No, not breakfast, but knitting! I have used the English knitting method for years, nearly forty in fact. I finished my latest crochet project last week - a dismembered rabbit is awaiting safety eyes and stuffing - and I fancied doing some knitting. I also want to knit using the continental method; my great-grandmother had French antecedents and apparently her needles flew. For some reason, maybe patriotic, my Mum was taught the English method which she passed onto me. I am very comfortable using it, but I am ready for a new challenge.
I had some sunshine yellow cotton yarn in my stash so I decided on knitting a washcloth. I have fancied knitting my own for a while, and the patterns are very simple, just purl and knit with no fiddly bits. I found a good pattern on Ravelry here. I also found video tutorials for the knit and purl stitches. In the end I decided to jump in the deep end and learn the Norwegian Purl first. This keeps the yarn at the back of the work, so ribbing is much easier. It is a bit tricky to learn, and I couldn't get on with any of the video tutorials - it all happened much too fast. However, I did find some useful pictures at the end of this article here.
Here are the results so far. I did the first three rows of moss stitch English style, and the rest is continental. The continental knitting is pretty loose! However, even now I am fairly quick on the knit stitches. I have a feeling this may become my knitting style of choice!
So, what do other knitters out there prefer? Do you stick to one method, or chop and change?
I am English through and through, although I have read about Continental. It does look a little complicated but funnily enough, I glanced around the other ladies knitting with me at the chapel Craft Club on Friday just to see if everyone was knitting English-style - and we were! I dare say that if I had someone at my side to keep me straight, I might manage it, the way I learned with the crochet. Please show us the finished article when you get it done - I'd love to see it xx
ReplyDeleteI don't know anyone else in the "real world" who knits using the continental method. Apparently it was more common earlier in the twentieth century, then during the War people took up English knitting as it is more "patriotic". Lesley
DeleteThat IS interesting. I have never heard of a different style of knitting. I will have to study this
ReplyDeleteGill
The main difference is that you knit with the wool in your LEFT hand. It is supposed to be much quicker. The knit stitches certainly are, I am still playing around with purl! Lesley
DeleteContinental for me. I find the English to be cumbersome. However interestingly enough we don't know where I learned it from....I just picked up needles and went with it in that fashion when I was a girl. No one else in my family knits continental style. My grandmamma used to swear it was a genetic memory because that was how her grandmamma knit.
ReplyDeleteThat is unusual, and very impressive that you managed to teach yourself to knit as a girl. I have vivid memories of my first project, (a bright red scarf in garter stitch), and quite how big the holes were! Lesley
DeleteGuess I should confess I crochet weird, too...lol. It may have something to do with the fact that I am ambidextrous. The down side is that it is horrible trying to match a suggested gauge on a pattern and almost always I have to rework something.
DeleteI do a sort of mix of both, I hold the yarn in my right hand, and flick it over the needle, without letting go of the knitting in my right. It is good to challenge yourself. Jo x
ReplyDeleteYou should do your own Youtube tutorials. Maybe you should call it the Channel method, where England meets the Continent!
DeleteI am still practicing continental knitting, but have not tried doing the purl stitch yet. I am enjoying the knitting stitch thus far though. Thanks for the links, Leslie. Hope you and yours have a happy weekend:)
ReplyDeleteThank you Gracie! Purl isn't too bad - I'm sure you'll find it easy.
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