Have You Tried Continental?

Hi peeps, I hope you’re bearing up whilst we’re all under house arrest 🤐

I needed to learn a faster hand knit method to work up a 1×1 rib for a little project I was working on. Knitting the conventional way that I’d been used to seemed tediously slow (the switching back and forth) when ribbing is required. In fact it can be a real pain in the butt. To this day every thing I’d previously knitted up had been done so in the English way.

Having had a good scoot around the web I discovered a time saving method, (God only knows why I hadn’t tried this 20 years ago!). Continental (also referred to as European and German knitting) looks and feels pretty alien at first glance and feel; as you hold your yarn in the opposing hand to which you’d normally do in the English style.

A good example of this style of knitting is shown been done effortlessly in Astraknots video here is fantastic for seed stitch and ribbing, so it’s definitely worth learning if you haven’t already.

Providing you get the tension correct of the wool feeding through, (it will take a fair bit of practice) if you’re a staunch supporter of English style but with a little perseverance before you know it you’ll easily have mastered it and your piece will be knitted up in much less time than it would have using the English method.

There’s less toing and froing for the right hand if you’re usually right handed and vice versa. This extra method of knitting can actually be beneficial to you over time, as being able to interchange the styles at regular intervals can help avoid any long term repetitive stress on your fingers and wrists.

Happy knitting guys! 🧶

x Della Marie