Continental knitting is the process of knitting with the yarn in your left hand, as opposed to the right hand. Because continental knitting cuts down on the actual number of hand motions you have to do it is often preferred by people who knit a lot or do so professionally. It is certainly more efficient, but fell out of favor during WW1 and WW2 since it was also knows as German knitting - war extends even to yarn at times it seems.
Continental knitting is very easy to learn for those with some experience with crotchet methods since the motion is similar. In continental knitting the right wrist is employed to slip the right needle into the stitch and the scoop the yarn onto the right needle. The needle in the right hand can be held a little like a pencil grip, which can be a bit of a transition from both English knitting and crochet. These days most people will hold both needles under the palm instead.
Continental knitting will take a little getting used to, but it is much faster and more efficient than the right handed or english method once you get the hang of it. You will still do the same stitches, knits and purls, it's just that the location of the yarn and how you pick up the yarn on the right needle has changed. It actually requires less hand motion overall, making for faster knitting with less movement.
No comments:
Post a Comment