The Knitters Thread

mrs-moneypenny

im sure a knitter would be more than happy to refresh your memory.
im left handed so hold my needles in a really weird (but it suits me) way. a knitter at the hairdressers saw me and insisted on giving me advice to hold them properly. i did try honest but once shed gone i soon lapsed back into my unorthodox style. i must remember not to get my knitting out if she's in there again.
I appreciated her help and would love to hold it properly just with so many years of being a self taught lefty its hard to swap.

Purple_kitten

Thats a very good point as I am a leftie in a right handed world too:rotfl:

iQueen

Purple_kitten wrote: »

Thanks Mrs Moneypenny I hadn't thought of those, thou I have to admit I would be a bit embarrassed at the moment knowing literally nothing:o

I am hoping when I start some of what my mum taught me will come flowing back...:o.

We ALL started from 'literally knowing nothing'! And most of us are still learning new tricks! :rotfl:

People LURVE it when you ask for their help, so don't be shy about asking anyone who knits, to show you how.

If you are determined to learn in secret, buy a cheap 100g ball of Double Knitting yarn and a pair of 4mm knitting needles.

Check out English style knitting AND the Continental 'picking' style on YouTube. Adopt whichever style you find easiest, but LEARN both - it is really useful when you decide to try Fair Isle knitting! As a leftie, you may prefer the continental method.

Practise, practise, practise.

Buy the booklet Patons Woolcraft: The Basic Guide to Knitting and Crochet from Ebay - about £5 or less, inc postage. It has been regularly published since the early 1900's, and is always more or less the same. It clearly shows how to make the stitches, lots of special techniques, loads of basic patterns. It's been my handy little bible since 1985.

Using the booklet and YouTube, practise, and play with your wool and needles. Do some ribbing, try a lacy stitch, try a cable, casting on and binding off. When you feel confident knit something, small-ish and not too ambitious (unless you are really feeling confident!), like a baby sweater, a hat (knitted flat and seamed) or a scarf in non-fancy, non-fluffy yarn - plenty of patterns in the booklet. It may be easy but it will give you the confidence to tackle something bigger and perhaps with more interesting stitches.

A little bit later, learn how to knit 'in the round'. Knit a pair of socks - it's all in the booklet. Lots of modern patterns are now knitted ITR on circular needles, which means less seaming! It's also useful to knit crew necks on sweaters with a circular needle or a set of Double Pointed Needles [DPNs], so there is no ugly join.

Join Raverly - MASSES of free patterns (or paid for), to give you more incentive.

Come back here, if you hit a snag, or want advice - we'll help! Or just to chat knitting!

Best wishes.

iQueen

mrs-moneypenny wrote: »

im left handed so hold my needles in a really weird (but it suits me) way. a knitter at the hairdressers saw me and insisted on giving me advice to hold them properly. i did try honest but once shed gone i soon lapsed back into my unorthodox style. i must remember not to get my knitting out if she's in there again.
I appreciated her help and would love to hold it properly just with so many years of being a self taught lefty its hard to swap.

But not impossible!

I would have bet a large sum of money (if I'd had it!) that I would definitely NOT be able to change my way of knitting, after more than 60 years.. So, I am amazed, not only to have done it, but to have done it so very easily and quickly.

It shouldn't be such a surprise really: if we find a new, easier, more comfortable way of doing anything, and we get the same quality results, we will adapt.

I posted recently that I had learned to knit the continental way - 'picking' the yarn rather than the English method of 'throwing' it. It, took me just a few minutes to get the hang of it, and after knitting a baby hat, my tension was fine. So, I knitted a pair of socks using that method, and although I knit at a relaxed pace, the socks were finshed much quicker than using the English method. I was not aware of knitting faster - it's just that the movements are smaller and more efficient.

It didn't occur to me till I read that you are a leftie: I think you would find it really easy to change to this method, as the yarn is held and tensioned on the left. Here are a couple of vidoes you might like to look at. 1 and 2 (NB, I do not extend my forefinger, I keep it relaxed, near the left needle (as mentioned in video 1), except when purling.)

One advantage of learning this new method is that I can now swap between the two methods depending on which is more comfortable for my arthritic hands and wrists.

Give it a try - you might like it!

BTW, I think I've met that woman in the hairdresser's! :rotfl:

I wonder what makes her think that her way is the right way? Next time, confound her by 'picking' your stitches, and telling her that she's holding her work the wrong way! :beer:

azzabazza

iQueen wrote: »

I posted recently that I had learned to knit the continental way - 'picking' the yarn rather than the English method of 'throwing' it. It, took me just a few minutes to get the hang of it, and after knitting a baby hat, my tension was fine. So, I knitted a pair of socks using that method, and although I knit at a relaxed pace, the socks were finshed much quicker than using the English method. I was not aware of knitting faster - it's just that the movements are smaller and more efficient.

One advantage of learning this new method is that I can now swap between the two methods depending on which is more comfortable for my arthritic hands and wrists.

Might try this iQueen. I have rheumatoid arthritis and sometimes find it too painful to knit.

Do you have a link to the videos?

mrs-moneypenny

thank you iqueen, i will take a look

iQueen

azzabazza wrote: »

Might try this iQueen. I have rheumatoid arthritis and sometimes find it too painful to knit.

Do you have a link to the videos?

The links are in my post 8055, just below yours. Number is in top right corner.

If you look carefully you can see the numbers 1 and 2 in blue, which are the links, in the fifth paragraph. (After I post this, I'll try to edit the other post and change the links to red.) Couldn't alter the colour of the links, so look for the red 'and' between them.

If you give it a try for a couple of days, you'll have it licked. Mind you, I still go for the right hand, when I pick up my knitting, and have to remind myself! The actual movements are now second nature. I'm totally amazed.

azzabazza

iQueen wrote: »

The links are in my post 8055, just below yours. Number is in top right corner.

If you look carefully you can see the numbers 1 and 2 in blue, which are the links, in the fifth paragraph. (After I post this, I'll try to edit the other post and change the links to red.) Couldn't alter the colour of the links, so look for the red 'and' between them.

If you give it a try for a couple of days, you'll have it licked. Mind you, I still go for the right hand, when I pick up my knitting, and have to remind myself! The actual movements are now second nature. I'm totally amazed.

Thanks again, see it now. Must have missed it first time round due to poor lighting (not admitting that the eyesight not what it was!!!) :doh:

Edited to say I have had a look at the clips and have now saved to my favourites. Will have a proper look and practice once I dig out some knitting needles and a bit of odd wool. Many thanks again.

gayleygoo

Purple_kitten wrote: »

Thanks Mrs Moneypenny I hadn't thought of those, thou I have to admit I would be a bit embarrassed at the moment knowing literally nothing:o

I am hoping when I start some of what my mum taught me will come flowing back...:o.

I say go ahead and ask someone who knits to teach you - I am thrilled when someone wants to learn, and I get to share knowledge and wool and maybe get a new knitting buddy! Learning to knit can be slow and frustrating at times, most experienced knitters should remember how they struggled too and will be patient with you. Then it will click and you'll wonder why you never learned it before

[Deleted User]

I had an e mail from garnstudio today and they have lovely free patterns for spring/summer 2014. Not all are ready to download yet but will be soon and I have downloaded 3 so far, I think they are gorgeous and I do like the fine featherweight cardis and tops. I second ravelry btw, such a fantastic site and resource
http://www.garnstudio.com/new-collection.php?cid=19

I am in the throes of knitting to try and reduce my home spun yarn and I am making peabody.http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/peabody I love the fact that I can just enter the number of stitches per inch into ravelry and I get dozens of patterns to choose from

Everyone got socks from me this christmas, well I did get a tonne of regia sock yarn from kemps in a sale, I think it was about £1.90 a ball and about £8 retail. The yarn was a scarf that you just had to pull, so I just worked straight from the scarf. The yarn was thin and The needles thin too, so they took quite a while. I have a LOT left so may have a go at working the yarn doubled. Anyway the socks were lovely and well received

re knitting styles, I learnt from my dutch mum 60 years ago and I do a kind of short throw and when using straight needles then I use long ones that tuck in under my arms. I am a quick knitter that way but more and more patterns are using circular needles that I cannot tuck in, so I may well get to learn the continental way

Now that I am a certain age, I don`t worry about spending my savings and have put all my straight metal needles, which are at least 50 years old, to one side and have replaced them with expensive lantern moon and/or with karbonz as they are much kinder on my hands

Tomorrow I will spin again as I like to rotate activities since my thumb joints started to ache a few months ago. It stopped me short as these joints are very important to crafters, I now wear thumb gloves every single night, from cottonpatch and I never lift plates with just one hand. No pains any more, none at all but I am self aware