english or continental?

[marnie]

neither!! :crud:

I've been hearing about Continental vs. English a lot since joining this board. Picking and throwing. Well, I certainly throw, so i decided to look up continental. The first thing I read was that the yarn is held in the left hand, unlike English. Well, I hold my yarn in my left hand. I looked up English so see what the difference was.

I saw some illustrations and it looks NOTHING like how I knit. So I looked up Continental again. THAT doesn't resemble how I knit, either.

So this is how *I* knit: I hold the needle with the cast on stitches in my left hand. I vaguely pinch the yarn between my thumb and the and middle finger of my left hand (my index finger is crooked up and out of the way). Insert the needle with my right hand and then I spin the yarn around the needle clockwise. I put the index finger of my left hand on the point of the needle in my right hand, helping it through the yarn loop to complete the stitch.

Now that i've studied the english and continental illustrations, my way is so inelegant!

I guess it's really a lazy Continental. I learned from a woman here in Italy, so I guess that explains it.

So I've been knitting in the "real" continental style all day and it feels so odd, but kind of nice. I do miss the yank yank yank yank rhythmn of my way, though. I don't think I'm going to change. :D

[pmcgary]

I knit mostly English though I am trying to learn Continental.

That said, I am left handed and move my needles a bit different from most...though I think everyone has their own"take" or style. And whatever you first learn seems to be what feels most natural.

[CraftyMommaOf2]

I hold my yarn in my left hand. If I'm knitting, the yarn is between my middle and index finger at the first knuckle. If I'm purling it's between my index finger and thumb. No clue why :LOL I'm a righty, btw.

[marnie]

Danica - that's how I purl, too! And your knit sounds close to mine as well. Ok, maybe I'm not crazy.

[mhurst]

I learned from a book and the author discussed both ways and then proceeded to say she would only teach continental...so I guess that is what I do.

I hold the yarn in my left hand, and I am a lefty it feels very natural to me. I've looked at the english way at it seems awkward.

I don't know if I'm doing continental correctly, in the end my stitches look right.

[marnie]

I'm one of those born leftys who was converted to a righty. so I use my left hand for most everything that isn't writing or eating. I tried the English way and found it very hard. I like using my left hand.

[susanjp]

Where are you guys finding pictures of the different ways? I have no idea what I'm doing - it's what my Mum showed me!

[marnie]

here are some illustrations:

http://www.wonderful-things.com/newknit2.htm

[pageta]

I do continental style where my left index finger just holds the tension rather than wrapping the yarn around the needle. I do the wrapping part with the needle. I'm thinking that may be the "combined" method, but I'm not sure. For tension, I wind the yarn around my left pinky, over my ring finger, under my middle finger, and over my index finger.

I used to knit English style, but I taught myself continental syle and finally mastered it last week. The soaker I started Friday will be the first project I have done Continental from beginning to end. I feel like I'm really slow at it, but I am amazed at how much I have done, so I must be faster.

[marnie]

any reason you decided to switch?

[imonion]

I ws taught english and have used that up until now--i'm trying to master continental to save my wrists. i can see how it could save someone a lot of time, so hopefully i'll pick it up pretty quickly.

[pageta]

I switched for speed. I know knitting is about the process, not the product. But I hate being inefficient.

[marnie]

makes sense.

psst. i think it's a little tiny bit about the product, too.