making my first pair of socks with it and it is so easy to do.
Yeah, I can’t stand the way it shows in the video. Maybe it’s because I have really small hands or something, but my left hand is always cramping within minutes! Bottom line: Do what works for you!
For magic loop, I really like the technique because it only requires ONE circular needle… and I almost only have circs… (Better for my wrists and the train passengers)
And, I use thin yarn with thick needles. At the beginning (I can remember) it was quite … strange… I thought to myself, how can one knit such thin yarn with such big needles, but now I’ve grown accustomed to it, and I really like working lace works…
My technique for holding yarn is the same for knitting and crochet, I put the yarn over the index finger, below middle finger, above ring finger and below pinky, … that gives me a good tension…
Had learned to "throw"as a child. Took a class from an amazing knitter who taught continental and I love it!. I crocheted for many years and it was a natural for me. But, like everyone has said, if it doesn’t work…just be happy and knit away.
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What? :oo: Well, I guess if you are fast as an English style knitter then you don’t have to learn continental.
Learning is just setting up a muscle memory pattern. When you have an existing muscle memory pattern, it is ‘twitching’ to do it your old way. Learning a new pattern first requires a thought to stop the old, instinctive twitch and then another commanding the new movement pattern. It take longer because you need to do double duty until the new pattern becomes instinctive to the muscles. Sometime you need to jog the old pattern out of the muscles before you can set up the new pattern of ‘twitches.’
I first learned to crochet; the left hand holds and tensions the yarn while the right hand hooks the yarn, draws up the loops, and pulls through the stitches. I can not recall ever seeing anyone crochet in an English style.
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[COLOR=“#300090”]Yes, my technique is the same; though I’d also say I use the ‘knife grip’ on the hook which is much like how I hold the needle too.
Perhaps if you crochet for a time, then again practice the continental knitting you may jog the English habits enough to unseat them. Half the battle of learning a new technique is to unlearn or at least set aside the old habits and patterns that you’ve programmed into your muscles. [I]You will find it easy to recall either method (English or Continental) once you have them both mastered.
[SIZE=“1”]I was introduced to the idea of muscle memory when learning Tae Kwon-Do. The principle idea was that it required three correct repetitions to ‘erase’ each incorrect movement. Only when you had completed 1000 correct repetitions without error was it considered a beginning to mastering the movement.[/SIZE]
Got any projects that require 3,000 knit stitches? How about 3,000 purls? It isn’t that big; it is just 75 rows of 40 (garter) stitches or 150 rows of 40 st st. You’ll get a nice scarf out of the practice.
I didn’t read all the posts here so I don’t really know what has been said.
But my opinion is; if continental doesn’t feel right DON’T DO IT!!! There seems to be a silly “myth” that real knitters knit left handed. BALDERDASH. Some of the best knitters I know knit english.
I had a knitting teacher this fall who said that the “fastest knitter in the world” knits right handed. I don’t know who that is and can’t verify it but some of the students got into a discussion about knitting and the belief was you weren’t a “real” knitter unless you knitted continental. As the only right handed knitter in the group I was greatly offended.
The class was a color stranding class and interestingly enough I had no trouble holding two colors; the main in my right and the second in my left. I was the only one to finish the project and in the end it was quite clear that my stitch tension was much better than the “real” knitters.
So I say, Do what feels good. The Zen of knitting is the process and if you aren’t enjoying what you are doing WHAT IS THE POINT?
Yes, I learned about muscle memory from yoga and tai chi, and it does take some repetition to get your muscles to memorize movements so you can do them without thinking.
It isn’t so much about which style is `faster’, but which is easier and more comfortable for the individual knitter to use. I crochet too, I think I learned about the same time as knitting, but I realize they’re different ways of manipulating yarn and I hold it in my left to crochet, and my right to knit.
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Yes, comfort and ease are the key. I also like the “Zen of Knitting” comment by GinnyG.
I also think comfort comes with practice, so if you want to learn another way of holding the yarn while you knit or purl it will take consistent practice. Start slow. Get comfortable with it, and then improve upon it with smaller movements and the speed will come. If the comfort doesn’t come, don’t try to force it.
Having alternate methods can open possibilities, but I think comfort is essential to the enjoyment and relaxation (is that the Zen?) of woolcraft.
There are two kinds of knitting; process knitting and product knitting. We are all a bit of both although one may outweigh the other.
Product knitting is knitting purely for the end result. I am doing alot of “product knitting” at the moment. The holidays are coming and I have items to finish for gifts. While I always enjoy knitting I do not enjoy product knitting as much as process knitting.
Process knitting is knitting for the sake of knitting. Knitting because you love the color and feel of the wool, the smoothness of the needles, the sound they make as you knit. Process knitting is the only true path to knitting ZEN, it is a meditative act that does not care how long it takes to complete an object but takes joy in each stitch.
love it!. I crocheted for many years and it was a natural for me. But, like everyone has said, if it doesn’t work…just be happy and knit away.
