New Trick For An Old Dog
How many of you knit English style?
Okay, now raise your hand if you knit Continental style.
I am a dyed-in-the-wool English style knitter. That’s how I learned and I never had much interest in switching. Admittedly, a few years ago I taught myself to work the knit stitch Continental style so I could work two-color stranded patterns with a color in each hand. But I never practiced purling Continental style.
Unfortunately, a recent flurry of secret, deadline knitting has wreaked havoc on my right shoulder and forearm. Just the thought of knitting makes my right arm ache. So I decided to turn lemons into lemonade and practice Continental style and, more specifically, 1×1 ribbing Continental style. Yikes! It’s so much easier than working ribbing English style. I’m a total convert.
And I can prove it.
Pattern: Flower Scarf by Robyn Diliberto
Yarn: Moda Dea Bamboo Wool
Ravelry: Link
Notes: This neck warmer is worked entirely in fisherman rib. I used a heavier yarn than the pattern suggested so I cast on fewer stitches and also made a small adjustment to the size of the flower. I replaced the knitted ball in the center of the flower with a vintage button.  Great pattern!
Pattern: 1×1 Ribbed Scarf in two Noro colorways
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden #245 and #86
Ravelry: Link
Notes: I only had two balls of Silk Garden so I cast on 29 stitches and hoped for the best. The finished scarf is 4 inches wide and 53 inches long. I haven’t blocked it yet, but I think I’ll soak it in some hot soapy water to soften up the fibers in the yarn. A quick knit which I can only imagine would have taken twice as long if I’d knit it English style.
So what’s the verdict on Continental knitting? Well, my gauge isn’t quite as even as when I knit English style, but it’s getting better. And I can certainly knit faster English style.
But I’m seeking out more patterns with lots of 1×1 ribbing. What does that tell you? 
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44 comments Susan | knitting, scarves
I can knit continental style but I don’t. I can’t purl that way at all. I’d like to learn because I know – once I get past the beginning stages – that it would be faster.
I am an English style knitter. I had learned continental when I had severe tendinitis in my right elbow but I found knitting continental caused worse pain! I also found purling to be difficult until I learned the Norwegian purl. If you don’t know how to do the Norwegian purl, try googling it. There is a video of it since that is how I learned. It is really worth learning!
Do you have chiropractic care? There is a technique in chiropractics called Active Release Technique that my chiro does that really helped heal my tendinitis. If you’re interested in it, again google it. There is a website that explains it and lists practitioners in your area. It is very advanced training beyond the chiropractic degree and practioners are very sought-after in the sports field. I found the treatment to be painful but tolerable. Good luck, Susan!
I haven’t had any interest learning continental, but maybe some day I will. I find English works well for me.
Ugh, continental. I taught myself so that I could do fair isle, but I prefer English. I love that Noro scarf and neck warmer though!
I learned continental style from a Norwegian girl I traveled with. I was afraid to try “throwing” the yarn; it sounded too hard. But I, like you, had a two-color pattern that I decided required me to learn, and I spent an entire 5 hour car ride saying, “Look, honey, watch this. See, two handed knitting!” My poor husband just wanted to drive the car… I have learned Norwegian purling, though I’ve seen it. I can’t imagine it’s actually faster, though I’m told it is.
I love the Moda Dea Bamboo Wool! I have two projects on the needles with it, and one more waiting in the wings. I love your neck warmer, and can’t wait to make some for Christmas gifts. Very cute indeed!
English–taught myself when I was 7. I recently learned Continental for colorwork, but I have some very serious injuries to my right arm (so bad that for a whole year I couldnt even lift my fingers) that makes it really hard to “pick”. Something about that rotation of the wrist to pick the yarn. I can do it, but I couldn’t knit that way full time, sadly—because I find it a whole lot faster!
LOVE the flower scarf, btw
I knit English style. I tried to learn continental but I can’t get it. Strangely enough, the wiki claims that continental is easier for crocheters, but when I crochet I hold my yarn in my right hand like I knit so apparently I’m backwards.
It tells me that we can all re-train our brains – an that’s a good thing to do after a certain age!!
I think a lot depends on HOW you knit English. I don’t throw….I do the “lever action” style (there are videos you can google) that uses very little movement of the right hand, let alone arm. The only thing that moves, basically, is my right index finger, and it’s a very small movement. Also, because of the position of that finger, purling is virtually as easy as knitting. Ribbing and seed stitch are almost effortless. ( I did spend a summer learning Continental, and like someone mentioned, found it caused severe strain in my left hand. I use Continental now only for two-handed color work.) I did try to switch, but could not regulate tension, especially on dpn’s and find my old way more comfortable, faster, and see no reason to switch.
Continental is cumbersome, non-intuitive, and slightly painful for me, but my ribbing and seed/mattress stitch look SO MUCH BETTER when done that way.
My grandmother taught me to knit English style when I was nine, and I knit that way for years. When in my 20’s I taught myself Continental (from a book – way, way before internet & youtube…) and I’ve never looked back. Being experienced at both ways makes two-color knitting a breeze.
Continental is just so effortless, and I knit (and purl) so much faster than English, that I would only go back to English if I broke my left arm…
And maybe not even then…
I taught myself English to do stranded work, but I find it tiring. I learned to crochet first, maybe that’s why the yarn feels so natural in my left hand.
I learned Continental style, and don’t really want to switch — although I would like to learn English for stranded knitting. I made the unfortunate decision to attempt learning it on a ribbed top. I quickly saw the error of my ways and went back to Continental. I’ll try again when I have some plain stockinette. I figure that no matter which one you prefer, it’s good to know both. Then you’re set for any occasion, and it’s probably good for your hands and arms to switch off occasionally.
crap. really? it’s that much faster? like you said, I only ever use continental to do colorwork. when knitting 2-handed, I do pretty darn well with the left hand. but if I try to just straight knit, 1 color using continental, not so much. ah, well. I won’t be challenging you to a race anytime soon. heh
You know, it is funny, I’ve developed a hybrid of using both. I knit continental but I hate turning my work so I knit backwards on the purl row. When I’m doing this, it is done English style (except I continue to hold the yarn in my left hand).
My gauge is very even, neat and tight when I do this vs. my continental purling.
I’m so sorry to hear about your ergonomic problems. Continental knitting should definitely help. Like you, I only tried the continental method in order to knit two colors in two different hands. I’ve been thinking about learning more though, so I signed up for the “Switch to Continental” class at Stitches West this coming February. That means I won’t want to be in the middle of any big projects then. I’ll be very interested in reading out your transition. I think we could still use English knitting for some things, and continental knitting for others.
I knit English. When I was knitting my nephew’s garter stitch blanket, I tried knitting Continental, and then backwards. I guess I got bored doing so much garter stitch! Continental works best with ribbing for me, but I’ll still knit faster with English.
Knowing both and using them as needed is the best way to do. Do what hurts less, too! Continental is the only way to knit 1×1 rib, however.
I’m Continental all the way. I tried English, and I just can’t wrap my head around it! Glad you’re able to do both.
60 million Germans can’t be wrong, baby!
Perhaps it’s time to knit a big fat lot of seed stitch?
I “learned” Continental specifically for knitting the two-colored hat pattern you made the other year, and some “salt-and-pepper” stitch mittens. It WAS faster once I got the hang of it, but you know, I haven’t done it again. I really SHOULD for those beloved 1X1 ribbed things of mine. !!! AND I love seed stitch…. Hmmmm. food for thought.
OK, I am confused….>> So here you are saying your Continental knitting is faster right? then you say…
>> Here you say you are faster with your traditional long learned English style.
Help? I am an English style knitter, with quite consistent stitches and quite fast, every time I try continental it throws my gauge off and my “look”…practise, practise I guess.
i learned the english way as well, but after some serious shoulder pain that made me stop knitting for a while, i was bound and determined to learn to knit continental. so i did, and what a difference. sooo much faster and nicer to my body. almost feels like cheating rather than knitting. and yes, the 1×1 ribbing was meant for continental knitting – have you seen the video on knittinghelp.com? her fingers fly!
English knitter here – I learned when I was a kid from my Mom, and like you, I can do the knit stitch continental style, but never learned the purl.
Love that little flower scarf!
Admittedly, not a painless conversion for you; however, welcome to the Continental side. Hope your right shoulder and extremity are less painful.
I originally learned English from my grandma and knit that way for many years, but my right hand, wrist and arm would get really tired from throwing the yarn and my left hand would cramp up from just holding. About 10 years ago, I taught myself Continental out of a book and I love it. It is my favorite way of knitting and I don’t tire the way I did with English knitting. I taught all three of my children Continental style knitting.
However, I think it is very good to know both. Colorwork is a breeze and it’s just useful to be comfortable with both ways.
Welcome to the Continent!
I use to be a “thrower” but when I picked up the knitting needles after 10 years I discovered Continental. I love it, it is so much easier to knit continental. I’ll never go back.
I’m so glad you made the switch! Continental is SO much more efficient, in every way. If I hadn’t had a sweet lady at church sidle up to me after the meeting where I was laboriously throwing my way through my first project (a k2p2 ribbed soaker) and offered to show me a faster way to knit, I don’t think I would still be knitting. I’ve ripped out far more than I’ve knit, and I would have given up entirely had I been throwing the entire time.
I sometimes wonder if English knitters hold the yarn in the right hand due to some strange Victorian association of moral uprightness with the use of the right hand. I can’t imagine any other reason for English knitting being so totally entrenched. ;o)
I taught myself english style from a book when I was a child. I really want to learn continental, as I HATE,HATE,HATE ribbing!! But I cannot seem to dedicate myself to only continental for a few weeks, which is what I am told is best so that I can get to the point that my tension is complete.
I was taught English style and find when I use Continental, I don’t purl well using Continental, which throws off my gauge. But I’ve been doing a lot off garter stitch knitting over the past few years and used Continetal for that since it is faster to the point that I knit with the one method and purl with the other (it’s ugly). However, there is a “quick purl” demonstration on You Tube where you use your left thumb to “throw” the yarn and it seems like an easier method. Can’t wait to try it.
I am the same way as you–pre conversion. I can only knit continental when I am doing colorwork in two hands. You have peaked my interest though…
When I teach adults, they find it easier with Continental, especially if they’re left-handed. Kids, for some reason, prefer English. Maybe because I only know a knitting rhyme for English style?
You might want to Google for the Portuguese tensioning (uses the neck or a brooch for tensioning). It’s supposed to be much, much easier on the hands.
alas! so much to learn, and so little time
I taught myself the english method and i guess i knit with the “lever action” as described in one of the posts! I am pretty fast at it and the purling is almost as fast as the knitting. Even k1p1 rib is not cumbersome. I can’t imagine two handed-knitting. Scary!
Try Tropricin.
I had a horrible sore left wrist. I knit English, but use the left to do more negotiation. I went to a class with Galina Khmeleva and she gave out a sample of this and it really did help.
I love 1×1 rib too! But I find it a lot easier to make by throwing than by scooping. I have trouble w/ the purl on the continental style, and in fact, I’ve been told that I sort of throw left handed… so I’m not a really good scooper. Now maybe throwing needs some clarification? I think of “English” style as the really old fashioned way of holding the needle like you’ve got a pencil. And then there are those who jam a long needle up under their arm. And those that let go of the needle, drop their hand, pick up the yarn, make a big loop around the needle, and then pick the needle back up. And those that throw without letting go at all of the needle. (I’m almost like that, I let go a bit). So many ways to knit something… all very interesting!
So inquiring minds want to know *how* you learned? I’ve been trying to through various sites. I am very slow and clumsy. Can’t seem to get the right wrap around my left fingers for any control of tension. I’m fairly fast in English method, but I’m interested in greater speed – I’m really flummoxed by this method! Any tips?
I taught myself how to knit when I was about 5 years old. It took me a few decades or so before I learned that I knit continental-style, but that I purl backwards. This turns my knit stitches around so that I have to knit through the back loop to prevent the stitches from twisting. Purling backwards is much more efficient for me and I find that I am a fairly swift knitter overall. I refuse to change the way I knit at this point. I get the same results, I just do it a bit differently.
I switched over to Continental about 16 years ago and only knit socks in English and only then in order to get gauge without using pins for needles. I haven’t ever tried purling backwards though! I will have to look through the stash for yarn for the flower neckwarmer… it is really cold and windy today.
When I taught myself how to knit, I did it Continental style. I still don’t know how all those English style knitters do it! It doesn’t make sense to me!
I’ve done Continental, but where I have problems is the RH needle. I just don’t know how to hold it without the yarn twining around my fingers! I find I squeeze it too hard, or something, but the way I hold it for English doesn’t work in continental. So, I pretty much only use it when doing colorwork.
I don’t understand what there isn’t to “understand” about any method, though. Whatever works, right?
learned english first. learned basic cont. to do lopi sweaters in the ’80s. i use a flick version of throwing, keeping my hands on the needle. i also do a version where i hold the right needle against my side, and basically whip through sts in the round for sweaters that’s really fast. i just feed in the sts.
I learned to knit in Bolivia, where the knitting is done at lightning speed in Continental style. When I see knitting being done in English style, I think, phew, what a lot of extra energy and time. I’d recommend anyone trying Continental.
I’m thinking of getting practice on a scarf. I learned this summer, and the changeover has prevented me from doing much with it. I hope your shoulder is recovering.