Hazel Tindall, knitting away. It blows my mind how fast she is.
That is amazing. She is an English knitter too and people say that continental knitting is faster :roflhard:
Exactly. There is no one best way, it’s what works best for you. 
I am an English knitter but I am slow. I have tried continental and I just can’t seem to get the hang of it.
Watch closely around the 55-60sec mark.
Her right hand stays put, with her finger just flicking the yarn around the needle. This is much closer to continental-style knitting than your usual English-style knitting (dropping and picking up the yarn each stitch). It’s also like the underside of a sewing machine.
Her left hand moves up and down, allowing her right needle to move in/out of the working stitch while staying put (so she can flick the yarn). In essence, her left hand is like a sewing machine needle going up/down.
It’s very mechanical and very efficient.
I can “watch closely,” but I’m not so sure I can watch [U]quickly[/U] enough to see what she’s doing. :teehee:
Watch her in slo-mo, sort of. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA0nTh3dqGw
Also, there’s no wrist-twist-and-yank to it, so I doubt she’s straining her hands much and the load is fairly even on both sides. It looks like a thoroughly sane way to knit.
Oh im going to have to see how she does it then cos Id like my hand to stay put. lpl. Will have to have a looksie when I get in. cant view it on the mobile
Dont worry Heather nor can I.its all too fiddly for me
I am determined to learn to knit and purl English style. I don’t accept that I can’t do it. I’m looking into how these speed knitters hold the yarn, maybe I’ll learn something from them. Speed isn’t my goal; being able to knit English is. You see, the right way right now is for me to be able to do yarn in each hand and be comfortable and confident with it. So far I can knit but I don’t like the way the yarn feels as I hold it and I keep dropping it and having to pick it up again. Surely that doesn’t happen for the speed knitters.
I can knit fairly fast, but nowhere near what that woman does. :teehee:
I wrap the yarn in my fingers and kind of flick it over the needle. I don’t drop it. I put it between ring and pinky then around pinky and across middle two fingers on palm side then under under index finger and over. My right hand lifts slightly to go around needle for either one, but I don’t let go really.
Similar to this, Jan? Except he takes the yarn around pinky and ring fingers. So far this is the most nearly successful for me. I was trying it out earlier. I was actually able to purl and keep the yarn in my hand. My right hand just has to learn how to do it. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. 
Pretty much like this video from KH called matering tension. Except of course it’s in your right hand. What it ends up being is what works for you. I should have that in my signature I say it so much…:teehee:
me neither, continental is lost on me, and I knit english, but never drop the yarn? I have it wrapped around my right index finger…
But of course you can! Go get 'em, tiger! 
Jan, I’ve watched the video and tried it, and I’ve tried this and that, and I’ll keep on trying and one of these days (years?) it will work and it won’t feel so awkward and sloppy loose…I’m right handed for cryin’ out loud, it should…not…be…so…hard! :chair:
:??
:teehee: I know. I hate when we feel like all thumbs. I’m right handed mostly, but can, and do, a lot with my left. Continental was like I was using toes at first. 
Eventually it clicked though.
I’d rather be accurate than uber fast.
I guess my speed is OK (German/Continental) but I don’t fret about that much.
I switched to continental thinking it would be faster, and it probably is on the knit stitch, but I’m still a slow knitter and will just have to stay that way.
GG, I learned how to knit English style and never really could get the purl stitch down very well. I always had to drop the right needle to wrap the yarn, and didn’t for the knit stitch. It’s probably how I held the yarn in my right hand. Since this thread started I’ve looked around for some videos of fast purling and most of them purl English style. My fingers just won’t do what they can do. I’m comfortable with continental now so I don’t try anymore, but I do wish you luck in your learning. Despite being right handed, it’s just not that easy for everyone.