I couldn’t find anything pertaining to being new to knitting, so here goes.
I’ve been trying to learn to knit for almost the past year. I know how to do the knit stitch and purl stitch. But I can’t figure out how to do the left handed knitting so I’ve been doing right handed…and it’s making things very frustrating…I lose stitches off my needles…my project gets way to tight…and I get very frustrated and just end up scraping my projects to find something easier…but I want to make a scarf for my oldest and a blanket for my youngest. I just need encouragement and some help to figure out why everything is always getting tight and why I can’t seem to get my coordination down for left handed knitting…left handed knitting is soooo much easier…thank you anyone for your help in advance.
I forgot to put…that I’ve been watching videos and it just isn’t the same as having someone there to teach you and SHOW you what you’re doing wrong or right.
I’m actually right handed. I was referring to the continental method and the english method…I would love to do the continental method but I just can’t get the coordination down!
For the record left handed knitting is a whole different thing. It’s actually knitting in reverse. What you are referring to is continental knitting where you knit the standard way with the working yarn in your left hand.
I’m a little confused by your statement “left handed is so much easier” and yet you say you’re having trouble doing it? It sounds to me like knitting English style is easier for you. I can do both, but prefer English style as do many other knitters. It works just as well and can be very fast so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
That said, if you really want to learn continental there is nothing really to do, but practice. If you need to watch someone and videos don’t help see if you can find a local yarn store (LYS).
Welcome!
Yes, practice is going to make all of this suddenly fall into place, no doubt. Two things:
You might change the kind of needles that you’re using. If you’re using metal needles, they tend to be rather slippery. You might try bamboo which are “grabbier”.
The second is, make sure you’re making your sts on the full part of the needle and not just on the tips. Knitting on the tips almost gaurantees tight sts.
You’re probably very close to making all of this work so keep trying. We’ve all had to do that in the beginning and every time we add a new skill.
I see people doing continental and it looks so much faster and easier! But I can’t get the coordination down. In my first post when I said left and right handed I had forgot what the methods were, being continental and English. So I am sorry. I had already made the correction. And as far as yarn stores…I live 20 minutes from Hastings and Hastings doesn’t have any yarn stores. It’s a town of 25k people. The nearest somewhat big city is grand island and I’m too far from there to go to any classes or go shopping. So I do my shopping online.
It’s entirely possible to learn from books and videos online. Lots of us have done it. Hang in there and keep practicing. If English style is easier for you, work on getting proficient knitting that way. With either style, finding a way you can hold the yarn is perhaps one of the most important things. There are other styles of knitting also. You might be interested in Portuguese knitting.
I’m trying to learn on the cubics cable needle…size 7 us. I feel the wood is the best for me at this point. But I found some double needles that I like…and they are actually metal…they slip a lot but it’s helping me some what. I however just found a video that a lady uploaded on youtube about holding the right needle like a pencil…she also shows a different way of holding yarn…I’m liking the holding the right needle like a pencil trick. Now I just need to get the not getting tight part down…
What is a good project that you all would recommend that a complete beginner do?! :knitting: :knitting:
Well a scarf is a nice beginning project. It’s smaller than a blanket so you’ll be able to finish it without such a big commitment. There are loads of patterns but something that helps you practice knit and purl sts until you get an even tension would be best.
It sounds like you are experimenting with different ways of knitting and different needles which is all good. Don’t worry about being fast at knitting. It’s enjoyable in itself and speed will come with practice anyway. You’re looking to knit gifts for your family after all. If not. you would be buying scarves and blankets.
If you’re wrapping the yarn around your finger/s to control tension, try not doing that. I don’t, and I knit continental. Some people need to, some don’t. If I do, it gets everything way too tight.
As you relax, you won’t pull the yarn as tight when you finish a stitch. Also, your stitches won’t be as tight if you have them further back on the needle.
There’s nothing wrong with knitting English, either. Everything goes through fads, and knitting isn’t immune. I caught heck for knitting continental for years and had people trying to “fix” it or “show you how to knit right.” It doesn’t matter whether you hold your needles like knives, pencils or baseball bats as long as it works for you!
I’d just about bet that if you could sit down with a patient experienced knitter for a few minutes, you’d get it. Retired people are often a great resource for this. If you’d call your local senior citizens’ center, they might be able to hook you up.
OMG I just want to cry…I can’t figure anything out. I finally find a good positron to hold needles…now I can’t figure out the yarn. I’ve tried different methods and tried my own ways…but every single time.
Too much tension…all I do is let up for a little give and the yarn just slips off my fingers and the needles…what in the hell am I doing wrong!!!
And these senior citizens places aren’t friendly at all unless you have family…I tried going to a few and OMG…I got so much hell…
One, take a deep cleansing breath. Then a glass of wine or a bar of chocolate. Yes, I’m serious.
Two. Take a serious looksee at the Portuguese knitting video GG shared a link to and give it a try.You may find that it works well for you. Or not. If not, you’ve not lost anything. But you may find your tension problem & yarn holding problem disappears…
Lol I don’t drink. And I have no chocolate. My husband was “listening” to me but was on his phone so not paying attention so that also upset me. I checked out the video today and I don’t like how they knit backwards…I already learned how to knit these days and I don’t want to relearn it a different way. The way they hold the yarn is cool but not the way it’s knitted.
There are videos right here at KnittingHelp.com showing the Continental method of knitting basic stitches, casting on, etc.: FREE VIDEOS."
I learned how to knit from a book aimed at kids and teenagers. It was in my local library, in the Children’s books (the ones whose call numbers begin with J). Here’s the info and a quick review:
“J746.432 BRADBERR Kids Knit! Simple Steps to Nifty Projects, by Sarah Bradberry, 2004, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016. ==> Simple projects suitable for young children through middle school; some high-schoolers might make them as gifts for younger siblings. Good how-to pages, though; good for adult learners! Only one cast-on and cast-off shown, though. Cat toy, I cord, drawstring bags, hot pad/trivet, and coaster/placemat set useful for practice, even for adult beginners.”
What I like about a book as opposed to a video is that a book will lie still while I figure things out, but a video needs me to use one of my two over-committed hands to make it go back go forward stop oh no go back again etc. while I’m trying to maintain a coordinated hold on two knitting needles and the yarn.
The book will wait patiently while I hold the needles and the yarn. Aaahhh…much better.
So maybe you’ll use a children’s book? The [B]very first thing I knit[/B] was the cat toy in the book I mentioned. The cats LOVE it!
Hi Kyrie, I’m as useful as a hip pocket on a singlet and can’t offer any help-sorry :sad: I can’t seem to get the hang of continental knitting, tension is all over the place as is the yarn - it just won’t stay on my fingers where I think it should be - mind you I haven’t persisted either. Hang in there, everyone here will help as much as they can.
The library is in Hastings and that’s 20 minutes from me. Plus with a 19 month old and no baby sitter. That would be quite loud specially since he has strep. So as of right now…I’m stuck with online videos. And I watched the videos already on here. Doesn’t mean I completely understand how to hold the yarn. I hold too tightly…it’s tight…I try to loosen it…then it just falls off my fingers. I don’t understand it. Apparently I’m just not coordinated enough.
If you’re in Adams County (where Hastings is), there’s a library bookmobile which travels about the county on a regular schedule. I’ve linked here to the bookmobile’s schedule.
Check the library’s on-line catalog (here) to find the knitting book(s) you’d like to read and put it/them on reserve for the bookmobile. Then you won’t need to drive 20 miles to pick it up and 20 miles back home!
I’ve been a library volunteer in my own city; you could also call the library and explain that you’re pretty much house-bound if the bookmobile plan isn’t workable, and see if they have a “Books by Mail” or “Home Delivery of Books” program. Ours does, depending on the availability of volunteers to deliver the books. The Hastings library phone number is (402) 461-2346.
And as to “not being coordinated enough,” let’s see: you have a husband who’s preoccupied with his own…uh…activities, you have a toddler who’s sick, you haven’t had a full night’s sleep in at least 19 months (age of toddler), and it’s worse since the baby got sick. I’m amazed you’re able to get dressed and walk vertically!
So don’t be so hard on yourself. If it doesn’t work this week, keep trying: maybe when the baby isn’t sick. Ask DH to watch the unsick baby for 2 hours and take those 2 hours to focus on your skills. I think you’ll be pleased with the progress you can make when you’re actually able to focus on one thing at a time!
Thank you for the encouragement…My husband wouldn’t watch the kids. He works 7 days a week so I watch them all the time. And when he comes home is the only time that we have family time. And family time is very important to me. So I don’t ruin it by going out anywhere. Plus there really wouldn’t be anywhere to go because he doesn’t normally get home until 6-7pm. We are working on it…I’m glad he has a job that he absolutely loves now though…he used to come home pissed off and angry and it just made things worse…now he comes home happy because he loves his new job.
As for the bookmobile…I used to do the bookmobile when I was a teenager in high-school. I live in Clay County. They don’t come here which is interesting because they go clear down to roseland…and thats a ways away. But thank you for trying to help me! Maybe I can find some things I can download.
The time I get to practice is when my little one is napping…after the housework is done…so some days I don’t get to practice at all. I’m trying to make things work. My husband let me get the new rainbow pink interchangeable cable needles from the online shop in this website. So I’m grateful for that. He is letting me get some new yarn…but I don’t know which one to pick!! Soooo many choices…
