Knitting Styles – Continental vs English
Which style of knitting do you use? Continental (holding yarn in your left hand and “picking” at it with the right needle) or English (holding the yarn in your right hand and “throwing” it around the right needle)?
I’ve always been a “thrower”(English-style). Only recently, I adjusted my knitting style to wrap the yarn around my right ring finger. (Previously, I just held the yarn loose). This change resulted, for me, in a nicer knit stitch because of a more constant tension. This particular change didn’t noticeably slow my knitting down and I was much happier with the way my knitting looked.
Of course, knitting with friends and sharing knitting through social media made me very curious about the Continental-style of knitting. I’ve tried many times to get the hang of it. It seemed very contrary to what I already knew. However, it does give my right hand and wrist a break from the throwing motion. Stockinette projects (in the round) have been the perfect time to practice – I’m not yet comfortable with this style when purling or knitting lace stitches. My tension is also a little looser when knitting Continental-style. It took a while but I finally found a method to wrap the yarn around the back of my left hand and around to my left index finger. As you can see, I knit at virtually the same speed now using either method. (“Lap 1” was English; “Lap 2” was Continental).
My preference will probably always be the English-style of knitting – it’s more comfortable and familiar and I feel more on autopilot – but it’s nice to be fairly familiar now with the Continental-style too.
Which knitting method do you prefer? Have you learned both styles? Share here!