Learn the Continental Style of Knitting

 Most knitters of the community learn to knit in a style taught be the mentor. The continental style of knitting means holding the yarn in the left hand while working the stitches. Many knitters learn the strings of the craft with English style and then adopt the continental style. Even if you know to knit in one style, it is worth learning the other.

The continental style of knitting can be worked with any knitting needle (single-pointed, double-pointed, fixed circular or interchangeable circulars.) The needles are held like regular needles but the yarn is tensioned in the left hand (index finger). In the English method, the working yarn is held in the right hand. But no matter which hand holds the thread to make stitches, you still use both hands when you knit.

In this blog, we will discuss the continental style of knitting.

What is the Continental Style of Knitting?

The Continental style of knitting hails from Europe and is sometimes called German knitting. It is also known as "left-handed knitting". The yarn is held in the left hand while it is picked or scooped by the knitting needle tip and therefore also goes by the name of picking.

The knitting style is not dependent on the project or the stitch pattern. It is simply the way the yarn is held in the left hand. For your project knitted in the round, you can choose circular knitting needles, double-pointed needles, or ones according to the project. Cast on the number of stitches on any knitting needle you prefer. You can go ahead with any single pointed needle or circulars if you are knitting back and forth.

Now, let’s discuss the basic set up for Continental Knitting

Hold the Yarn in your Left Hand 

Now hold the needles like you usually do. You just have to keep the yarn in place at the back of the work with your left hand and the knitting needle with the cast-on stitches.

There are several ways to hold the yarn, so experiment with different methods to find what's most comfortable. The technique may seem awkward to move the thread using just your index finger, so use your middle finger and other fingers. This tensioning will get easier with practice.

The Knit Stitch

The knit stitch in continental style means inserting the right-hand needle down on the back of the loop and grabbing the yarn in your left hand index finger.

Slide the stitch off the left-hand needle and you’ll see the knit stitch form on the right-hand needle.

You can continue this for a row or round.

The Purl Stitch

Bring the working yarn to the front of your project.

Insert your right needle into the front of the first stitch on the left needle from right to left.

Wrap the working yarn coming from below around the needle.

This movement must be counterclockwise if you see the needle as a clock.

Pull the yarn through the stitch.

Slip the stitch you worked to the left needle to finish the purl stitch.

If you are a beginner knitter, you can get all details in the previous blog on a purl stitch.

It is worth learning the Continental Style of knitting and other methods or trying one of the lesser-known styles. For one thing, you can alternate stitches for a different hand-and-wrist action on the same project, reducing hand and arm strain if that's a problem. Being able to knit both methods also comes in handy when you're working with two colors of yarn in the same row. You can knit with one color in your right hand and one in your left, then speed through the process without hassle. Plus, it's fun to learn more techniques and have them in your arsenal, even if you typically knit one way most of the time.

As always, happy stitching!