Continental vs English Knitting - What is it? And Why does it matter?

[@debhodgens676]

This was fascinating! I learned the English way from my mom. She recently passed away and I am taking up knitting again to honor her memory. When I started watching refresher videos I began getting confused because I was watching the continental way! Thank you for clarifying this for the first time! I feel so much better!:)

[@rebeccamcnutt5142]

Same 🙂

[@Marny5580]

To BEGINNERS: whichever way you choose to learn - you will *still* have to PRACTICE the method until YOU are comfortable doing it. Learning BOTH ways until you enjoy both would be a *major* bonus in the long run. BOTH ways are correct.

[@Sarah77841]

Knowing both is especially helpful with color work so that you can have the advantage of both when working with two strands at a time. I learned English, and I’m now learning continental to use for color work and it’s a struggle, but I’m getting more used to it!

[@Sarah-gc1ry]

do both ways work with all stitches and patterns?

[@berniceweinstein6476]

I learned to knit by watching my mom and grandma when I was 7-8 years old. They both were English style and now, at 75 years old, I’m one of those knitters who blazes away and over the years I don’t really have much of the ‘throwing’ motion, as my right hand doesn’t move much.

[@BBPalm]

My grandmother taught me knitting and crocheting. She died a couple of months ago and she had some unfinished projects that I would love to finish.she taught me the continental knitting style and sometimes its difficult for me to understand some of the videos. This helped me to understand the difference, thank you

[@hotjanuary]

I learned Continental when I was 6 years old. I find it more efficient for the reason you stated: less hand movements needed.

[@shoelessmonk1941]

I’m a flicker. Holding yarn in right hand. Only my index finger moves, my hands never leaves the hold of my needles. Quite quick, but I do believe picking is the faster of the two. Yes it is hard to change your training, I know, I’ve tried. 🌸

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

Your way sounds very fast to me :) There are so many fast english knitters too, but totally agree that changing your training is very hard and not always worth it if you enjoy the way you learned originally

[@mclsandra]

Shoelessmonk 1 Same! My thumb moves the needle like a piston while my index finger flicks the yarn in a fluid motion. My mother does the same.

[@beyondchickpeas]

I am a flicker as well there is not much movement. I have seen knitters complete an adult sweater using this method in two days or less!

[@krisaissosmart]

I learned English style in my early 20s from a friend. Except, I'm left handed. And I generally have to find my own way of doing things because the "normal" way is never natural or easy to me. I ended up learning that if I bend my right leg up and hold the needle between my stomach and leg, I can knit pretty fast, because it's one less needle to fight with. Everytime I watch videos of how to knit different things, I get so confused because it looks totally different from what I'm doing. 😆 I didn't even realize there were different styles of knitting until now. I've tried to teach other people how to knit like I do and I have a hard time slowing it down and breaking it into steps because I do it so fast and without thought that it's all on instinct at this point. I usually have to explain to them that they will have to figure out what is most comfortable for them. I can give them a starting point, but in the end, they have to figure out which way feels most natural to them. But I love the fact that everyone has their own techniques or little tricks, but in the end, it all comes out the same.

[@katiegraham6149]

I feel really lucky now- I’m still a beginner, but I learned to knit English, then learned to purl continental! I didn’t realize this was a problem until I started to do ribbing 😂 so now I can do both! I have been primarily doing English, but now I feel like I should switch back to continental so I don’t forget!

[@nerissanoelle1999]

I now know I’m an English style knitter and a thrower. I want to learn how to knit faster, so I’m going to learn continental. Thank you for explaining!

[@cloudydaez]

Continental is not faster…believe me I’ve tried both but the English way is way quicker your hand doesn’t leave the needle despite what some knitters say. My grandmother was the fastest knitter I ever saw and she never even looked at her work….and that was the English way not this continental new age rubbish

[@PPVos-sg4ey]

@@cloudydaez Bit weird to call continental "new age" when it's literally a geographical thing. Also weird to call it "rubbish" as it's just a preference.

[@cloudydaez]

@@PPVos-sg4ey I’m old school that’s my opinion each to their own

[@sapphirecamui6447]

The speed at which you knit/crochet depends on how fast you can make your hands/fingers move. and your experience in doing the activity. I find knitting tedious, so i prefeer crocheting. LOL

[@crochetmepink]

This is very helpful. I crochet but I love the look of knit. My goal is to be able to knit socks & hats...anything more & it'll be a bonus. This is very easy to follow. I watched a few videos & was throwing is the term. I learned new terms...So I'll be practicing!! I believe that practicing whether in crocheting knit, or in anything we do is the most important part. We'll learn what's comfortable for me may not work for others. There's no wrong way. ...if your getting the same stitches & patterns. I hold my yarn in crochet in my left but was throwing in knit. I'm going to practice & practice this way. Thanks so much!

[@caterscarrots3407]

I'm definitely an English knitter, I generally like wrap at least 3, sometimes all 4 of my non-thumb fingers around the yarn and rotate my whole arm around to get the yarn wrapped around the needle with good enough tension, that's just how I learned to do it. I've never done the whole you know tension with the yarn around the index finger thing outside of crochet(which I don't do that often) and the long tail cast on(which is my go to cast on). When I'm just doing a regular knit stitch or purl stitch or whatever, the tension comes from how much I pull my arm back in the throwing maneuver and how close my needles are. If I'm working with metal needles especially(especially like around sizes US 5 to US 9), like I generally go until I hear a loud click of the 2 needles against each other, that signals to me that it's tight enough. My fingers as I'm doing that are just wrapping around the yarn tightly enough to hold it, but loose enough to let it stream through. And when I'm changing colors for a stranded colorwork pattern, I knit Color A, drop it, pick up Color B and knit, drop it, pick up Color A etc.

[@danarossa]

Lately ive been picking up my hobbies from childhood. At the time i did not have the internet. My grandma taught me how to knit. And until now i had no idea i had been knitting in continental style and there were any other styles 😂

[@nicolap4880]

this is only true for right handers. It's more accurate to say continental has the yarn in the opposite hand (so a right hander will have it in their left, a left hander will have it in their right) and the yarn is picked up, so the other hand holds the tension and needle. English or throwing is same side. Picking is generally easier to learn if you're coming from competent crochet skills first.

[@srinidhisridhar4819]

Yes!!! I’m pretty advanced in crochet and I just started learning to knit from my grandmother and aunt, they keep correcting my yarn positions😅. Glad I can show this to them and let them know this is what usually happens when you jump from crochet to knitting

[@MollarCZ]

Wow, good point with the crocheting background! 👍

[@danahc4851]

Agree! I learned to crochet first and continental/picking felt a little more natural. I also found purling easier to grasp this way vs. English

[@marinoharker-smith7331]

I'm left handed and knit this way (english not continental though) because I was taught by right handed knitters.

[@saturnosring]

I’m a lefty english style knitter. I’ve tried several times to learn continental style but I can’t get a uniform tension in my knitting using that style. I do knit slower than other knitters out there, but I don’t mind, I’m patient. I know it takes me a month to knit a pair of socks and 5-6 months to knit a jumper. I just enjoy this hobby. 😊

[@tedy_bu3088]

I’m continental knitter I guess. My grandma taught me. I use my left hand but the thread goes behind my neck and I use my right hand to regulate how tight the yarn goes. This way I have more control. She passed away two months ago and I decided to go back into knitting to connect w her.

[@SilverIchimaru]

This sounds like the Turkish style of knitting.

[@xCr00k3Dx]

Ah. So I'm an English/throwing style knitter. 🙂 I'm sure I could learn continental with time, but it just seems less controlled in my hands... Which is actually really weird, because I primarily crochet, and that's generally tensioned like continental knitting.

[@KendyJane67]

Thanks for the video

[@Lana.N.7]

I’m a knew knitter, continental knitting makes the most sense and so quick .

[@CrystalSnowFox]

I started knitting years ago, and when I started, I used English style, and actually got quite fast at it. However, I stopped knitting for quite a while, and for 2+ years did nothing but crochet. When I picked up a half-finished project on a pair of knitting needles again earlier this week (after some urging from friends on a Discord server), I starting knitting Continental style without even thinking about it... although it did take me about 15 rows to figure out how to do my purl stitches properly. XD You can definitely get up a fair amount of speed both ways, but I find that my joints tire faster if I'm English knitting.

[@rileyallen489]

I'm a crocheter interested in knitting, and the idea of manipulating yarn with my right hand hurts my brain lol

[@cosmicaldeer9813]

Oh my god! Is the difference this small!!!? I was a crocheter when I started knitting, but still I learned knitting in english style as i wasn't able to maintain the tension of the stitches... But 2 projects later I am a continental picker here! Like the same as we do in crochet.. for me Now its way more easier and a bit less tiring ;)

[@stickwithitknitandcrochet]

Continental knitter here but I may try to learn to knit right-handed equally well. New sub here. :)

[@medicamedico4335]

I learned to crochet first. Continental felt second nature to me. Didnt even realise it lol

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

I did as well, that's probably partially why I knit continental too

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

I'm left handed and learned from a right handed person the "continental" way. Talk about confusing but I managed to teach myself how to do it the lefty way. Can't say which one is faster but continental logically seems quicker.

[@jamam4727]

I taught myself how to knit, and I don't know if it's more accurate to say "I do a weird backward mix of both of these," or simply, "neither of these" 😂

[@meaghankaufenberg1222]

I also do a weird half mix of both. I hold continental (hold the yarn in my left hand), but I don’t pick it, I throw it still

[@natalieglickman1445]

I wonder if there are other benefits to Continental style? I wonder if you create more even tension between knit rows and purl rows (when doing stockinette) vs when using English style. I’m pretty fast as an English knitter but I have started to practice Continental and wonder if there’s more to motivate me to use this style. Thanks for the video.

[@gretchendietz1599]

I've always been an English knitter and it feels super awkward for me to hold the yarn in my left hand. Maybe with practice, it would seem faster, but I think I'll stick with what I'm used to. Definitely interesting to try though.

[@meaghankaufenberg1222]

Maybe this is so wrong but I hold the yarn continental, but I throw it around the needle English

[@kaitlin4047]

i learned the basics of knitting a few years ago and i remember practicing both ways because flipping my work got me making too many mistakes for my liking. now i'm doing my first knitting project and i've completely forgotten how to throw lol

[@nuskokuc6339]

So I'm learning how to knit. I crochet mostly but i wanted to learn knitting because i like it. But the way my mom taught me is a bit different and idk if it will interfere with patterns made the other way. So instead of going in the back of the loop i go in the front. So not from left but from the right.

[@alwaysreadin163]

Thank you for this super helpful video! 🙏I've been teaching myself how to knit the past few months. I learned how to knit and purl and forgot to look into the styles so I was doing one pretty consistently with good tension. Come to find out I've been doing continental and had no clue 😂 I'm a right with everything else but using my left hand just seems so much easier. Could it be that I'm used to crocheting so that's probably why? Curious to hear anyone else's preference! :)

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

Glad you found it helpful, thank you! And I would totally guess you chose continental because of crocheting, it's SUPER common for crocheters to find continental more natural since you hold the yarn basically the same as crocheting. I started out crocheting first, so I think that's why continental fit best for me too

[@christinam5528]

I recently learned to knit. Finally took the leap from crocheting. I started English style, but it hurt my hand. So I started doing Continental and it’s so much easier and my hands don’t feel as over worked or tired. I think it’s bc I’ve been a crocheter for so long and I’m so used to holding the yarn in my left hand. But I still use my right index finger to hold the yarn / st as I knit. It’s a habit from how I crochet (knife style). 😂

[@saskia3854]

I crochet right handed but knit left handed ... English style that is. I simply need to hold the yarn in my left hand. Result: I come across as ambidextrous. lol

[@SilverIchimaru]

I taught myself and am English thrower style, although there's not a ton of movement in my right hand. I also crochet but hold my yarn left-handed when I do. In either crochet or knit, I almost never see someone hold their yarn the way I do. I can change how I hold my crochet hook but not my yarn. Heaven help me though, if I try to change anything with how I knit, yarn and needles falling all over the place.

[@rustiedaye7202]

Thank you, explained very well 😅

[@natalie_kendel]

Thank you. This was very clear and helpful.

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

I'm so glad! :)

[@Miyavisgirl1540]

I knit totally weird. lol! I guess I'm a continental thrower. I hold the yarn in my left hand and throw the yarn. lol! I never got the whole finger wrapping for tension thing. I even boggle my mom's mind with how I throw and hold my yarn. lol!

[@Griffin-sr3ej]

For some reason I’ve always done English style but I wrap the yarn around the needle the opposite way

[@lara3388]

I learned to hold it the english way but I'd like to switch. It's hard but I'll try ':D

[@emilypresleysee]

I crochet and I'm right handed so it just makes more sense to me to have my yarn in my left hand.

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

It was the same for me too, starting as a crocheter I think makes that just feel super natural

[@belwynne1386]

Very helpful!

[@jenreichle5214]

What if you hold the yarn on your left but still throw it in English style?

[@roshelhass7559]

I am Syrian, and I just knew that I use English knitting, 😅 never knew there was a different way

[@a.b.7932]

Very interesting. I let my yarn hang there and then throw it the English way. But I haven’t figured a comfortable way of holding the yarn yet. 😂

[@MrsLovelyPendragon]

I crochet but English for a beginner knitter easier for me... Go figure 🤷‍♀️

[@Leverquin]

Continental seems faster. can't remember how my grandmother did but i am pretty sure she did Continental

[@rmeredithm]

Oh man. I do it all kinds of wrong 😂 I’m an English picker lol it must have something to do with learning crochet first lol

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

haha there's no wrong way! It's just your own style :)

[@Septcrafter]

I’m an English knitter.

[@bohemianslouch3749]

i learned throwing and i’m trying to learn picking but i think my fingers are too short and it’s hard 🙈

[@elaineharrison994]

I’m an English style knitter but I like to hold the right hand needle under my arm so it never really moves. Does anyone else do that? I can’t get to grips with circular needles either

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

I’ve definitely seen people who knit that way. There’s a famous knit designer, Joji Locatelli, who I believe knits that way. She may be a continental knitter, but I remember seeing a video of her holding the needle in her arm. I bet it’s a pretty common technique ❤️

[@annahalverson1132]

Apparently I'm a continental thrower, which doesn't seem very efficient 🤦🤣

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

haha but is it comfortable? Thats the ultimate goal

[@disneybunny45]

I learned crochet before learning to knit, so you'd think I would knit the Continental way. But nope! I guess my step dad's mom did the English way so thats what I learned.

[@florencewadley]

great video!

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

Thanks!

[@cloudydaez]

I was taught English knitting years ago by my grandmother it’s all I’ve ever done. Perhaps continental is a new age thing but I don’t get it. It’s all fingers and thumbs and too complicated and uncomfortable. Stick to what you know best and what works for you. I get annoyed when people try to push the continental knitting saying it’s far better ….for who? I’ve tried both and I knit faster the English way and my tension is always correct.

[@mozorellastick2583]

not new age at all. I also learned knitting from my grandmother, but she is persian rather than english. She also used the continental style, but in Iran that is the only knitting technique they use, so english knitting also seem very clunky and not efficient for us. Ur correct we should all stick to what we know, continental is just as established a technique as english

[@hotjanuary]

Continental knitting is used in Eastern Europe and Siberia as well. Learned it from my mother.

[@cloudydaez]

@@mozorellastick2583 I’m English and from New Zealand we never heard of continental… just as you never mastered English knitting, I never mastered continental… different strokes for different folks

[@mozorellastick2583]

@@cloudydaez funnily enough I'm from New Zealand as well. I tend to see my other asian friends use continental instead as well but white kiwis do tend to use English

[@cloudydaez]

@@mozorellastick2583 my point was that continental was not established where I was born and bred, not even remotely. The English way was just that, it was brought out by the the colonial settlers and that’s what was taught. I have no idea what was taught in the Middle East but if that’s where it began than all good. It’s just not a technique that was known everywhere. Btw I’m not white I’m a mix of Maori and pakeha and my grandmother was Maori she taught my mum who taught me

[@kimian6779]

I think you can also "pick" when english knitting.

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

I've never heard of that, but it totally could be :) There's lots of different knitting styles and phrases that overlap out there. I just wanted to explain both styles for beginners who might get confused, because the styles are most commonly divided this way.

[@theeggtimertictic1136]

It doesnt take more time yo do English knitting once you vecome proficient ... Your hand shouldnt leave the needle to throw. Both are equal.

[@sharingsharing1049]

Continental Knitter I am....yep!

[@idiotenfreundelp]

me, confused in left handed

[@bebenurse62]

what is the pattern in this video?

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

I think it’s a seed stitch pattern

[@Dollectable_Dreams]

What needles do you use?

[@TheBlueMouseKnits]

I love Chiaogoo Red Lace circulars :)

[@TerrorOfTeacup]

No wonder i cannot understand throwing yarn way or english style . I hate it so much

[@Olliebunny]

Being a left handed crocheter trying to get into knitting is not helpful today