I've just knitted up a piece of fabric for the sole purpose of trying to improve my tension bc I'm a tight knitter and getting gauge can be a pain, and it can be straining on my hands, never mind resulting in an uneven tension. So I was deliberately trying to knit a little more loosely to make things more even, which seemed to work ok. I learned the English (throw) method and I've tried to learn to knit continental style (pick) but so far no cigar. lol But you are right, that it is the way the yarn is held in my hand that is the major contributing factor to my tension issues and I'm still trying to master that. Btw, the chair you're sitting in looks lovely and very comfortable and supportive for sitting and knitting.

Sadly, I am new to sock knitting AND lace knitting. I can't make myself struggle with invisible weight yarn and tiny needles! I like your pattern ideas though. I've only made one sock in dk weight, so there's that. Peace and Blessings to you Jess 🧶🧦

You have been immensely helpful to me understanding my tension Jess! I need to return to knitting this winter! Thank you!🧶

I am a beginner knitter that decided to knit with cotton yarn 🙈. Thank you for the idea of how to hold yarn and focus. ❤

So helpful. Thx.

I love the feature stitch just before the color change in the cotton/linen top… what is it called??

Thank you for the very clear demonstration. Is it possible you could show us how to do the Norwegian purl? 😊🙏❤ P. S. Your method of tensioning the yarn is working out perfectly for me. I have always had problems with other methods (either too loose or too tight). This one is perfect, so a massive thank you for that 😁

You are the first KZbinr I’ve seen who holds their yarn exactly like I do! Mum taught me to knit when I was 6 and I’m now 72 and I’ve never had a problem with my tension. You’ve made my day because I always thought I was not holding my yarn correctly when I watched other KZbinrs knitting or crocheting, so thanks for that 👍🥰

I love the feature stitch in the cotton/linen top… what is it called??

Blocking fixes nearly everything about the look of your stitches. I, myself never stop in the middle of a row if it’s a patterned knit. My dad and a friend from school taught me to knit around the ages of 9-10 years old.

Thank you for showing a tension hold that replaced my tension hold successfully. I've tried quite a few different holds and they do not work in either staying put around my fingers and/or they are too tight and get even tighter when the weather is hot and my hands get moist. I exclusively knit in the round for the most part. Nevertheless, this is an exciting change that already feels firm, consistent and smooth in its function. ❤

I’m going to try this using the throwing method. I hope this will clear up the ridges I’m seeing in my work

Question off topic: Love your blanket and am wondering what size needles you are using and how many stitches you cast on. I have a variety of blues and have wondered how a feather and fan pattern would make up using stripes. thanks.

I love the way the colour on the sleeves worked out to be similar on both sides. (Lucky or intentional??). Overall it’s really gorgeous. Great squishy Rios yarn!

Love it! Excellent fitting and beautiful pattern. That yarn is gorgeous, and the way it transitioned across the bottom of the raglan all around including on both sleeves, it looks very intentional and a design feature. Well done.

That yarn is gorgeous. I haven't tried Malabrigo yet.

I always have trouble with knitting the cast on too. It doesnt matter which type of cast on I do, either. I think part of it is just that there is no structure yet to hold the stitches in place. They kind of push away from the needle the first row or two. Once you have a couple of rows done, the fabric is held by your hands as you go and it stabilizes the stitches. Tightness of cast on definitely comes into it as well. The needle has to push more on the tight unstable stitch than if the stitches were looser. I have been working on loosening up my cast on stitches, just consciously not pulling them as tight. I also find that pointier needles also help. I have 3 different sets of needles, bamboo, plastic, and steel. I will use the needle type that works best with the particular yarn Im using. Bamboo is great for slippery yarns. Steel for stickier yarns. Plastic for random yarns that dont work well on the other needles. My bamboo needles are the pointiest, then the steel, then the fat rounded plastic ones. Oh yes. I do use Prym needles too. They are triangle shaped needles with a ball type thing on the pointy end. It helps keep from dropping stitches. Im am still experimenting with various needles and yarns. But most definitely, pointy needles make the first couple of rows easier to cast on. There is an old trick for getting a looser cast on. Hold the two needles together and cast on around both. Then you slide one needle out, and voila, looser stitches but also very even, unlike if you try to just cast on loosely on one needle.

Thank you for a great podcast. Your gentle nature is just soul-soothing for me. Very interesting and your success and failure are equally a great learning curve for me. ❤

I do Portuguese style knitting, so my tension is pretty consistent since the yarn tension comes mostly from the knitting pin, not from how I hold the yarn. I do adjust how the yarn wraps around my fingers depending on whether it's bulky yarn or a very fine lighter weight yarn, which for me requires a bit more tension. Interestingly, another commenter here mentioned always holding the needles at 90 degrees/perpendicular to each other as you knit, which is exactly what you do anyway in Portuguese style knitting. 🙂

thanks so much…very helpful for even a longtime knitter :)

Why do we want our hand knits to look like a machine did it ? Might as well go buy it. We're too hard on ourselves !!!

I learnt to knit from my mother at the age of six. Unfortunately, I only learnt to knit knit stitches at first. I didn't learn how to cast on or cast off properly, so I didn't knit much for many years because I was unhappy with my results. The yarn tension in particular caused me problems. When I was sent into early retirement, I started to work intensively on my knitting problem with the help of KZbin videos. Now that I have been knitting intensively for about six years and have also been reading special things about the anatomy of knitting stitches, learning different variations of casting on, casting off, alternating knit and purl stitches within a pattern, etc., my stitch pattern has become excellent. All in all, I have found that you just have to try out what works best for you and that it is generally easier to produce a great knitted pattern if you knit rather tightly. In your video here, I have again seen a completely new way of knitting purl stitches for me, because you hold the yarn behind the needle. Thank you for this contribution 🤩🤩

the trick I use for even stockinette while knitting flat: on my interchangeable needles, I simply change the needle that always works the purl rows to one that's half a size smaller! e.g. when I technically need a 4mm needle to get gauge, the wrong side is always knit on 3.5mm because my purls are a little looser than my knits. So far this technique has always worked like a charm for me, but obviously if there are short rows involved you'd need to resort to another solution. Still, I find it easier this way instead of trying to adjust my tension.

I can't hold the yarn like you do because of painful fingers. However I found an excellent solution. The "Portuguese" method involves passing the yarn behind your head; the tension is therefore made by the weight of the work. Purling this way, with just a flick of the thumb to pass the yarn around the needle, is incredibly fast, and on the knit row I can use my right hand to guide the yarn, or continue to use the thumb flick. This way I resolved 2 problems, tension difference and painful fingers.My knitting took up a new lease of life again when I discovered this. ps for some reason the sound has improved slightly watching again 12 days later; so maybe not all the fault of your micro.

N9 audio problem for me either. 😊

No problem with audio. your voice is calming. I knit english style and tried Portuguese knit, just cant get the hang of it byt wi persevere. ❤

I knit English way,but keep the yarn much closer to the needle and knit off the needle tips. In fact I don’t take my right hand off of the needle, just flicking the yarn with my index finger. When I do Fairisle work, I knit one yarn in English style and the other in. Norwegian style, it means I knit relatively quickly with two colours. Thanks for the video.

I would love to know what pattern you are using for the blanket. I need to make a baby blanket. Thank you for the tensioning tip. Most helpful.

My Grandmother knitted in the English style and it looked perfect. My own view is that the more you knit the more even it gets

Very interesting watching the efficiency and speed of your continental knitting versus the English style throwing. I'm the exact opposite and knit and purl a lot faster with my yarn in the right hand, work with the yarn very short and make only very small movements with the needle tips. Was taught to tension the yarn like you. I'm currently practising continental knitting because I have RSI in my right hand. I've been finding purling really awkward so I'm going to look up the Portuguese purl P.S the sound was fine!

Lace socks 😊

I can barely hear you even with my volume turned up to maximum. I have subtitles on but its difficult to watch your work and read at the same time.

this method of holding your thread also allows you to knit much faster - once you get the hang of it...

still interested in test knitting when you have a pattern ready. i have knit lace sock patterns before. and i can use DPNs, short circulars, or magic loop. either toe up or top down. If you're able to chart the lace portion there are apps that will translate the chart into a written stitch pattern for those sections.

Agreed Norwegian knit and purl is consistently lovely. I learned it years ago from Arne and Carlos.

Excited to see that Whales Road jumper! Hoping everything works out for you to continue it soon 😊

That yarn you bought for heart lace socks is beautiful. I can't wait to see how that knits up. I haven't used hand dyed yarn yet but I find it fascinating to see how various splotches of yarn knit up into beautiful patterns. This are pretty socks and I would love to see more people wearing pretty socks rather than the plain mass-produced ones most people wear now.

I love that jumper. The flowers and matching neckline really dress it up.

Sorry ... not gonna stick around for this. I'd rather watch a tutorial than listen to somebody talk and show me stuff that is already made.

I’m going to be 70 year young this June, but I’m learning and practicing to hold the yarn like you do! I’m not far from 70 years! Mark line!

When I learned to knit, the gal who taught me asked if I crocheted. Yes. I hold my yarn as you do, just as when I crochet. Also, do my work at the point as you do. Great illustration! Thanks!

Beautiful

Thank you

Thank you for this tutorial. I fixed my purl tension by knitting ‘backwards’ through the back loop on the purl row. That way I’m not turning the work. It always stay right side forward.