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Ratbag
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
318 Posts |
 Posted - 06/09/2007 : 1:48:48 PM
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I know that sounds strange, especially as I am very very left handed, but I honestly knit right handedly. I think it's because I was taught to knit by my Mam & Nan at a every young age, about 4, they always had needles in their hands & I mithered them until they gave in.
The only two things I do differently to any other knitter I know (all right handers)are; I always knit into the back of the st on a K row & I rarely turn the work, so that the rs of the work is facing me when I P a row. Mam say it's like looking at a type writer going back & forth.
Told you I was a weird leftie :-)
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Jewles
Chatty Knitter
USA
139 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2007 : 5:39:14 PM
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When I was in college I taught my room-mate (a leftie) how to knit. Since I had only been knitting for 6 months, I just told her to do what I did and didn't even consider handedness. 15 years later I also taught my left-handed son how to knit and he knits right handed.
You're not a weird leftie, you're a leftie who learned to knit from righties. |
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jenlyon60
Chatty Knitter
USA
111 Posts |
Posted - 06/13/2007 : 06:36:03 AM
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I cast-on left-handed and knit/purl right handed, throwing rather than picking. I haven't yet been able to coordinate my hands and the yarn to cast-on right-handed, doesn't matter what type of cast-on method I use.
I can knit continental-style left-handed, but haven't figured out the coordination to purl continental-style left-handed.
So sometimes for just plain stockinette stitch I will knit right-handed and then knit back left-handed rather than mess with turning the project around.
I can sort of knit continental-style right-handed, haven't figured out purling continental-style right-handed at all.
But I crochet left-handed. I learned crocheting frm my grandmother (who was right-handed) by watching her from sitting in front of her rather than beside her.
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Ratbag
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
318 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2007 : 11:48:48 AM
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Thanks for the Jewles, but everyone this end agrees with me....I'm weird, but in a nice sort of way :-)
Hiya jenlyon60,
My Nan was the only person I knew who could crochet & by the time I decided I wanted to learn, I was such a leftie that she couldn't teach me. So I paid £5 for two lessons at the local craft shop & learnt the basics. I still crochet the occassional granny square blanket. |
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gwtreece
Permanent Resident
USA
7254 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2007 : 05:14:39 AM
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I was taught to knit like a leftie. Didn't knit for a few years, someone else showed me what to do and I was knitting right handed. I crochet left handed.
Wanda
My Blog
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Jane
SustaYning Member
USA
4293 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2007 : 05:19:50 AM
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I'm left-handed, and I crochet with the hook in my left hand and the yarn tensioned in my right. I guess that's why, when I taught myself to knit, it was easier to hold the yarn in my right hand. I don't throw, though, I knit lever-style. Continental knitting is really hard for me. I can't seem to get used to tensioning the yarn in my left hand -- go figure!
Jane
Blog: Not Plain Jane
Photos: My Flickr Album
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Queen Knitsalot
Permanent Resident
USA
1331 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2007 : 10:16:08 AM
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I am left-handed, in a right-handed way. The only things I do left-handed is write and eat, and I can switch hands to eat if I need to. Everything else is right-handed.
Always remember, since the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, then only left handed people are in their right minds.
Suzanne
I'm not crazy.....I'm colourful. Sounds better on a resume. |
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Ratbag
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
318 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2007 : 3:15:12 PM
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| I like that Queen Knitalot, my one is...being a leftie I'm always right, the other two I like are; I didn't lose my mind, it was mine to give away & I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it :-) |
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salsera
New Pal
45 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2007 : 06:49:56 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by jenlyon60
I cast-on left-handed and knit/purl right handed, throwing rather than picking. I haven't yet been able to coordinate my hands and the yarn to cast-on right-handed, doesn't matter what type of cast-on method I use.
I can knit continental-style left-handed, but haven't figured out the coordination to purl continental-style left-handed.
So sometimes for just plain stockinette stitch I will knit right-handed and then knit back left-handed rather than mess with turning the project around.
I can sort of knit continental-style right-handed, haven't figured out purling continental-style right-handed at all.
But I crochet left-handed. I learned crocheting frm my grandmother (who was right-handed) by watching her from sitting in front of her rather than beside her.
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Ratbag
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
318 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2007 : 03:02:01 AM
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| That's how I've taught a couple of righties to crochet, although I tend to stick to grannie squares & things you can crochet in wool, rather than anything fancy |
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sooterl@msn.com
Warming Up
63 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2007 : 5:25:17 PM
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I'm a leftie but like Queen Knitsalot, I do really only write and eat with that hand. I have recently learned the combination method of knitting and it took a long time to learn to hold my yarn in my left hand. Many years ago when I taught knitting, people would tell me that they couldn't knit because they were left-handed. I simply replied that it took two hands to knit and they could decided which one did the majority of the work. That seemed to work.
Lana |
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Ratbag
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
318 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 1:06:20 PM
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They told me the same about being able to crochet, Boy! Did I prove them wrong lol
Sandra |
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YarnGoddess
Permanent Resident
USA
2460 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 1:32:07 PM
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I don't think it's all that strange. Pro golfer Phil Mickelson is right-handed, but he golfs left-handed, and look at where he is now.
Elizabeth
Zipper & Diva
A sense of humor can help you tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected, overlook the unattractive and smile through the unbearable.
To learn more about healthy nutrition for your cat, go here: http://www.catnutrition.org and here: http://www.catinfo.org/
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Ratbag
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
318 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2007 : 09:15:40 AM
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I'm afraid I haven't a clue who he is, golf isn't a sport I've ever followed. Now if it was someone on the Welsh rugby team, I might had more of a clue LOL
Sandra
I didn't lose my mind, it was mine to give away |
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lella
Permanent Resident
9697 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2007 : 10:16:15 PM
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Echo Jane. I am left handed, crochet left handed and when I did learn to knit properly when I was 13, it was very easy to knit right handed because of being comfortable with holding the yarn in my right hand. Knitting style is probably called American but I don't throw, it's like a shuttle hook motion. All styles that lead to the joys of knitting are commendable!  Now go have some more fun.
Lella
[IMG]http://www.geocities.com/zippianna/turtle.gif[/IMG]
My Knitting Blog |
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frodosmom
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
480 Posts |
Posted - 08/01/2007 : 8:30:38 PM
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Looks like there are at least a dozen variations here, so what can we conclude? We can happily knit any way that works.
I don't remember how I learned to knit, but I'm doing it righty and doing most other things lefty. I can write with my right hand and print or draw with the left. The kids in school got a kick out of watching me switch hands when writing on the chalkboard (as an English teacher, I did a lot of that).
Some of y'all crochet lefthanded and knit righthanded as I'm doing. That turns out to be convenient--when one hand gets tired, you can always use the other one.
Margaret as Frodosmom |
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Ratbag
Chatty Knitter
United Kingdom
318 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 08:22:41 AM
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Margaret, I couldn't agree more, we all do things differently. That's what makes us all individuals. To quote the old saying, "If it works, don't knock it"
Sandra
I didn't lose my mind, it was mine to give away |
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boothacus
New Pal
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2007 : 1:41:11 PM
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Sometimes I wonder if perhaps people just don't stress themselves out a little bit about being left-handed and make things a bit more difficult for themselves. Though left-handed predominantly, I just do whatever thing it is without thinking about it so much since learning something new is a struggle for all of us and it takes time to develop muscle memory no matter which handed you are. After all, we use our non-dominant hands to type and play piano without thought to which handed we are and those things take quite a bit more to master than a knit stitch.
Maybe I think this way because a friend of mind reminds me quite often, "don't let what you can't do keep you from doing what you can do." And my dad reminds me not to find new hurdles to make things harder than they already need to be. I do know that it was a steep learning curve to get the knitting stitch basics to feel natural, but that comes with anything new and I've been so grateful to have kept with it since the last 9 months of learning to knit have been great. I love producing something with my hands, and having something to do that is not only relaxing but highly portable and now becoming sought after. I had a friend see one of my long, wide and warm scarves and ask me to make one for her. Only problem is now I'm going to have a big ego about it. [whatever]
I liked QueenKnitsalot comments!
For me personally, I found that learning things right-handed is easier than trying to do it left-handed as I would get more confused trying to transpose directions or what-have-you from the very common right-handed way to left-handed. Sure it might take a little longer to get comfortable with it, but worth it in the end to not have to add an additional step or "turn things around". Just starting with patterns and such as opposed to just doing my own designs for scarves, afghans and fancy pattern stitches, I would be totally lost if I had to transpose anything. I am becoming at peace with the fact that it takes me a little longer than others to catch on.
But in the end, like Ratbag says, whatever gets the job done or works for you.
Keep on knittin' out there folks - the sanity you save may be your own. hee hee.
--Sarah.
After all, Scarlet, tomorrow IS another day. |
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ClimberKnits
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
559 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2007 : 2:18:31 PM
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Like so many others above me I write, eat, crochet and hand sew as a leftie. I knit, golf, bat, play hockey as a righty.
I'm trying to learn continental style so that I can complete fair isle projects using both hands. Can anyone tell me about jcc28's lever style? I'm definitely not a thrower, but I tension the yarn in my right hand. I never let go of the right needle, and can knit without too much arm or elbow motion. Sounds like it might be lever style. |
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Lindakh
Chatty Knitter
USA
110 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2007 : 07:20:42 AM
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Boothacus - I heartily agree with everything you're saying! I'm left-handed, but I knit and crochet right-handed. When I learned to play golf a couple of years ago, I bought a set of right-handed clubs and learned to golf that way. I figured that it was extremely awkward to hold and swing a club either way, so I didn't want to make it *more* akward by trying to reverse everything th instructor was doing. Same way with knitting.
For me, deciding what hand to use (except eating and writing) has always been pragmatic. When my elementary-school classroom had only one pair of lefty scissors for three lefties to share, I learned to cut right-handed. I say if it works for you, go for it!
Linda |
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Nitaks2
Warming Up
USA
73 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2007 : 4:28:12 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Ratbag
I know that sounds strange, especially as I am very very left handed, but I honestly knit right handedly. I think it's because I was taught to knit by my Mam & Nan at a every young age, about 4, they always had needles in their hands & I mithered them until they gave in.
The only two things I do differently to any other knitter I know (all right handers)are; I always knit into the back of the st on a K row & I rarely turn the work, so that the rs of the work is facing me when I P a row. Mam say it's like looking at a type writer going back & forth.
Told you I was a weird leftie :-)
Well, I'm a lefty too..but, I crochet left handed, and knit right handed- using the British Method (Throwing)...Due to my learning disability, I don't even fool with Continental...even though I am bound and determined to eventually learn how to do Fair Isle and that other color work technique that starts with an I..( Can't remember the name of it off the top of my head..)
At least your Mom didn't tell you you weren't capable of stitching/knitting, crochet,etc...due to being a lefty. - That was one of my Stepmother's favorite things- rub my nose in the fact that I'd NEVER be good enough to have a One Woman Show like one of her daughters did! The totally ironic and comical thing about that futile effort was that I NEVER cared if I ever did a "One Woman Show"!
I guess she never could realize that I was MORE into the idea of doing my part to participate in doing what those other ladies that crafted and stitched before me through out history- AND the idea that a hand made gift means far MORE than just buying something for someone. - To me that meant more than putting on the dog to do some inane show or whatever...I guess, I probably wanted it for different reasons, and I'd like to think for the right reasons...I hope...
As for the type writer thing, I seem to be in the habit of my purling being on the WS, and my garter stitching or whatever on the RS..- it seems to work okay for me, oddly enough! But, yeah, I know the feeling of people looking at you strangely while stitching due to being a lefty!
Nita |
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Weird Leftie (knit right-handed)
