Hi everyone, i’m new here and a fairly new knitter - although I have been able to knit for over 20 yrs I have never really got past knitting basic squares until my mum stayed with me this weekend and I completed my first jumper for my nephew! I am now working on drop stitch scarves and going to buy my first circular needles this weekend.
Anyway my question is this; I am a slow knitter because I do something I believe is called “throwing the yarn”. I knit with the yarn in my right hand and the needle I am knitting into the stitches on in my left. However when I wrap the yarn round my right needle to make a stitch I let go of the right needle - (sometimes I prop it on my leg). I know this is wrong and I have looked at diagrams of threading yarn through my fingers etc, but I still cannot figure how to create the stitch without letting go of my right needle! Any help on this would be appreciated.
We’re all slow at first, whether continental or thrower. After a while, you’ll learn not to move your hand so far away from the needles and your speed will pick up. I grasp both needles with my left hand while I loop the yarn around the tip with my right. It’s just a matter of practice. And think of all you can knit while you practice…
Theres no shame in throwing. I’m a “thrower” or English knitter and I’ve gotten quite fast, although I’m not as fast as a Continental knitter or someone who holds the working yarn in their left hand. Continental knitting is not for everyone, for me it is very awkward and therefore not very fast at all. As for what to do with your right needle when you are “throwing” your yarn, you hold it in your left hand along side your left needle. I hope this is helpful.
I’m an English knitter as well. I loop the yarn over just the first finger on my right hand, and I use that finger to loop the yarn around the needle for each stitch. This enables me to still hold the needle while throwing the yarn. You should be holding the needle only about 2 inches from the tips when doing this. It’s OK to hold the needle through the knitted work. You’ll figure out what works best for you in time. Just keep practicing.