So, once again, I'm attempting to teach myself to knit.

[xiphias]

I get the concept just fine. I even get the motions.

I just can't keep anything approaching constant tension in my yarn, so my stitches are totally all kinds of different sizes.

The other thing I notice is that, as I knit, the yarn gets looser and looser wound. I suspect this has something to do with me being left-handed, although my gut-level grasp of topology isn't good enough for me to be certain about that.

But now I'm wondering if there's such a thing as left-handed yarn.

Comments

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Just for the heck of it, you might try taking a skein and winding it into a ball, so that you're starting from the other end. I have no idea whether this would have any effect, but it seems like a plausible experiment to me.

Have you tried crochet, as an alternative to knitting? I admit the fabric tends to come out a bit heavier, but you might enjoy the process.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Lis suggested something similar to starting at the other end. Like I said, I just don't have enough of a feel for topology to figure whether it would make any difference. Taking a look at it, I note that each end of the yarn winds clockwise when you look straight at it, so I suspect that it wouldn't make any difference.

Knitting makes the neat clicking sound as you knit. I'm doing this mainly for the sound and the finger motion, as well as the concept of knitting, rather than any desire to actually MAKE anything. Crochet has cool finger movements, but it doesn't do the clicky-sound.

[i-aldarion.livejournal.com]

You're probably knitting the American way. The way I learned it (from my Danish stepmum) it's possible to keep tension pretty steady, by weaving the thread over and under your fingers (of your left hand, incidentally, the way I learned it). The thread goes over the index finger, under the middle, and over the ring finger. Then you stick the needle through the thread-loop already on the other needle, hook the yarn through, etc. It's easier to show than to explain, but I hope that helps?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

hhw, below, linked to a site with a video of exactly what you're talking about! It looks neat.

[i-aldarion.livejournal.com]

cool!

[hhw]

passing through on friendsfriends - if you're knitting with the strand of yarn in your right hand, you might try knitting continental style, which has the yarn in the left hand instead (or vice versa, if applicable).

http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/knit.php - excellent instructions, with small videos to show you real hands working with real yarn.

also, the tension thing does improves over time. just keep going for a while.

good luck!

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm a lefty. I hold the needle with the stiches I'm pulling off in the right hand, and the needle that I'm moving the stiches onto in my left hand. The yarn comes in over my fingers of the left hand.

Looking at the video, I guess what I'm doing is American/English style, but a mirror-reflection of it. I'll have to try the Continental style -- that looks neat.

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

Try knitting right-handed. It might make a difference.

Also, some yarns just *will* come unspun a bit as you're working. It's normal. Just chase the unwinding bits back to the ball and keep going. It works itself out eventually. Also, your first couple of tries will not look great. This is normal, and if you let it discourage you, you'll never knit. We all had tension problems to start.

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

I'm a lefty, but knit (and play guitar) right-handed.

Turns out i'm not totally left-handed, ith's more that I'm left-thumbed.

This could be useful info for someone...

[nolly.livejournal.com]

Knitting is so ambidextrous (in my experience) that it's really not worth reversing for handedness. Control the yarn with whichever hand feels more natural -- as mentioned above, Continental style has the working yarn in the left hand, English in the right -- but reversing just leads to excessive confusion.

Also, don't worry too much about perfect tension; stiches tend to even out over time and with blocking.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

There isn't left-handed yarn (to the best of my knowledge) but you might want to look into learning how to knit the Continental way, where you hold the yarn in your left hand.

I knit the English way (yarn in the right hand) and I'm fine, even though I'm a lefty (I was taught by my mum, who's also a lefty).

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

I get most of knitting too.. except gauge and tension. I just can't seem to get the hang of it, then I give up.

[rosefox]

I definitely recommend learning to knit Continental-style.

And for the record, right-handed knitters get the yarn overtwisted and have to stop and unwind it occasionally, so it's a problem no matter how you knit. *) Starting from the other end won't make a difference, as the twist is symmetrical:


- --- -
\ / \ /
\ \
/ \ / \
- --- -


It's the same no matter which end you start from or how you turn it. When I'm sewing, I've noticed that thread gets overtwisted too.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Part of the problem is that the skill is unfamiliar and your hands are getting tired. After a few minutes, you let your fingers relax a little when you're not really paying attention, and that's when the yarn goes slack. It might help to do more with your careful hand, in the continental style. But practice will probably help even more.

[kelfstein.livejournal.com]

From some spinners I used to know there is right hand and left hand twist yarn, s and z are the terms used. As far as I know almost all commercially spun yarn is right hand so if a right handed person knit it could tighten the yarn and and left handed person could loosen the spin of the yarn. I am no expert and may be slightly or totally off, but I have read about s and z spun yarn.

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

When I used to knit, I found that my state of mind had a significant influence on how tight or loose my stitches were. If I was angry or watching a suspensful TV show, I got tight stitches. If I was relaxing with soft music or watching a comedy or variety show, my stitches got looser.