Knitting Left Handed in a Right Handed World by Roberk
There are many knitters out there just like me - you are
left handed knitters! Many of the knitting books give a simple suggestion to
those of us who are left-handed. That is this: Learn to knit right-handed! Being
a left-handed knitter, I refused to take that advice. I have been knitting left
handed for over 20 years and have learned to overcome some of the obstacles that
left handed knitting presents. If you are a left-handed knitting novice, some of
my tips might prove to be beneficial so you can embrace your newfound hobby of
knitting.
You can learn some of the basic stitches from an
experienced knitter who just happens not to be a left-handed knitter. My mentor
was not a left-handed knitter and I loved to watch her sit and knit all of the
intricate patterns to create her beautiful sweaters and other knitted work. When
I finally expressed a desire to learn how to knit, she gladly told me she would
show me how.
The first thing she told me to do was to go buy a pair of
size 8 straight knitting needles and a ball of yarn (wool). When I returned, to
my surprise...she told me to sit on the floor facing her, while she sat in her
chair. I did this, but thought that the logical thing would be to sit beside her
while she taught me. However, this was not the way for a left handed knitter to
learn from one who uses the other hand dominantly. By sitting opposite of her, I
did everything in reverse of what she was doing. If she used her right hand to
do something, I used my left hand...and vice versa. Before I knew it, I had a
grasp of casting on and was knitting and purling in no time. Then came the time
I felt comfortable enough to try actually making something I could keep and
reading a pattern to do it.
Now, if any of you are left handed knitters and have
attempted to read a knitting pattern that was written by and for knitters of the
opposite hand, you have probably felt intimidated and frustrated your first
time, just like me. It can be a struggle to logically make sense of the pattern,
because us lefty knitters go from left to right when we knit or purl. That makes
the pattern backward to us and in the beginning, it can be hard to train
yourself which way the decreases or increases should go or slant. In our
left-handed knitting mind, we might be working the straight side edge, but in
the knitting pattern, they are referring to the inside edge, such as a center
front. Left-handed knitting can present problems when reading a pattern.
The best way to tackle left-handed knitting is to take a
good look at the pattern before you start it. Many times, we have to compensate
for our increases or decreases by adjusting the way we do them. If the pattern
says, for instance, "knit two together", in order to make the decrease slant in
the right direction, we left handed knitters might have to do a "knit one, slip
one, pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch" or in the knitting
vernacular "K1, S1, PSSO".
I hope this article will inspire all of you who happen to
be left handed knitters and have been frustrated by trying to learn how to knit
or want to try more intricate patterns. Knitting can be one of the most
enjoyable hobbies you can ever learn and give you hours of pleasure. I hope to
write more knitting tips for all of us left handed knitters and also for those
who may be of the other "handed persuasion". In the meantime, I hope you all
visit this very interesting blog, "Craftola". It gives tips, tricks and is very
insightful on all types of arts and crafts. Happy knitting to all of you left
handed knitters!