As mentioned, the main difference between each has to do with the way a stitch is made—by "throwing" in English-style knitting, or "picking" in Continental-style, and each produces slightly different results in order to suit different sorts of knitters.
Some people find it easier to work English knitting with chunky-weight yarns, while others think Continental is simpler once you've learned how to crochet. It may be worth it to try your hand at both styles to see which one is more comfortable and natural for you.
Even if you've been happily knitting in English or Continental style for a long time, it's worth learning the other method or trying one of the lesser-known styles. For one thing, you can alternate stitches for a different hand-and-wrist action on the same project, thereby reducing hand and arm strain if that's a problem for you.
Being able to knit both methods also comes in handy when you're working with two colors of yarn in the same row. You can knit with one color in your right hand and one in your left, then speed through the process without hassle. Plus, it's just fun to learn more techniques and have them in your arsenal, even if you typically knit one way most of the time. By Alexandra Churchill February 05, Have you ever spent long hours knitting, only to have pain in your fingers and wrists?
Switching up your style halfway through that long knitting session can ease that pain. English style, sometimes referred to as throwing, requires a different hand-and-wrist action than Continental, which is the style that picks the yarn.
Repetition of either of these for long periods of time will cause pain, so switch your style and see if you notice the difference. Have I convinced you to change up your knitting style yet? Learn to increase speed, bolster efficiency and ditch hand strain as you conquer Continental knitting in our most popular online knitting class.
Enroll Now ». Click here to cancel reply. Remember me. Lost your password? Privacy Policy. Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy.
LOG IN. I am a fast knitter either way, and only 2 things slow me down: crappy yarn and crappy needles. I learned Continental style 64 years ago as a 7-yr old. Thank you so much for such an enlightening article. I just started knitting again after years of no contact with knitting needles. I have crocheted for many years and always held the yarn in my left hand. When I started knitting again, I simply went back to the method that I learned as a child with the yarn in my right hand and throwing the yarn over for each stitch.
I watched a few youtube videos on knitting and saw that some people held the yarn in their left hands. I thought I was doing something wrong by throwing the yarn over and holding it in my right hand.
Thanks to your article I now know that it is simply a difference in the way I learned to knit vs crochet. I crocheted before I knitted.
But since I am left-handed and I mirrored my mother to learn to crochet, I held the yarn in my right hand. So when I learned to knit, it was natural for me to knit English style and knit right-handed. I am left-handed and knit Continental that way. I originally learned how to knit right-handed English. I crochet left-handed. Click here to cancel reply. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
0コメント