This is not what I do. So far, I hate knitting continental. Anyone have any tricks to make me like it more?
It's supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow and I've still got three (relatively wintery) Christmas gifts to finish. Two are almost done and then there's this one....
4 comments:
I've only ever done it when doing colorwork (which is it's own reward?) so I don't know if I can give you helpful advice. Though I would love to hear advice from others!!
Are you having problems with something in particular, or just feeling slower in general? I know getting the tension right with the yarn in my left hand always felt funny, but eventually I'd let me fingers take over (ala EZ) and it would work?
All things considered, I think it's probably faster than English, although the stitches are a lot sloppier. But I think what I don't like comes from a combination of a few things: I can't figure out how to hold the yarn in my left hand so that I don't have to rewrap it every 20 or so stitches (when I knit English, the yarn just naturally pulls out of the ball so I never have to stop to rewrap it around my fingers); I have to focus too much on what I'm doing, which I shouldn't have to do just to knit stockinette; and the motion doesn't feel as productive to me as the English motion. (I know that last one makes no sense. But it doesn't feel as satisfying to me.)
I am going to try letting my fingers take over and see how that goes.
It really is like learning to knit all over again, which is pretty annoying. Maybe I will try when I pick up my baby sweater (maybe tonight? Umm, maybe.) and can share hints and/or frustrations with you.
I made the switch a long time ago when someone showed me how to knit continental style and I never looked back. Now when I have to knit English for a few stitches for color changes I have a terrible time. I guess it just takes practice, but once you get the feel of holding the tension over your left fingers and "dipping" the needle around the yarn with your right hand, it really is faster and the tension is more even than having to readjust with every stitch you cast over with the right hand.
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