How to Knit - Improving your Speed and Control in English Style Knitting

[jannetie]

Wow, this is the first time I've seen anyone knitting like this since I learned to knit actual garments more than 40 years ago, and it was an English friend who showed me. People who see me knitting think I'm knitting in the continental style (I can't get the hang of that - am much faster with English pencil style). As someone else mentioned, when the work gets too long, just keep your thumb under the work. When it gets really long (as in knitting a blanket), throw the work over your right arm.

[jenster181]

I never realized how a simple hand adjustment could make my knitting easier and faster. Thank you so much for this video!

[TheSalami123]

Great Instructions. Thanks so much I have been looking for this forever.

[lpspnp]

Just what I was looking for.

[shaylynarchuleta100]

btw good video

[shaylynarchuleta100]

u have to twist the needls to knit over hand i knit over hand and i twist! :) :D XD!

[haleygayle]

when you have a bigger peice thats longer and wider do you have a hard time knitting like that?

[Sunflower2590]

when I wrap the yarn around my fingers its too tight so my needles end up making annoying squeaky noises and I can't loosen up the yarn so I knit rather slowly. how do you loosen it smoothly so it doesn't interrupt the knitting?

[crimsonskye79]

@Sunflower2590 When you wrap the yarn around your finger it is to control the tension. So if your knitting is too tight, then your are holding too tight on the yarn when you are knitting and giving it too much tension. Loosen your grip on the yarn and let a bit more out as you are forming each stitch. Just keep watching different youtube videos and practicing and eventually you can get the hang of it.

[crimsonskye79]

@Sunflower2590 You can also try different ways of holding the yarn, there are several techniques so you can try all of them and see what works for you. If all else fails buy a knitting thimble, it is used to control tension, and/or to separate multiple colors of yarn. They are also known as a strickfingerhut. You can do a search here on youtube to see what they look like.

[MsPittston]

Thank you so much for your video. I am new knitter and I find my tension is tight and my hand hurts. Keep up the good work.

[Brown6Betty]

Thanks so much for this video. I am a continental knitter trying to learn English to increase my versatility, and until this video I had pretty much given up on managing it. Your method works for me in a way nothing else does.

[Kboiiiiii]

@Brown6Betty wait is the English method more versatile than continental method? I started with the English method but then switched to Continental because I felt it was much faster, could you explain how the English method is more versatile?

[Brown6Betty]

@Kboiiiiii No, not inherently more versatile, but being able to do both adds versatility, especially if you're working with two colours. You can do one in each hand! (I mean, theoretically.  I still haven't mastered it.)

[SabalonGlitz]

So what happens when the work gets longer than the space between the needle tip and the crook between the thumb and forefinger? It would seem that circle knitting would a little difficult this way. Just curious how you deal with that.

[jennie651]

Hey I used to knit like you first shown ... i took my whole hand off the needle... yes it was slower... much slower ... and my tension suffered... it was WAY LOOSE:-(( but guess what? it only took about a day of perseverance... knitting test square type stuff forcing myself to do the pencil hold method ... very slow at first but just keep trying !!!! and i was...am now knitting english method with the pencil grip!! My speed has improved and better yet my tension has improved outa sight!!! :-)

[4602x]

I've tried holding the right needle like a pencil as you suggested and I really like it- except that I can't figure out how to hold it that way once the knitting gets too long/wide. I always seem to have to switch back to holding it from the top once the knitting gets to a certain length and starts blocking my hand. How do you proceed holding it the pencil way for an entire project (if the project is wider than say a scarf.)

[b2crawler]

I have watched hundreds of knitting videos on YouTube and this is the best so far. I have been "throwing" but found it to be very slow. I think with a bit of practice with this style I can get much faster.

[ameko1ikiru]

I'm left handed, but I learned knitting the right hand way, and it's hard for me to hold it like a pencil because i don't hold a pencil at all in that hand :) I guess I'll have to stay with the overhand technique until i learn continental.... lol

[Ryles23]

Wonderful video, thank you. Having a lot of trouble with holding the yarn in a decent way to achieve even tension so I might try your interesting method. I guess it's all what feels right for one person!

[Zeqh]

Old habits die hard. I can't seem to pick up efficient knitting styles for the life of me!

[gypsyqueen64]

@Zeqh - Try the Eastern European method. The KnitWitch and others have video tutorials on it here on YouTube.

[lilsupernovaccc]

I crochet now, but when I was a little kid I did knitting. I stopped and for the life of me can't remember how to start up again. It does help to see someone knitting to figure it out again...

[sk8rrr1]

i have a really sharp needle and sometimes the needle splits the yarn and doesnt go in the loop and this REALLY slows me down......HELP!

[Verycuteyeah]

@sk8rrr1 I would sand it down with sandpaper if they are plastic or wood, or try and clip the end a tiny bit with metal cutters

[EmeraldTheatre]

You can't really hold the right needle like a pencil if you are making something with many stitches or...for instance...a beanie. Even then you could only really successfully use this method if you were making a scarf. Also you can throw your yarn with your left hand a lot easier than with your right and it uses less movement since you can just grab the yarn right off your left finger and pull it through with each stitch, you could even use the same method for regulating the tension of the yarn.

[kittenkong67]

@EmeraldTheatre I use the 'pencil grip' for all knitting - and it works just fine. It just ends up that you don't have the whole of the project between thumb and fore-finger - you have your thumb under the project on the right needle.

[SilverRod20]

This method has helped so much, but holding the needle like a pencil in the right hand makes no sense to me - it seems to take just as much time to move the yarn, and it's even clumsier to hold the needle when I'm trying to knit something with many rows worked. Otherwise, the way the yarn is held is much better for me than when I used to "throw" my work! So thank you!

[grahamas27]

I'm having the same problem as Rozikess.

[Rozikess]

I am making the Einstein Coat and I have 72 stitches on my needles. I tried your wrapping and holding the rt needle as a pencil, but how do you hold the needle as a pencil after so many stitches? Could you make a clip showing this? I think I got it but it feels weird and I can't move the stitches along on the rt needle like I did before with my thumb on top of the needle

[gypsyqueen64]

@Rozikess - Try the Eastern European method of knitting. It's much faster and you don't have to hold your needles like a pencil

[paramoregirl2013]

*sigh* It's a right-handers world....I think holding the needle pencil-style will take a lot of getting used to, but I'm willing to try it!

[TheSkinman2000]

How do you adapt the pencil hold to purl stitch?

[elPacaManca]

I'm trying this technique, and I've improved the way I throw the yarn, but holding the right-hand needle like a pencil is feeling extremely clumsy to me.

[Sapphirestarflake]

I have been in dire need of a new way to hold my yarn!!! thank you so much for showing us your technique! ^_^

[ZeugmaticallyMinded]

Thank you so much for this. I had to smile when you were talking about lifting the entire hand off, as this is exactly what I do! I find the knitpicks videos don't really explain it very well, so thank you very much for these techniques!

[compunerdwife]

I have a difficulty to hold the needle like holding a pencil when my work is quite wide. Any advise?

[smashingdots]

@compunerdwife Did you get any answer about this? because I have the same question.

[compunerdwife]

@smashingdots Unfortunately not (I decided to keep knitting in continental style instead)

[Geecloud]

Superb stuff

[ferre347]

thank you very nice

[mezzodolce]

Thank you for clarifying your knitting hold! :)

[erra404]

I am inspired! I am going to try it! Thanks.