Knitting: English Method or Continental Method?

I have been knitting since I was barely a teenager. I was so fascinated by the art of knitting that I learned it on my own, from books, trying, undoing, and retrying... At that time, in Italy, circular needles were not very well known, so I started with the straight ones and with the English method: yarn on the right, loop around the crossed needles and there, onto the next stitch.

When my friend Venere, a few years ago, told me about circular needles, my life changed! Working on a sweater in one piece, without having to sew it (seams were my longtime "arch-nemesis"), with the possibility of seeing it grow between my hands, of trying it on, of "adjusting" it as I worked, and having it there, immediately ready once all stitches were closed... well! It seemed like a dream to me... So I jumped into it... I bought my first set of interchangeable circular needles, armed myself with patience, and tried.

At the beginning, it wasn't very easy, I admit. I struggled. I worked slowly, clumsily, the stitches were irregular...

Until Venere asked me: "...but you, do you hold the yarn on the right or on the left?"

What a question! On the right! How can you knit with the yarn in your left hand?!

"You can, you can: it's called the continental method. For me, it's the most comfortable when working with circular needles."

So I tried it too, did some practice, and now the stitches flow quickly and accurately, without thinking about it.

The videotutorial by Katia below shows you both the English technique and the continental technique. You can use both with excellent results whether you work with straight needles or circular ones. The idea that the English method is incompatible with circular knitting is a myth: there are many extremely skilled knitters who hold the yarn in their right hand. But we are all different, and only learning all the techniques will allow you to understand which one is most suitable for you!

What are you waiting for? Don't be intimidated by the newness, give it a try! You might discover new worlds of possibilities, just like I did!