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greetings all - I've just undergone a difficult transition in knitting - I'd previously been a 'thrower'; knitting in the English style (yarn in the right hand, throwing the yarn over the needle for the knit stitch) - but I KNOW this is so much slower, so I've been teaching myself the European method (yarn held in the left hand, hands never leaving the needle.) I'm finding it a very difficult change, but it is going faster.
What's strange is that it's far easier to do the purl stitches from the BACK of the stitch instead of the front. It is making the knitting tighter, and I think technically I'm no longer knitting 'stockinette' but rather something called Italian Knitting (I get confused with the names because the books all call them different things...)
Has anyone had this problem? Or is it a blessing in disguise? All told, having the yarn in the left hand does indeed make the knitting move along far smoother, it's just tricky to get used to keeping the tension correct and constant. I've struggled for a few days to get used to it and now I finally think I am.
thoughts?
What's strange is that it's far easier to do the purl stitches from the BACK of the stitch instead of the front. It is making the knitting tighter, and I think technically I'm no longer knitting 'stockinette' but rather something called Italian Knitting (I get confused with the names because the books all call them different things...)
Has anyone had this problem? Or is it a blessing in disguise? All told, having the yarn in the left hand does indeed make the knitting move along far smoother, it's just tricky to get used to keeping the tension correct and constant. I've struggled for a few days to get used to it and now I finally think I am.
thoughts?
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Boston
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Re: changing styles from English to European
Sat, August 27, 2005 - 12:36 PMwow... then I guess I knit European style. I did not know that.
I knew that the way we cast stiches on here is called 'Italian style'.
we only cast on stiches the way you guys do when we are adding on something extra to the side (like a 'strap' for baby booties or something).
in my kntting group there's a lefty (heheh... just one, the rest of us are all right handed), and when my teacher was showing her how to do things, everything was 'backwards' compared to how the rest of us did it (such as she would have to hold the yarn in right hand, not left) . she became a very good and fast knitter because that was easiest style, for her. I guess it just depends on getting used to things. -
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Re: changing styles from English to European
Sun, August 28, 2005 - 9:25 PMwell, the good part is that I've stopped 'dropping the needles' and at the very least I'm moving quicker because of that... I think there ARE many different names for all these ways of knitting, so it's hard to compare from one to the other.
I have a great book ('the complete book of knitting, barbara Abbey, viking press, 1972) which shows 10 different ways to cast on (!??!?!?!?!) - I've been confortable with the two-strand cast on, although someone recently showed me a cast on method you can do with a crochet hook which is pretty nice.
Knitting is definitely a matter of getting used to things... I've found just making slight adjustments in how I'm sitting, the light, the music I'm listening to, etc - all these things can contribute to the 'flow'. I do know one thing for certain - once you've started knitting with your hands on the needles at ALL TIMES (ie, not 'throwing' as I used to) there's no going back - it just feels so much smoother this way, and faster. I just have to get my tension a little better and loosen up on my grip ;-) -
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Re: changing styles from English to European
Mon, August 29, 2005 - 1:25 PMheh... I definitely need to loosen up!
sanfrancisco.tribe.net/thread...5bf64bc
btw: when I saw the pics on that knitty article link there, I totally just thought that either those were pics of a lefty knitting, or that the pics were inverted or something :-P
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Re: changing styles from English to European
Tue, August 30, 2005 - 5:06 PMinteresting - good photos there from the link, that helps... I found myself pulling the yarn loose a bit after my new stitches in order to not get it all too tight, and that seems to be working.
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Re: changing styles from English to European
Mon, August 29, 2005 - 6:07 PMOK, I'm definitely a self-taught, learn-from-books kinda gal. But I just cannot figure out European knitting.
Can you (or anyone) suggest a couple of good books/websites for me to check out?
Each time I try it, I get totally lost. I'm definitely missing something here....
:(
Thanks!
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Re: changing styles from English to European
Thu, September 1, 2005 - 12:39 AMFor some reason, I have always knitted European- or Continental-style. I learned how to crochet before I learned how to knit, so I loop the yarn around my left fingers as if knitting, with an extra pinky loop to feed the yarn from the ball slowly for better tension. Crochet uses more yarn per area, goes faster, and thus requires faster feeding. Also, my left index finger, which creates the tension for the work, is extended just about all the time when I knit.
While knitting, my right needle catches the yarn that's coming around my left index finger, while said finger helps loop the yarn around the needle. Then pull it right through the stitch and slip it off the left needle, and there's a knitted stitch.
While purling, the yarn is still looped around my fingers in the same way and held in the front. I still purl through the front loop and my left index finger still loops the yarn around the needle, but this time I think I keep my index finger down after the looping and while pulling the loop through the stitch. Then I extend the finger again while slipping the stitch off the needle.
I find that when I knit this way, especially just straight knitting with not complex lace patterns, I don't need to look at my work, which is lovely for the eyes. If I were to knit English-style, I don't think I could do it without looking, though my boyfriend's mother knits English-style without looking. It is a question of habit and finding your personal style. Good luck!
- Suse
