Knitting: English VS Continental Style

If you are a knitter you may have been asked this common question:

Do you knit English or continental?

[Image consists of strands of yarn twisted together like rope.]

So first, what is English vs continental knitting?

[Image consists of knitting on knitting needles.]

So then what are the benefits and drawbacks to English and continental knitting?

English knitting can be an easier form of knitting to learn when starting out, and may even come naturally to you especially if like many people you are right hand dominant. This style also gives you the greatest control over the tension of your knitting because your fingers are throwing the yarn over the needle rather than simply carrying it.

However English knitting also has certain downsides including that it can be clumsy or lead to cramped hands and fingers if you aren’t careful about your hand placement, and perhaps more concerning would be that it can lead to a sore back if you aren’t careful about your posture.

Continental knitting is often held up as superior to English knitting due to the potential to be faster when knitting when you pick or hook the working yarn instead of needing to throw it each stitch. It is true that once mastered continental knitting can be a great way to knit quickly. This can also be good technique for left-hand dominant knitters.

But continental knitting also has it’s drawbacks, while this style is less stressful on your fingers than English, you can instead injure your wrists if not using proper posture. Continental knitters often experience repetitive stress injuries in their knuckles and forearms as well after spending long periods knitting.

Overall both styles of knitting have the chance to do harm if you don’t practice proper posture and take breaks when knitting, so the main difference between English and continental knitting may be said to be if you have a preference for tension control, or speed. Though you can learn to knit quickly and consistently regardless of style.

[Image consists of a basket of heart shaped balls of yarn with some around it.]

What about combined knitting?

Combined knitting, much like it sounds, uses both the left and right hand to carry yarn. This is often used for knitting styles involving two or more yarns, such as when knitting Fair Isle patterns.

Being able to carry and control multiple yarns can make it significantly faster and easier to work in colourway or Fair Isle patterns. But as it is an advanced technique and can take a great deal of practice to learn to balance tensions of the multiple yarns on separate hands, and getting set up can take time too.

[Image consists of strands of yarn twisted together like rope.]

🧶- Do you have any ‘aspirational’ knitting patterns that you want to try but find daunting to attempt? Or perhaps you have a project you are especially proud of having completed that you’d like to share?
Source: https://themodernmaker.net/blog/continental-english-knitting-best

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