Whatever Pulls your String (through your loops!)

I’ve always found it really interesting that there are so many different ways people knit.

Even among people who knit in the “standard” direction (right to left), it seems like everyone does it a little differently.

I, of course, do things very differently. I knit “backwards”. It just always seemed more natural to me.

I am aware that some people have very strong feelings about the wrongness of this (though, in all honesty, I really don’t understand why it’s all that upsetting to them)

I am very comfortable with what I’m doing, and happy the results.

(In truth, I kind of think that left-handed knitting is in some ways more efficient and more common-sensical than the other, but maybe that’s just my right brain talking, eh?)

However, I have decided that, in order to be a more well-rounded knitter, that I should broaden my repertoire.

So, I am learning different (new to me) ways to knit.

This is an exercise in “knitting inclusiveness”.

My default knitting technique is probably best described as backwards continental.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLFvn3nWczs]

So, I’m working on

1. Backwards (lefthanded) English
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTwtObwnMh0]

2. Forwards (righthanded) Continental,
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uWpSi4XJNI]

3. Forwards (right handed) English
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2tOmgMIiYM]

It’s a challenge, but my hands are slowing getting the hang of it.

What I’m finding hardest is training my “throwing” hand (whether it is left or right) to keep a decent tension on the yarn so I can wrap it around the working needle.

My goal is to get proficient enough in all these styles to do two-colored knitting (one color in each hand) back and forth without turning.

Here’s how I’m doing so far- left to right:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph675QrTwNE]

and right to left:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv1_vJeyxI8]