Everyone knows that knitting English is inefficient: you hold the yarn in your right hand and have to grip both needles with your left while you let go with your right to throw the yarn around the working needle. The fact that it’s not nearly as quick or tidy as knitting Continental is obvious at first glance. But it’s how I was taught, so it’s what I can do. I can knit while watching telly, I can knit in the dark, and — when I’m very very tired — I can knit with my eyes shut, half asleep, only awake enough to keep that lovely rhythmic movement going. Click clack, click clack…
Every now and again, I decide I’m going switch and start knitting Continental, but I’ve never had any success. I go from flying through my knitting to feeling like a complete beginner again, taking each stitch slowly, having to really look at every move as I try to pull the yarn through, whilst my tension descends into chaos. I get incredibly frustrated, give up, and go back to throwing my yarn with speed and ease from my right hand.
I tried again today and I did nearly a whole row in Continental. I was very pleased with myself! I got through probably 100 stitches before I gave myself a break and switched back to English — a good start I felt… maybe I’d try again on the next row. I turned the work and purled back. When I hit the stitches that I’d knitted Continental, I discovered all the loops were backwards and I had to turn each one before I could work it. My progress slowed to a crawl, and I wondered why I’d even bothered.
I must be doing something wrong. Is it worth trying again? I’ve been knitting English in inefficient bliss for nearly 20 years. Maybe I should just stick with what I know…
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November 19, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Gina
Why fix what isn’t broken? I think it’s nice when people try new techniques, but I also think it’s nice when people are comfortable in what they already know. It’s great that you are wanting to learn, though!
November 19, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Abigail
I only knit the way you are trying to learn. I keep trying to learn to throw so I can do two-handed colorwork but I am really bad at it. My gauge goes all wonky :-/
Now: I have heard of this thing you are speaking of with stitches oriented incorrectly on the needle. For future reference, you should be able to knit through the back loop to get the stitch properly made rather than manually switching each loop.
Another thing is that you could be putting the yarn around the needle in the wrong direction when you try Continental. I don’t know how to explain it but you can try “picking” from the opposite direction. and that might get the stitches oriented correctly.
I personally am way faster doing what I know than what I don’t, but there do seem to be some advantages to knowing both methods.
November 20, 2007 at 3:06 am
Cathy-Cate
I agree with what Abigail’s saying. What you discovered is really common when starting to knit Continental; the seemingly easier, more intuitive way to purl is to ‘pick’ so that the working yarn wraps clockwise around your right needle. But if you do that, the stitch is ‘mounted’ differently on the left needle when you get back to it. All you have to do is knit into the open part of the stitch (see this tutorial,
http://www.anniemodesitt.com/knit.html
and you’re doing what’s called Combination knitting!
But if you want the purl stitch oriented the way we’re used to, you need to pick in such a way that the yarn wraps counter-clockwise around the right needle, which is a little less intuitive (see these great videos):
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knit-stitch
And, yes, you shouldn’t feel guilty if you don’t like it and it’s not for you! But it is so handy to know both techniques for colorwork. SO VERY handy!
November 20, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Strawberry
Abigail and Cathy-Cate, thanks for the advice! I will give it another go soon and see if I can get those stitches to sit straight this time. And I’ll look up this Combination knitting so at least I don’t have to turn everyone around if I get it wrong.
Abigail, it’s so funny to hear you say you have trouble knitting English. To me, it’s soooo easy! LOL. It’s all in what you know, isn’t it?
C-C, thank you for the links! They look very useful.
Gina, yeah, there’s that little part of me that also says why fix what ain’t broken.
At least I know that if I *can’t* master Continental, I can just carry on happily knitting English as I always have! 
November 20, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Abigail
Strawberry, good luck sorting it out
I think it’s fine to stick with what you know but I really wish I could get the hang of throwing because I think it would make colorwork easier.
You should learn the Norwegian Purl too for an extra-special twist on knitting
It’s a weird way to purl so that you can keep the needle and yarn in the same position they are for knitting (handy for 1×1 ribbing so you don’t have to keep moving the yarn forward and back, forward and back).
November 21, 2007 at 9:58 am
Gina
Strawberry, I hope you didn’t take my comment as a lack of understanding.
I’d love to be able to knit English, but I just can’t. I would be so convenient to know both ways, and it would help me teach my friends how to knit - to give them options, ya know. Maybe some day I’ll give English another try, but for now I’m content with continental.
November 21, 2007 at 10:51 am
Strawberry
No no no, Gina, don’t worry. I understood what you meant.
You and I can relax — and revel in the glorious knitting divas that we already are! 
