Knitting Basics: The Knit Stitch - Combination Method

The more I learn about Combined Knitting, the more I like it. It requires more thinking to read patterns not tailored to its quirks, but for the thinking knitter it has several advantages:

--Combined purling is as fast as Continental purling, if not faster, and yet it is far easier to execute!
--Combination knitters report a more even tension and resulting fabric.
--Knit and purl stitches are oriented differently on the needle, making it possible to work knit-purl patterns without looking. (Great for knitting in poor light, or with poor eyesight. I'd love to hear if there are any blind knitters out there who employ this technique.)

What's different about this method?
--The purl stitch involves wrapping the yarn around the needle the opposite way as other methods, resulting in a stitch oriented differently on the needle. That's really the only distinction of this method. All modifications revolve around adapting to this. The end fabric is the same as with other purl methods.

If you knit this way, your "knit two together" decrease (which you'll do through the back loops as you would to knit) will actually create a left-leaning decrease, so use this when a standard pattern calls for SSK or SKP. See Annie Modesitt's website for a clear illustration of this, and also for a substitute right-leaning decrease as well as other information for Combined knitters: www.anniemodesitt.com

One note on my video: I was still learning about Combination knitting when I shot the video, as evidenced by my clever attempt to demonstrate "English Combination knitting." I doubt such a thing exists! Truth be told, I'm still learning about this method, but I think this video covers enough aspects about Combined knitting for you to give it a go and make the method your own!

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• knitting
• knit
• stitch
• combination method
• learn
• how to knit

[premiertremere]

@oldlockedinthepark i picked up knitting on my own from a couple books that might as well have been written in another language... so I had no clue that I was a combination knitter until I started having trouble with the final result of some basic lace work. Much to my chagrin I learned my decreases and increases continental and do the rest of my work combination. I don't know how this is going to fare for me later... still I feel your pain on the scare moment realization.

[oldlockedinthepark]

This video is the best! I learned how to knit from two different people (and am still very much a beginner) and even if it's not what I was taught I feel most comfortable doing what you would call the "english combination knitting". I was watching a video on switching yarn colors and saw how they were knitting and had a very scary moment where I realized I was doing the most simple thing wrong. It took some searching but I found this video and it made me feel much better.

[delafunk13]

thank you thank you thank you so much!! i learned how to knit the combined continental way and could never figure out my ssk and k2tog. im kind of a beginning knitter and just knitted my first pattern with decreases in it. i searched all over the internet trying to find out why my decreases were so weird and just followed the continental method videos from ur site. my project came out wrong and i just wrote it off as a beginners learning experience. if only this video had been released earlier!!