Left-handed knitters...

[Holly in FL]

Did you learn to knit the "regular way" or did you learn to knit using a left-handed method? There is a young girl in church that wants to learn to knit, but it left-handed. I told her mother I could help her, but since I'm right-handed...it would be as a right-handed person. Does that really matter in knitting?

 

Thanks for any advice.

~Holly

[Heather in AL]

I learned as a righty. I figured it would be way easier for someone to help me when I got stuck. It really wasn't difficult.

 

Over the years, I have found that when learning something totally new like that, it doesn't matter (for me) if it's a "right v. left" thing, as it's a new skill set. Someone who is *very* much a lefty may have a more difficult time of it though, but if the girl is willing to learn as a righty, then that's what I would teach her.

 

Just my $.02 :001_smile:

[Dinsfamily]

I'm a very dominant lefty and learned to knit from a right-handed woman. I knit the same way a righty would and it's easy for me. I think it's because both hands are doing something which makes it more of an ambidextrous activity. If I do anything different, it came naturally during the learning process and I've never noticed. I've since taught many righties to knit without any trouble.

 

My mom has always been a crocheter and never could teach me. It's dominated by one hand and I couldn't reverse her directions.

[Heather in AL]

I'm a very dominant lefty and learned to knit from a right-handed woman. I knit the same way a righty would and it's easy for me. I think it's because both hands are doing something which makes it more of an ambidextrous activity. If I do anything different, it came naturally during the learning process and I've never noticed. I've since taught many righties to knit without any trouble.

 

My mom has always been a crocheter and never could teach me. It's dominated by one hand and I couldn't reverse her directions.

 

Wow.. How interesting. I tried to learn to crochet by using a 'how to' book and never could 'get it'. My dd picked up the same book and just took off with it. I can't even learn from her... I never thought about the 'both hands' thing before, so I wonder if that's the cause for me, even though I was trying to learn as a 'righty'. Oh, and I'm pretty ambidextrous (I'm right hand dominant when doing 'detailed nit-picky' things like getting splinters, doing puzzles, etc), so I was 'put out' that I couldn't learn to crochet. :glare:

[unsinkable]

You know if you read the title quickly, it looks like "Left handed kitties." :lol:

[mommaduck]

I knit the way it shows in books...I'm guessing that is the "right handed way". Knitting was easier for me than crochet, because I'm pretty well ambidextrous. There is no need to really learn to "do it backwards" like there is with crochet. Granted though, I do hold my yarn in my hand a bit differently though.

[Holly in FL]

Thanks, everyone.

 

~Holly

[Lady Florida.]

I'm able to do a lot of things right handed, but knitting isn't one of them. I tried for years. I was told that lefties learn to knit Continental, which is really just holding the yarn in your left hand. Your right hand is still the one doing the work. I got so frustrated, and decided I'd never be able to knit. I figured I'd just stick to crochet.

 

Then I found this site

http://www.lefthandedknitting.net/

 

Here's a sample

 

 

I spent the $25 for the video and it's been so worth it! She shows a few different ways to cast on, knit, and purl left handed. True left handed knitting is working the yarn from the right needle to the left. It's having your left hand be the one that actually does the work.

 

If the girl can learn to knit right handed, as many lefties can, then that's great. If she can't and gets frustrated, rather than let her give up, have her try to learn to knit left handed.

[Sweetbeebie]

I looked at and tried both ways, settling on left handed. I learned how from video's on Youtube...lol:) As funny as that sounds it worked, they have every stitch and technique you'll every need.

[In the Rain]

My very left handed dd learned to knit at 7 or 8. My mom considered teaching her a left handed way (continental?), but the owners of the yarn shop convinced us regular knitting was the way to go. I think it was because specialty patterns and books are written for right handed knitters and are difficult to reverse.

[SeekingSimplicity]

I learned to knit English, Left Handed. It mirrors English right handed knitting. I couldn't knit right handed to save my soul. I taught myself to knit from a book that had lots of pics in it for both left and right. They recommended trying continental first, but that's just holding your yarn in the left hand, it's not left handed knitting and I couldn't do it at all.

But the book was really good, I had no trouble learning from it. Gave to my right handed dd at the age of 6 and between it and my helping her she learned to knit quite well. So getting a book with pics might help. I see there's also a lot of videos on left handed knitting on youtube that might be helpful

[Danestress]

which is what I think you mean by when you talk about the lefty way. But lots of right handed women also knit Continental. I think it's preferable in a number of ways, not the least of which is that most people can knit faster with that method. It does take a little more work to learn to control the yarn tension.

[Holly in FL]

which is what I think you mean by when you talk about the lefty way. But lots of right handed women also knit Continental. I think it's preferable in a number of ways, not the least of which is that most people can knit faster with that method. It does take a little more work to learn to control the yarn tension.

 

I am a Continental knitter, also. That's why I was thinking I could help her out if she decides to knit using the Continental method instead of knitting as a lefty (putting the left needle into the stitch) and "throwing" with your left hand. I saw videos on YouTube...so, I'll suggest to the mom to look there. I first suggested knittinghelp.com since that's the site I used to learn. I think she'll figure out what is best for her.

 

Thanks!

~Holly

[Lady Florida.]

They recommended trying continental first, but that's just holding your yarn in the left hand, it's not left handed knitting and I couldn't do it at all.

 

 

Exactly. That's not left handed knitting, period. I felt like such a failure because it was supposed to be easy for lefties to learn Continental. For me it was just as frustrating as English. I can't tell you how excited I was when I found out it was possible to knit truly left handed.

 

I wonder if the books you have are the same as the ones I have. They're called I Taught Myself Knitting, and I Taught Myself to Crochet. They're inexpensive books that I found at Wal Mart. Both have left handed sections, with pictures. They've been tremendously helpful to me. And because they have both left and right handed instructions, I was able to share them with my niece, a righty who wants to learn to both knit and crochet.

[mommaduck]

I think it depends on if you are fully lefthanded or if you lefthanded, but semi-ambidextrous (aka, you do some things with your left, like writing, and some things with your right, like using scissors).

[Matryoshka]

Knitting is an ambidexterous activity. I am a righty, and was taught by a lefty. She did teach me contiental style, but that's because she was German, not because she was a lefty. The yarn still goes from the left needle to the right, as with "regular" knitting - I think continental is a more efficient method for knitters of either handedness, but I may be bialsed. ;) Yes, the yarn is held in the left hand, but you don't have to "wrap" it around the needle, you hook the needle around the yarn, so there's much less movement of the hands - you never take them off the needles - and the tension is more even because each stitch isn't individually wrapped.

 

I did discover years after I learned that I cast on "backwards" - my teacher must've reversed it because she's a lefty, but then she didn't reverse it back for me. :tongue_smilie: Then I went on to teach scads of people to cast on this way (at this point I couldn't reverse it if I tried), and no one's had a bit of trouble, even though it's with the "wrong" hand, and even though righties actually have a harder time working with their non-dominant hand. Since you're using both hands, it really doesn't matter either way!

[Dinsfamily]

I think it depends on if you are fully lefthanded or if you lefthanded, but semi-ambidextrous (aka, you do some things with your left, like writing, and some things with your right, like using scissors).

 

I didn't realized how left-handed I am until I married dh who is a more ambidextrous lefty. I have taught myself to cut and use a can opener with my right hand but it took a lot of work. I prefer left-handed scissors when they are available. I was pretty surprised when knitting came so easily since crocheting was such a bust.

 

Knitting is an ambidexterous activity. I am a righty, and was taught by a lefty. She did teach me contiental style, but that's because she was German, not because she was a lefty. The yarn still goes from the left needle to the right, as with "regular" knitting - I think continental is a more efficient method for knitters of either handedness, but I may be bialsed. ;) Yes, the yarn is held in the left hand, but you don't have to "wrap" it around the needle, you hook the needle around the yarn, so there's much less movement of the hands - you never take them off the needles - and the tension is more even because each stitch isn't individually wrapped.

 

I did discover years after I learned that I cast on "backwards" - my teacher must've reversed it because she's a lefty, but then she didn't reverse it back for me. :tongue_smilie: Then I went on to teach scads of people to cast on this way (at this point I couldn't reverse it if I tried), and no one's had a bit of trouble, even though it's with the "wrong" hand, and even though righties actually have a harder time working with their non-dominant hand. Since you're using both hands, it really doesn't matter either way!

 

It doesn't seem like casting on would matter so much. Do you just have to switch the needle to the other hand when you're finished?

[happypamama]

I have two IRL friends who are left-handed knitters; one of them is on here, so maybe she'll see this and speak up. One knits exactly the way I do (continental) and does not reverse things; the other does reverse things, I think. When I asked them about teaching the girls at our co-op, they said for lefties, have the child sit facing you, so that she sees things reversed.

[Matryoshka]

It doesn't seem like casting on would matter so much. Do you just have to switch the needle to the other hand when you're finished?

 

The way I cast on is actually very one-handed - I don't use the knit-on method. I think it's called the

. Apparently everyone but me (and the people I've corrupted ;)) holds the yarn in the left hand and the needle in the right - I hold the yarn in the right and the needle in the left.

[mommaduck]

The way I cast on is actually very one-handed - I don't use the knit-on method. I think it's called the

. Apparently everyone but me (and the people I've corrupted ;)) holds the yarn in the left hand and the needle in the right - I hold the yarn in the right and the needle in the left.

 

Then I must cast on backwards also. I hold the needle in my left and my yarn in the right if I'm doing an "e" cast on. If I do the long tail cast on, then I reverse...needle in right and yarn in left.

 

I just do whatever is easiest. With everything, I have to think about which hand would be my best for that project.

[mommaduck]

A friend just told me about Portuguese knitting.

Check out the video...seems much simpler!

 

 

[~Amanda~]

I learned how to knit left-handed. But I'm self taught, and didn't think about how difficult it would be, re some patterns. If I had to go back, I would try to do it right handed, or "the right way" just to see if I could do it. It was difficult to learn in the first place.

[Momling]

My 8 yr old leftie loves to knit and I honestly have no idea how she does it since I didn't teach her! I'm going to have to check it out.

[Peela]

I am left handed but knit handed but sort of wonky. I cant hold both needles in the air- I have to jam the right hand one into my thigh for stability. I have been told Europeans knit like that, but its not how i was taught- its just how I managed. I was taught by right handers- I have no idea why I knit right handed though- it must have been more comfortable.

[Heather in AL]

I am left handed but knit handed but sort of wonky. I cant hold both needles in the air- I have to jam the right hand one into my thigh for stability. I have been told Europeans knit like that, but its not how i was taught- its just how I managed. I was taught by right handers- I have no idea why I knit right handed though- it must have been more comfortable.

 

Uh, I do this, too. :001_cool: It was the only way I could get a neat row of stitches. You know, my leftie's way of adapting! :tongue_smilie:

 

And, in the interest of full disclosure, I should probably say that my 'knitting' never got any farther than potholders. But what *pretty* potholders they were! :lol: (I haven't knitted in so long, I probably couldn't cast on to save my life!!)