For some reason, although I am “thrower,” I continue to find myself compelled to convert my knitting style to Continental. It just seems so much more efficient.
Not to mention the “cool” factor – I think it looks cool. Like that matters, but still.
However, every time I try to switch over, I drop stitches like crazy. Maybe I’m just not giving it enough time… I don’t know. I do know that for some reason I still feel like I want to convert.
Hmm…
Even so, slow knitting method aside – much progress was made last night on my Central Park Hoodie when Kaity and I went to our LYS for Knit Night. We really weren’t planning to go – but things seemed to work out and we decided we could fit it in. Good thing! – with the extra knitting time last night I’m now almost finished with the last front, and then it’s off to the hood! I think I just may make my self-imposed deadline of having this finished in time for the cruise!
It helped seeing April’s just finished CPH, which she was wearing last night – GORGEOUS, … and Roni was knitting hers along with me… and Beatriz has already finished two! We decided that at the next Knit Night we’re all together we’ll all wear ours and get a group shot. 
Kaity and I are planning to get in one more Knit Nite before the cruise, so hopefully we’ll be able to get our group shot then.
Look at me go… I’m knitting so fast I’m a blur…. not.
Knit Night is really quite fun – and we’ve met some great new knitters. It’s so fun to see what everyone’s working on…. and I’m always just fascinated at how many ways there are to knit – not just “pickers” or “throwers” – but SO many combinations of the two! I’m convinced I have learned to knit the slowest possible way when I watch some of these girls knit… but this old dog just drops stitches right and left when I try to convert to some other style…. so I plug along.
But I’m curious – I am going to be teaching two friends to knit next week – what do you think, should I teach them English, slow like me…. or start them off Continental? It seems confusing enough to new knitters to learn either one, and showing them both and letting them decide just seems like it would really get them messed up.
heh heh, or maybe it’s just me – again.
21
The Pleasures of God, John Piper
I think for me, since I crocheted first, the “hold yarn in left hand, and pick” (is that continental?) was natural. For Sweetpea, I taught her to throw with her right hand, because it seemed easier for little hands to maintain some sort of tension.
I’m so sorry to have missed last night. Let’s just say that vicodan is our friend! (DH’s surgery went well, but the healing is gonna be brutal!)
When is the next one?..I’ll calendar it now!!
I learned English first and am glad I did, although I didn’t learn to *love* to knit until I taught myself continental. I’ll admit, learning to knit continental was a slow process, but most definitely worth it. Stick to it Lynda and soon you’ll learn to love it!
I gave up trying. I’m comfortable with my throwing, my stitches are even, and I just decided it doesn’t matter how I knit, as long as I knit.
I’m a thrower, and think I “should” learn continental for it’s speed. But then, some of the absolutely fastest knitters I’ve ever seen are throwers. The bottom line is that I hate purling continental, and so do most “pickers” that I’ve talked to. As a thrower, I actually don’t find purling any less enjoyable than knitting. Having said that, it makes a world of difference to at least know the knit stitch both ways if you ever do fair isle style knitting.
I was taught to throw, and converted myself (and others) to continental before I even knew that there was different styles of knitting. I taught a group of people to knit, and it does seem easier to teach continental, but I might be biased since it is my preferred method. I would say not to worry about speed and to just enjoy your knitting, but….on the other hand you should definitely come over the cool side where us continentals are. LOL!
p.s. I’m not sure how you learn best…If your a visual person watching and re-watching the videos over at knittinghelp.com could help. Or if you need hands on, I’d be happy to help out next time I see ya!)
you know, i still don’t know how i knit! it doesn’t look continental, nor does it look english. add the fact that i knit in reverse, it’s all very confusing. but at the end of the day i have knitted fabric, so i guess something’s working!
I’m a thrower-but-wannabe-continental knitter too. I finally got the knit stitch down, but the purl stitch is kicking me in the butt. so I switch back to my throwing/flicking (flicking is the faster version of throwing!). =)
As for teaching, if the student isn’t either 1) left-handed or 2) a crocheter, I find that the throwing method is easiest to learn/teach. Otherwise, continental is great for left-handers and crocheters (who already know how to hold the yarn with the left hand). Just my 2 cents. =) Have a great weekend!
I learned to knit by throwing, then later taught myself to knit Continental, so I could do color work. Every time I try to knit an entire project Continental style, I drop stitches and get frustrated at the slowness of it and my purling is difficult. So I revert to throwing. For myself, I think I just need to have patience to be able to knit well both ways. It has come in handy when I have taught a crocheter to knit and a left handed friend to knit. I have been knitting for 40 years and old habits are hard to break! Have you seen the Peruvian way to knit, with the yarn around your neck and using your thumbs to move the stitches instead of your finger? That looks like it would ease some of the tension I get from knitting now in my old age. Also, Annie Modesitt has a very different way to knit that seems very fast. She has examples on her blog. I believe there is no right or wrong way to knit, but whatever is comfortable for you is right. I do like to learn different methods and am thinking of giving them a good try. I’ll have to remember that learning something new is a process and not get frustrated at the slowness of it. Hope to see pictures of all the girls in their hoodies, especially yours.
I’ll stick with throwing. My brain’s gotten used to it. (and confusing my brain is not recommended)
It’s funny: continental feels rather awkward when I do it, and my gauge is loose. But I feel comfortable knitting 2-handed FI, and the gauge is pretty even. Kaity rocked on Knitty Gritty, btw.
I learned to “throw” but changed over when I heard continental was faster. I do not recommend doing this mid-project-you get a funny line across your work. Or at least I did. Anyway, there’s no way I’m going back.
Just do it :~) You’ll quiet that little voice in your head, and then you can make an informed decision about which way you like best.
Oh, I’m a wanna-be continental knitter too. I can perform the movements to make the stitch, but it’s so slow and awkward. I keep telling myself that one day I’m going to do a whole dishcloth continental style until I get it.
I actually took Annie Modesitt’s class on Combined Knitting, which does make it easier to purl continental style. But it makes the stitches sit “backwards” on your needle and it doesn’t work for knitting in the round.
I know I’m quick and even with my slopping right handed throwing, but it just chafes me that I can’t do as well with the continental. It’s like being left out of “the cool kids” in junior high. I want to sit at the continental knitter’s table, darn it!
I would teach continental. I wish I would have learned that way!
I keep trying to learn it but it is so incredibly slow! I have finally gotten sorta quick in the english method. (at least that is what people who see me knit say) My daughter who taught me to knit is convinced there is no difference in speed in the 2 methods…I beg to differ with her.
I’d teach them both and let them do what’s most comfortable. I learned English first, and am the most comfortable that way. I’m very dominant with my right hand though.
I don’t know which method would be better to teach a new knitter. I’m a thrower, and I often wish I had learned Continental first, but I’m so firmly entrenched in the throwing at this point that I always fail when I try to knit the other way. I can knit continentally fine, but like others, purling that way is awfully hard for me. So, I’m probably always gonna be a thrower. Plus, I knit relatively fast in my own way.
Can’t wait to see your CPH!!!
I suppose you could show them both methods and let them try both to see what they prefer…
I’m not entirely sure what way I knit. A friend of mind (keep in mind that she is a non-knitter) once told me that I knit wrong – because I didn’t do it the way her grandmother did…sheesh.
I think it’s important to let people use what works best for them. Sometimes one way doesn’t work and knitting doesn’t click for them until they try another way.
As for which is faster; It has to do with the knitter and not the style. I am a thrower and I think I’m fairly fast. I also know really slow throwers as well as plenty of continental knitters who knit much slower and looser knitters than I do. I’ve learned though, that it isn’t a race. There is no competition. If you’re getting the results you want, there really isn’t an issue.
If you do want to learn to knit continental just to see if you can in fact get faster at knitting, I would recommend picking up a project (don’t switch in the middle of a project!) and knitting it all continental. Just remember how long it took you to learn to knit english and get to the point where you were really confident and smooth at it. It will take almost that long to get there with continental.
I’m a thrower and unashamed (although I can knit both ways) ! I even have to pinch my yarn to keep my tension even. I knit pretty quickly in spite of that. I think you should teach the way you feel the most comfortable knitting.
I don’t have an opinion on the knitting method question. But, I just wanted to tell you how funny I think this is: “Look at me go… I’m knitting so fast I’m a blur…. not.” That just got to me. 🙂
We teach beginners English at the shop. It seems like they can “get” that quicker than Continental.
Amy
I don’t think I need to tell you what I think…but in the end, it’s the knitting that counts.
I think you should show them the way you knit it all the time and then show them how continental knitters knit–then let them choose the one that feels more comfortable to them.
I’m a thrower too, and for the longest time before I mastered it, it was the height of knitting chic to me because my mum knit like that in such a ladylike manner 🙂 As for speed, throwing can be quite fast too. I’m afraid I gave up trying to learn continental, although I did learn to knit by feel and not by sight, so I can technically knit stockinette in the dark – why I might need that skill I haven’t figured out yet!
Have you decided yet?
I wish I’d learned Continental in the beginning but learned the “throw” method instead. I tried many times over the years to learn Continental. I just couldn’t get the hang of it and it reeeeally hurt my left hand. I too, was lured by the appeal of knitting faster and so one day I decided I was going to do it. I got big needles (not HUGE big but about size 10) and set out to make a garter stitch scarf for practice. I have arthritis in my hands and it really hurt – but eventually it stopped and I completed the scarf. Now I prefer Continental but for me it really depends on the project because sometimes Continental is just too fiddly for some stitches and so I will often switch methods mid row – which probably messes with my gauge – but since I live on the edge and don’t swatch I figure it doesn’t matter. I call what I do “scooping” and it works for purling too and is especially faster for stockinette but also works really well for ribbing. It does seat the knit stitches differently but it works. The combination method AM teaches is really awkward to me but have you seen how fast she is?!! And speaking of fast – wow you’re Wonder Woman – heh, heh…
Which ever way they are more comfortable holding the yarn. I knit in a combination of English and Continental. I weave the yarn over my right hand, in between my ring and middle finger, then over my pointer finger. My pointer finger does all the work. Also I pick the stitches of the left needle while I knit. I really should tape it! I’ve tried continental, but got frustrated because I wasn’t as fast.
Look at you go girl, knit knit knit! 😀
Lynda–I swear we’re twins. I throw as well but would love to learn continental. Like you I try continuously to teach myself but it just feels so awkward. My sister (and knitting guru) assures me that continental should be easy for me since I was a crocheter first—NOT. She also assures me that my knitting will be looser with continental—again–NOT. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll keep trying and will figure it out eventually.
All that said, if you feel you can teach continental then I say go for it! I’m not sure I could teach it to anyone since I still have so much trouble with it.
Congrats on the progress on your CPH. Can’t wait to see the group photo.
You know, when I try to knit continental style, I seem to get my stitches backward on the needle. I’m not sure why or how. But I have found it to be a nice way to knit fairisle…I knit with my left hand continental holding one yarn, and traditionally with my right hand holding the other yarn. Somehow, it works for me!
I agree with one of the other commenters that I would show the newbies how you normally knit, but then mention that there is another option and show them that. Maybe you could even suggest that they may want to experiment to see what works best for them, as there are so many different combinations.
Do you ever watch Knitty Gritty? From that show, I really learned that all kinds of great knitters knit differently. I knit oddly, but similar to a few of the designers they have on the show – I throw, but with my left hand. So not quite continental, but not english either.
I learned to knit the “Wong way” of knitting 2 years ago at a LYS. I have since converted to continental knitting, however I still find that purling the “Wong way” is so much quicker, and the tension in the fabric is much better when I purl that way. Crazy~I know, but it works for me. You could always give the students a choice since you know both ways….