That was by far the BEST method for purling for me! I am teaching myself to Continental knit and those darn purls were kicking my butt! Your method is by far a more natural flow for me. No more dropping the yarn off my finger. Thanks so much for sharing. Now it’s practice time!
Hello, I have just learned to knit with the help of youtubes this year am 63 years old and wanted to knit since childhood, learned at 12 and then later tried to pick it back up. (No success until youtube). Thank you so much you have helped with the pearl stitch , I now have it down!!!
I know it's a bit late in the day for a reply, but you aren't alone. I'm 59, learned the basics (English style, alas!) in 5th grade, and never pursued anything more advanced til YT and an expert knitter moved in next door to me. I've got the continental knitting down, now if I can just get this ^%$%$# purling down...
When I first started knitting, last year, I watched this and couldn't figure it out. Now, several sweaters and scarves later, it clicked. I finally understand that this technique is all about the "anchoring" of the yarn with the finger/thumb before the actual purl and now I absolutely love purling this way. Thank you so much for this and all your amazing videos!!
I'm so glad you were able to go back and make sense of it. I'm just learning to spin, and I'm remembering that when I learn something new, I have to go back and review the material I already looked at, because all the things that made no sense to me earlier, or didn't seem relevant, suddenly make sense! :-)
I've knit with the Continental method for 44 yrs, by the way I was taught, by a LYS owner in WA state, & it did not require so much twisting and wrapping in such a difficult, cumbersome way.. She showed me 2 methods of purling & told me to try each to find my favorite. The knitting portion was SUPER FAST, due to just picking up the yarn easier for knit. {Grab the strand & pull it through & off the needle. When I first saw her knitting while I was looking at yarn, I was AMAZED! My grandma taught me to knit at age 12, but her method was the wrapping one. I asked the yarn shop owner, Helen, if she could show me how she knit. She said "Buy some yarn, sit down, & I'll show you!" It was the BEST, fastest, & most effective way to knit I COULD NOT BELIEVE it! I was hooked! Ha! I practiced a lot that night at home, after 22 years of doing the slow, cumbersome, throwing method. I was SO excited to learn a super fast, easy, method of knitting that was PERFECT! All sts were perfectly formed! Thank You Helen, you changed my life & method. I'm now a certified, licensed Knitting Instructor by the Craft Yarn Council of America, & a Certified Licensed Instructor for crochet too. I teach classes at Michaels, & in my home. JoAnns wants me to teach there too. I can knit SUPER FAST with the Continental knitting method (also called Knit Picking). When I ride on ferry's & knit, I have ladies come up to me and ask what I'm doing so fast. The trick to the most efficient way of knit picking is keeping your needles CLOSE to the work, and your hand, not stretching out a lengthy section of yarn. I could NOT knit pick (or Continental) with that method, at all. I want fast, effortless, & perfectly formed stitches. I like to get my projects done in a fast, easy manner, and have my sts look as if they were knit on a machine. They are all perfectly made, & line up perfectly. If you follow this, it's going to be awkward. I don't need to use any fingers to move the yarn out of the way, or set up to stitch. The needle lifts the stitch & does all the work. I guess "I" need to make a video to show how it's done, & how easy it is! Closest version of what I do is the fastest knitter in the world; (a champion) look up "Fastest Knitter Miriam Tegels," from Holland. She works faster than I do, but I'm not far behind. You couldn't knit fast doing the method shown here on this post. Sorry, it may work for you, but I could show you a MUCH easier, effortless method of doing it much quicker and faster.
Wow, Hi! That is exciting! I am an experienced crochet artist learning to knit. I have always "thought' knitting was harder... I don't know why, but what I've been hearing these last few days is 'continental knitting' is faster and well suited to crochet crafters! Now as a BONUS I chance upon your helpful tidbit and I am not feeling so overwhelmed and out of my depth! Thank you SO MUCH, for taking the time to make all those other purl videos and especially thank you for feeling inspired to explains once again this purling method- I can almost guarantee it will make such a difference in my own level of inspiration to fully learn knitting and to NOT give up. ...again and most Sincerely I thank you! 😊 👣👍👊👋👏😊
Don’t allow people to do that to you ever okay, well everyone who is anyone knows their are a ton of ways to knit, next time say no I’m right now go online and discover for yourself and pay attention while you’re doing it, you will definitely be learning more about what is right and wrong in this craft lolol, besides that fact that all Oma’s are absolutely correct in all things like this, true lolol god bless you and your Oma
Thank you for saying that it doesn't matter how an individual makes their stitches as long as they get the right result. I'm now trying to learn knitting at 48 because when I was being taught to crochet and knit as young girl, crochet came first, so when it was time to knit some of the crochet hand motion was already ingrained. After being scolded for " doing it wrong " so many times I gave up on knitting and now have 35 years of crocheting getting in my way. However my hands naturally fall into a position that matches your stitch starting point. You just saved me from giving up again. Again many many thanks!!!
It's surprising how many people are rigid about the "best" or "right" way to knit! I'm glad to hear you are trying again. If my method doesn't work for you, don't give up. Keep looking at videos for how people knit, because subtle differences in how people hold the needles will affect how they manage the yarn. The main thing is to understand the *point* of what you are trying to do (pull the loop of yarn through an existing loop on the needle, and *then* find a way to make that happen that works for you. Many crocheters find the Continental method the most natural, but there are some who find having a needle in the hand that has always handled the yarn doesn't work for them, so they end up holding the yarn in the right hand. It's really individual. The main thing for crocheters to understand is that the direction of the yarn around the needle is the opposite of crocheting, when they're knitting. Good luck!
I admit to struggling with learning the continental purl. I am a crocheter, and have been trying and trying my hand at knitting for so long, but just cannot seem to get past these troubles with my tension in my purl. its slip and slips off my finger and its disheartening. I LOVE this little "cheat"!!! its a very small movement and helps me to accomplish something that has been sooo difficult for me! thanks so much for sharing this clever way of doing this stitch!!!
I realize this video is years old! I wish I had seen it 5 years ago when I attempted to learn to knit. I’m a crocheter and knitting was just not working for me. I spent HOURS trying to learn. I decided last week to give it another shot and this time I tried continental style and here I am - knitting! I can’t even believe it! I was struggling with purls of course and this video has helped me more than any other. I hold my crochet hook like a knife and it’s so much easier to hold and anchor the yarn - similar to crochet and it just clicked! Hooray! Thank you! I’ve subscribed to your channel and go from there. 🎉
This was sooooo insanely useful, I've been looking for an hour for someone to not only show how they purl and knit continental, but how you actually switch quickly between the two. Thank you!! Also this purl technique is way better than other continental purls I've seen.
Wow. So much easier than what I've been following. Thanks for having this post up still. I did some knitting when I was young but am really horrible at it now. You'd think I'd have a few knitting brain cells left but, thankfully there's someone like you that I can learn from. I like your style.
OK, I get it. It's one of the styles I've been trying but yours looks more efficient than mine. I'm trying to eliminate the holding of my left pointer finger in the air. It cramps my hand. I figured it out when knitting but not purling yet. The other style I'm trying is to have the yarn in the back and do a 'speed' stitch also called Norwegian, I think. Both of these still seem to require the finger in the air. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for your video. I've been having trouble with my left thumb when I knit because, I think, I'm holding the needle too tight when I knit, particularly when I purl. I looked up 'how to purl' and found your video. I am so grateful to you. By pressing on the yarn on the right needle with my thumb, as you suggest. I have eliminated the tension on my left thumb. Yay!!!
After decades of throwing, I've been knitting Continental more and more. C. purling of course is challenging. Your technique of anchoring with right finger and rocking is very helpful. Thanks for posting!
I am just seeing this all these years later. I am sooooo happy! I’m a crocheter attempting to be bistitchual and purling was one reason I am not further along. This makes so much sense! Thank you!
I'm 65 and I've been knitting steady for 45 years. I've always been a thrower but for the past year, due to repetitive strain in my right hand, I've had to pretty much quit knitting. Then I was challenged to try the continental method. I got the hang of knitting. However, purling was so (and still is) hard and slow. I'm persevering, Roxanne, and it is because of this video. I just want to say thanks. I'm a new subscriber and it is because your videos are so well done and motivating. Living in the country, far from main centers, I depend on your instruction and encouragement. I think I can keep on knitting now (I have 11 grandchildren) and I was pretty discouraged before seeing this video.
I'm so happy this video was helpful to you! Every knitter is unique, so what helps one may not help another. Let's hope for another 45 years of comfortable knitting! :-)
+Robert Mae The continental purl is difficult for me as well so I figured out how NOT to flex ANY fingers to do it. I found out that it's called Russian knitting! Great if you have stiff fingers or painful joints. Look for a video that shows Russian knitting and you'll see what I mean. Basically, instead of"pushing" the yarn to wrap around the Right needle, just "hook" the working yarn (when it's crossing the Left needle) and bring it through to the front of the Left needle and finish the purl stitch. Wish I was good at doing a video of it because it'd be easier to show. Good luck!
+ Robert Mae here's the best video I've found that describes how to do the Russian purl. Ignore her strong accent, she does all sorts of ways that work. ua-cam.com/video/gjRdy47-S38/v-deo.html
Thank you so much for this video! I've never been able to get the hang of continental purling after watching other videos, but yours is the most helpful. Finally got it down ❤️
Like you I purl differently than anyone else and I've never seen it done exactly as I do. That being said you are pretty close to what I do. However, instead of anchoring the yarn with my right hand as you do, I actually use my left thumb. What I do is insert the needle and, like you said the thread already lays across, so all I do is grab it with my left thumb and roll in down the left needle just long enough to allow me to complete the stitch with my right needle. It allows me to purl very fast and doesn't slow me down any. Another way I purl is also by tightening the yarn by rotating my left hand away from the right hand a bit and it is just enough that I can just grab it with the right needle and pull it through also. Both ways are very quick. I hope you'll try the "thumb roll" and see if it doesn't speed things up for you. Thanks for sharing your video.
Love your statement at the end." It doesn't matter to me how you knit or purl." I have been watching many videos to help me be more efficient and not hurt at the end of the day. So many videos claim there are 'wrong/right' ways. But there is no such thing. To purl is to simply get the loop from the front to the back. Many different ways because there are many different folks who knit.
Exactly! Every knitter has to find what works for them. Small changes in needle or yarn hold can make a big difference one way or another as to whether any particular method will work well. That's why I spent 4 years looking for the way that would work best for *me*! :-)
Another wonderful video -- thank you! Your visuals are clear; your explanations are clear; and I really appreciate your friendly voice. Keep them coming! I would love to see how you graft the ends of an i-cord. I'm finishing off a scarf that has an i-cord on the edges, and I would love to finish it off nicely -- rather than the way I usually do it ...
Thank you so much! I am left handed and a crocheter, but am trying to teach myself to knit. Loved your video and found it very helpful. Your explanation of this technique was very clear and easy to understand.
I am a beginning knitter. I appreciate VERY MUCH your videos. Most of the time I can't figure out what the pattern's directions are, but am thankful for the help you give via your videos. Thank you.
I'm a somewhat new knitter and this is my natural knit and purl except for the index anchor of the purl stitch, which may be the answer to my loose purl stitch. Your video has been invaluable to me. Thank you.
Thanks! This was very helpful! I signed up to take a fair isle knitting class and was told I need to know how to continental knit first. I've been teaching myself continental style but have been really struggling to purl in a way that doesn't inflame my carpal tunnel and this is it! I don't do it exactly like you but your tutorial gave me the foundation to find my own way! Thank you from the bottom of my toe-up socks! :)
You're welcome! I adopted this method after I saw a video wasn't quite like I do it, but it, too, gave me the foundation for something that would work for me. Have fun with your Fair Isle class!
I taught myself to knot using a lot of videos. & your version of purling looks like what I have started doing. Great video went slow enough I could see how you were moving your hands & the needles. 🤗 thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your video and clear instruction. I've been crocheting for almost ten years and have wanted to add knitting to my craft. I've not been able to grasp the art of throwing. This technique is perfect for me. I've successfully completed projects that used to be impossible.
Wow! I've been trying more continental for color work but purling just didn't work. This totally makes sense and I can't wait to pick up some needles tonight to give it a try. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, I wanted to expand my horizons, ( not that anything is wrong with Portuguese style ) and being a former crocheter seemed to me that allowing my left hand to control things made sense , I managed to figure out knit , just could not work out how to purl so here I am , tension will come eventually, but I am on my way.
I knew you had a video on the continental purl! At 68, after 40 years of knitting, I am a continental knitter. My German Grandmother is smiling in heaven
I found you/your video by chance and I'm so glad I did. I was taught to hold the yarn in my right hand and have wanted to learn a faster method. I've seen other, more confusing ways to purl and I feel your methods of knitting and purling will work very well for me. I haven't yet tried a fast alternative method of knitting/purling, but I'm anxious to try yours. Thanks so much!
I love this continental method of purling, I was tightening almost every purl stitch making my knitting slow. My purling has bother me for years, I even did the Norweigan method for awhile but this is so much faster and my tension is just as good as with Norweigan. This method solved my problem-only a few rows in and I am already faster. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for all of the videos and support!! I had surgery on my right hand, and I can no longer "throw". So I learned Continental, and I do just love it, yet I hate to purl!! I, too, tend to naturally hold my forefinger on the yarn when I knit, so I love how you do it!!! I've not yet got the hang of it, as you do, but I'll keep practicing, I am getting much better, but not even close to you!! I am "getting" it just a bit differently, but seems to be working for me. Thanks for also reminding us (me) that we each are different, and the aim is to get the same end result!
Roxanne, I knit exactly the way you do except for one thing-- I have the yarn traveling over the back of the index finger instead of the front, if that makes sense as a description. I don't know why I adopted this position (I learned to knit from my mother about 55 years ago, but we never discussed this fine point), and for all I know she did it your way! But for me it solves the problem you notein about minute 6 of the video where you have trouble hooking the yarn in the knit stitch. If the yarn is behind the finger, it's farther away and easier to pull through! Once I realized from UA-cam videos that everyone was doing it differently from my way, I tried it just for the heck of it, and of course, you can't change after 55 years! I wish I could have my mother here now to see how she did it. BTW, I also keep the index finger up high. I know other people knit with it very close to the work, but that feels clumsy to me. As it is, I can switch very quickly between knits and purls for ribbing and seed stitch. I also hold the yarn the same way for crochet.
Thank you! I've only been knitting for about 2 years, I can knit decently fast but purling takes me SO long! I hold my yarn/needles just like this to knit, so this method works great for me! Thanks so much!
You definitely did a great job showing so clearly how to improve doing the purl stitch. I've always done Continental (happily) I did think that the basic purling had a little to much wrist movement to twist the yarn around the needle. I know once I practice it, so I don't drop stitches, I'll love it. I've never held my yarn so close to the tip of the needle so it'll be quite a feat! :) Thanks!
I agree with you. I know several methods and they all yield good results. Sometimes I need a more dense stitch as in making mittens and I'll use my English throwing method or go down a couple sized in needles in order to get a dense stitch. It is good for making the sole of a slipper also where you want a more durable material. If I need the cuff to stretch, Continental is better. So I vary technique to achieve the best product I am making. In the end if your knitting is beautiful and appreciated, no one will frown at you that you didn't make your stitches the same way they did.
I purl the same exact way, except left handed. It was born out of being self taught through UA-cam videos and not being able to coordinate my index finger down to do the yarn over. It seemed easier for me to move the needle rather than the yarn. Being unable to find really good left handed videos also played a part because I couldn't "flip" the images in my mind well enough to translate what I was seeing. So I just "found" another way! Knitting is one thing that ends well because you can justify the means in getting there. I thought I was the only one.
Thank you! I struggled for a couple of hours last night trying to learn how do do Continental knitting and purling. I got the knitting down, but the purling was clumsy and frustrating. Your method works well for me and it only took me one time through the video to get it!
Thank you for this! I am just learning to knit and decided to go straight to learning continental knitting and purling. I've got the continental knit stitch down great. I've got the motion of continental purl down but for some reason my tension is always loose. My 1 little issue was to use my index finger to hold the yarn while looping under. That 1 move you showed me has made that difference I have been searching for for over a week! 🤣 Thank you thank you thank you! 😘🤣
If you want to try and not have to use your right index finger to anchor the yarn (so it doesn't slide off the needle when you're trying to do a knit stitch), try holding your needles at more of an angle; in other words, form more of an upside down V with your needles. You will find that the working yarn is at more of a cross angle with the stitch you're going to be knitting into, and it will stay on the needle; you won't have to anchor it.
I have just taught myself to knit continental. I am purling this was because it was the only way I could get some speed. I just now came across this video so I must be doing something right.
Loved seeing your method, it looks super easy once you get used to it, but I could see where I could drop stitches easily... thanks so much for your time!!
Love it! I was purling, using my left index finger to pull the yarn down, which made the yarn slip off my index finger. this solves a lot of frustration I was having as I am learning to knit. Thank you
You saved me! I am a continental knitter but my method wasn't giving me gauge on the fingering weight linen I'm trying to swatch while knitting English was. This method has done the trick! Thanks!
I've been knitting continental style for over 50 years and only recently realized that I don't purl like this! I don't wrap the yarn at all, but just pick the thread through. The only difference it makes is that the loop on the other side is reversed. I knit the stitch "as it lies" rather than knit through the left of the stitch. It is a faster method and works well with lace patterns.
If people want to watch a slower demonstration, they can use the settings control to the right and under the video, same bar as the play button. You do sound funny at 1/2 speed.
Omg, I love the way you teach this. I'm simply trying to knit continental for the first time.(normally English) Now, I'm totally catching the rhythm. Thanks for this video. 🙏♥️
Brilliant, marvelous, awesome and exceptional!!!! I am a new knitter and just learning the pearl stitch. I've been having problems with it and your video was the one that did the trick! Thank you so much for posting this I greatly appreciate your help.
Thank you. I have been trying to figure it out for a couple weeks, this makes so much sense. I have been trying to improve my skills and work more quickly. I am so glad you posted this.
Thank you sooo much for this video! I FINALLY "get it" - how to purl continental style!! Your explanation of how you move your wrists was especially helpful for me. Thanks again!! Not only have I subscribed to your channel, but I clicked the "notify me every time you upload a new video"!!! :-)
I'm just learning continental. I can't wait to try this. This looks more in keeping with the way my fingers tend to go anyway. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!
Love your videos. I am doing an Irish Moss stitch & did your tutorial but when I purl there is a yarn over. What am I doing wrong? Thanks. I appreciate your very quick response & do switch positions; yarn in back for knit & purl with yarn in front. I’m going to watch your video again. UPDATE: I was pulling the purl stitch much to tight thus creating a yarn over. Now I am a successful Continental knitter. Bless you for your quick response & video. I’m a very happy subscriber.
You have to move the yarn position to the front before working a purl, and to the back before working a knit. If you don't switch the yarn position before you insert the needle into the stitch on the left hand needle, you'll get a yarn over.
Hey Roxanne, Thank u! I like the Peruvian and Russian style and like u said in essence, mix it up a bit to find the path thts the least resistance for urself. I live in Wisconsin and I used to knit earlier than this for the cold weather tht is coming. I started up again n DUHHH was I w everythg. Thankfully You Tube n people like u hve me more interested than ever. I hope ur well during this time n stay tht way n wld love to see ur work. God.Bless You. Sue.
Thanks so much! I was trying to learn continental knitting to put less stress on my hands (and I didn't mind moving a wee bit faster too) but the pearl stitches I just couldn't get the hang of. You're anchoring tip put everything into order! Now it's just practice and time that will make me smooth.
Thank thank thank YOU!!! I am so happy to pearl and knit the way you have taught me!I was not the best pearl girl and now I enjoy it!Your new fan , Lisa 😀
I’ve been Portuguese Knitting since 7/2016 when it was recommended by a friend who noticed the arthritic pain in my hands was increasing. Purling is so much fun and easy on my hands, shoulders & neck. By the next month numbness in my arms and hands developed so I had C7-T1 replacement surgery 10/2016. I’m grateful it stopped that issue for two & a half years. I switched to a Portuguese yarn pin when numbness returned to my right thumb last year right before I had lumbar surgery. At the follow up appt. My surgeon’s assistant ordered an x-ray 4/2019 which showed C6 is deteriorating and making the C7-T1 insert tip out of alignment. Revision surgery will be discussed at my appt next month. Sadly I have to take a break from knitting because I’m noticing mistakes due to the numbness.
I like the way you do this. It seems easier than flinging my left hand finger down cause it tends to put my working yarn in the wrong position. I'm going to work on your way more. It feels more natural to me. Thanks for sharing.
+demelza bunny Just look up "All your base are belong to us". Wikipedia has a very good article about the phrase and how it has become something of a sensation. Her shirt is an adaptation of it, and it made me laugh as soon as I saw it.
It is funny. I am learning continental knitting. I learned it the other way as a kid in the netherlands. I found continental knitting much more relaxing. I hated the long needles stuck under my arms. Now knitting with a circular needles. Much more easy. and you know what was great watching your videos after I really got stuck with my knitting books on knitting purl continental way, I figured out myself to do it how you showed it. Seems I was doing it very correctly. It was very logical. Continental knitting should be learned to all beginners, very easy and fast.
Thank you so much for demonstrating! I am usually a Norwegian Purler with wool, but I've been wanting to work on the continental purl when knitting with unforgiving yarn (I'm lookin at you cotton!). I tried out your technique and I really love it! It makes purling fun and it feels like a similar dance to the Norwegian Purl.
Thank you for this! Love your technique. My purls were so loose that I was getting the same loose tension regardless of what size needles I would use. Now my knitting looks like actual knitting in the proper tension. Yay!
I don't like pulling the working yarn in front, so I finally learned Norwegian purl - I still resort to throwing sometimes, but Continental knitting, Norwegian purling works for me. Thanks for this video!
I have SO much left over yarn, I will give this a try for practice! For sure, seed stitch is very tedious in the English method. I enjoy your videos and find your instructions so easy to understand. Sometimes I just browse to find something new.
Eureka!! After 50+ years of knitting English style, I recently thought myself to knit continental style. I was never able to do the purl, though, as it always slipped off my needle… I did ok with the Norwegian purl but I can’t imagine working a whole row that way. The anchoring I use my thumb, or thumbnail) and the wrist twist you show have finally allowed me to master the purls. Thanks!!
Thank you for showing me how to do this! It sure solves the problem I have with keeping the yarn from slipping off my index finger. I tried it and it works great. :)
Roxanne, thank you so much for this very helpful video! You obviously put a lot care into presenting your information in a very understandable way. Absolutely excellent! As a new knitter, I am watching a variety of videos, a variety of styles. What you've shown us here is just what I needed to see. As amnesiaman89 said, I too was so frustrated with the yarn slipping off the index finger when I tried to pull the yarn down in purling. This slipping doesn't happen with your method, which is terrific! I will practice with this video several more times. But after having gone through it just once with you, I can already see that it is going to help me become a better purler! I'm so happy to say that I a now "a knitter"!
+MNWildRose Even as an experienced knitter, I continue to try new ways of doing things. I can usually tell within a few minutes (but I give myself a half an hour!) whether or not something will work for me, once I have enough practice. I adapted my method from a German video I saw where the knitter anchored the yarn with her thumb. That method instantly resonated with me, and I quickly adapted it to using my index finger, since that's what I used for my knit stitches. It just felt right. Sometimes, techniques just don't work a given knitter, because of the way he/she holds the yarn and needles, so when you find one that really works, it's magic! Keep on knitting! :-)
thank you Roxanne - you have made purling continental so much easier for me!! i shall practice so that i can combine it with continental knitting and thereby be able to knit fastr!!
Thank-you! I have been trying to find a way I could purl and not have to slow to a crawl! The finger holding the stitch was all I needed to get comfortable, why didn’t I think of that! 😊
Thank you for this video! I've crocheted for over a decade, but I've also wanted to learn to knit. I've attempted this three or four times, and never progressed past a bit of garter stitch. Purling just feels like I'm trying to knit only with a handful of feet instead of fingers! Is seriously awkward, and no matter what I try, it's just beyond me. I think this method might actually work for me ... I'm crossing my fingers, and if it does work I'll be singing your praises from now on!
I just learned how to knit…right handed even though I’m left handed. I crochet right handed as well. I knit like you do, probably because I’ve crocheted for 30+ years. Have only practiced….can’t wait to actually make something!
Just happened to find this. I am a beginner knitter and have lots of trouble getting the same tension for knit and purl. This looks like it may work. Will have to play with it. Thanks so much.
It’s a quote from a badly translated Japanese movie “ all your base are belong to us”. It was so quirky that it developed a life of its own. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us
I’m not a continental knitter (I’m a “flicker”) but I always practice! I just couldn’t get the purling down to save my life. I just could never seem to wrap the yarn without it falling off my finger. Something just clicked when I watched this video and now I can do it (not great, still pretty shaky with my continental style, but one day!)
I do something similar, except I use my left thumb to grab the yarn against the left needle until I can grab it with the right needle to pull it through. It's more efficient and only takes a split second. You kind of roll it down against the needle. Another way is to tilt your left hand backward slightly to tighten the tension just enough that you grab it with your right needle and pull it through. If the tension isn't enough, it won't work. It does works great when you have lots of purls to do and is also very fast.
+Cyndy Lee It sounds like you have found a way that makes your own knitting more efficient, which is really what every knitter is looking to do. Unfortunately, what works for one knitter often does not work for another, which is why it took me four years to find a method that worked well for me. I don't expect my method to work for everyone. It couldn't possibly. Everyone develops their own way of managing the yarn and needles, so what makes one person's method "more efficient" than someone else's tends to be influenced by all those other tiny differences. Your method is actually impossible for me to do, because of the way I hold the needles!
Thank you so much for this video. I have been purling wrong for years, which made the stitches twisted and I could never figure out what I was going wrong. I'm the only continental knitter in my group. so learning new techniques is very hard. Thank you for all your help! my stitches now look great
thanks for this video! I have been doing a very close version of your method (using my thumb to push the yarn down) and a little tweak to your method has vastly improved my motion and therefore my speed. I feel like doing a seed stitch project after watching!
And my tweak was of a German who used her thumb! Whatever works for you is the right way to do it. :-) I, too, became a lover of seed stitch (and ribbing), after adopting this purling method.
Thanks very much for doing this so slowly. Some of these knitters seem to be showing off to my mind (see how fast this is!), and even the slow motion videos aren't slow enough. I'm trying to learn Continental, as my English style is really awkward, and I keep dropping the right hand needle on the floor with the first two stitches in a row. Got the knitting down, but my purling just blows chunks.
I'm from Eastern Europe, and that's almost the same way how I was taught to knit, but I don't purl the stitches exactly like in the video. I hold the needles and the yarn the same way, but it's much easier to hook and pull the yarn when the thread is placed not above the needle, but below it. Then I just make small circle movement with my right needle and voila the yarn goes through the loop.
Thank you for your comment. :-) I keep my finger high above the needle, because that's where my finger wants to be. It's the best way for me to work, based on how my other fingers hold the needles and manage the sts as they move along the needles, and as the old sts are released from the left needle. I have learned a variety of ways to knit, with my fingers in different positions (and the yarn in different hands) to see if that would/could change my efficiency and/or speed, and so that I can understand better how others knit, but when the yarn is in my left hand, that index finger always pops back up, no matter what! So I adapt my knitting to work with what my body wants to do naturally, rather than fight it. It's wonderful for knitters to have so many options for getting to the same end result!
If after inserting the needle you bring your left index finger down on top of the working yarn strand to push it behind the right needle, you don't have to rock your wrists or use your right index finger or thumb at all. You might have to keep your left index finger closer to your work. It's even less motion than you're making now. That's how I do it and I have disability in both hands. I know there's a video from some years ago. If I find it I will edit this to include a link.
That was by far the BEST method for purling for me! I am teaching myself to Continental knit and those darn purls were kicking my butt! Your method is by far a more natural flow for me. No more dropping the yarn off my finger. Thanks so much for sharing. Now it’s practice time!
Hello, I have just learned to knit with the help of youtubes this year am 63 years old and wanted to knit since childhood, learned at 12 and then later tried to pick it back up. (No success until youtube). Thank you so much you have helped with the pearl stitch , I now have it down!!!
Excellent! :-)
I know it's a bit late in the day for a reply, but you aren't alone. I'm 59, learned the basics (English style, alas!) in 5th grade, and never pursued anything more advanced til YT and an expert knitter moved in next door to me. I've got the continental knitting down, now if I can just get this ^%$%$# purling down...
I'm 60 and just learned crochet 3 years ago. Now I'm wanting to learn more. I'm a yarn addict
When I first started knitting, last year, I watched this and couldn't figure it out. Now, several sweaters and scarves later, it clicked. I finally understand that this technique is all about the "anchoring" of the yarn with the finger/thumb before the actual purl and now I absolutely love purling this way. Thank you so much for this and all your amazing videos!!
I'm so glad you were able to go back and make sense of it. I'm just learning to spin, and I'm remembering that when I learn something new, I have to go back and review the material I already looked at, because all the things that made no sense to me earlier, or didn't seem relevant, suddenly make sense! :-)
I've knit with the Continental method for 44 yrs, by the way I was taught, by a LYS owner in WA state, & it did not require so much twisting and wrapping in such a difficult, cumbersome way.. She showed me 2 methods of purling & told me to try each to find my favorite. The knitting portion was SUPER FAST, due to just picking up the yarn easier for knit. {Grab the strand & pull it through & off the needle.
When I first saw her knitting while I was looking at yarn, I was AMAZED! My grandma taught me to knit at age 12, but her method was the wrapping one. I asked the yarn shop owner, Helen, if she could show me how she knit. She said "Buy some yarn, sit down, & I'll show you!" It was the BEST, fastest, & most effective way to knit I COULD NOT BELIEVE it! I was hooked! Ha!
I practiced a lot that night at home, after 22 years of doing the slow, cumbersome, throwing method. I was SO excited to learn a super fast, easy, method of knitting that was PERFECT! All sts were perfectly formed! Thank You Helen, you changed my life & method. I'm now a certified, licensed Knitting Instructor by the Craft Yarn Council of America, & a Certified Licensed Instructor for crochet too. I teach classes at Michaels, & in my home. JoAnns wants me to teach there too.
I can knit SUPER FAST with the Continental knitting method (also called Knit Picking). When I ride on ferry's & knit, I have ladies come up to me and ask what I'm doing so fast. The trick to the most efficient way of knit picking is keeping your needles CLOSE to the work, and your hand, not stretching out a lengthy section of yarn. I could NOT knit pick (or Continental) with that method, at all. I want fast, effortless, & perfectly formed stitches.
I like to get my projects done in a fast, easy manner, and have my sts look as if they were knit on a machine. They are all perfectly made, & line up perfectly. If you follow this, it's going to be awkward. I don't need to use any fingers to move the yarn out of the way, or set up to stitch. The needle lifts the stitch & does all the work. I guess "I" need to make a video to show how it's done, & how easy it is!
Closest version of what I do is the fastest knitter in the world; (a champion) look up "Fastest Knitter Miriam Tegels," from Holland. She works faster than I do, but I'm not far behind. You couldn't knit fast doing the method shown here on this post. Sorry, it may work for you, but I could show you a MUCH easier, effortless method of doing it much quicker and faster.
Tam Aubuchon do you think you could do a video of your method? I would love to see it!
Wow, Hi! That is exciting! I am an experienced crochet artist learning to knit. I have always "thought' knitting was harder... I don't know why, but what I've been hearing these last few days is 'continental knitting' is faster and well suited to crochet crafters! Now as a BONUS I chance upon your helpful tidbit and I am not feeling so overwhelmed and out of my depth! Thank you SO MUCH, for taking the time to make all those other purl videos and especially thank you for feeling inspired to explains once again this purling method- I can almost guarantee it will make such a difference in my own level of inspiration to fully learn knitting and to NOT give up. ...again and most Sincerely I thank you! 😊 👣👍👊👋👏😊
Thank you! I've been purling like this for decades and everyone told me I was doing it wrong! I was taught this by a German Oma. :)
Don’t allow people to do that to you ever okay, well everyone who is anyone knows their are a ton of ways to knit, next time say no I’m right now go online and discover for yourself and pay attention while you’re doing it, you will definitely be learning more about what is right and wrong in this craft lolol, besides that fact that all Oma’s are absolutely correct in all things like this, true lolol god bless you and your Oma
Thank you for saying that it doesn't matter how an individual makes their stitches as long as they get the right result. I'm now trying to learn knitting at 48 because when I was being taught to crochet and knit as young girl, crochet came first, so when it was time to knit some of the crochet hand motion was already ingrained. After being scolded for " doing it wrong " so many times I gave up on knitting and now have 35 years of crocheting getting in my way. However my hands naturally fall into a position that matches your stitch starting point. You just saved me from giving up again. Again many many thanks!!!
It's surprising how many people are rigid about the "best" or "right" way to knit! I'm glad to hear you are trying again. If my method doesn't work for you, don't give up. Keep looking at videos for how people knit, because subtle differences in how people hold the needles will affect how they manage the yarn. The main thing is to understand the *point* of what you are trying to do (pull the loop of yarn through an existing loop on the needle, and *then* find a way to make that happen that works for you. Many crocheters find the Continental method the most natural, but there are some who find having a needle in the hand that has always handled the yarn doesn't work for them, so they end up holding the yarn in the right hand. It's really individual. The main thing for crocheters to understand is that the direction of the yarn around the needle is the opposite of crocheting, when they're knitting. Good luck!
I admit to struggling with learning the continental purl. I am a crocheter, and have been trying and trying my hand at knitting for so long, but just cannot seem to get past these troubles with my tension in my purl. its slip and slips off my finger and its disheartening.
I LOVE this little "cheat"!!! its a very small movement and helps me to accomplish something that has been sooo difficult for me!
thanks so much for sharing this clever way of doing this stitch!!!
I realize this video is years old! I wish I had seen it 5 years ago when I attempted to learn to knit. I’m a crocheter and knitting was just not working for me. I spent HOURS trying to learn. I decided last week to give it another shot and this time I tried continental style and here I am - knitting! I can’t even believe it! I was struggling with purls of course and this video has helped me more than any other. I hold my crochet hook like a knife and it’s so much easier to hold and anchor the yarn - similar to crochet and it just clicked! Hooray! Thank you! I’ve subscribed to your channel and go from there. 🎉
This was sooooo insanely useful, I've been looking for an hour for someone to not only show how they purl and knit continental, but how you actually switch quickly between the two. Thank you!! Also this purl technique is way better than other continental purls I've seen.
Wow. So much easier than what I've been following. Thanks for having this post up still. I did some knitting when I was young but am really horrible at it now. You'd think I'd have a few knitting brain cells left but, thankfully there's someone like you that I can learn from. I like your style.
OK, I get it. It's one of the styles I've been trying but yours looks more efficient than mine. I'm trying to eliminate the holding of my left pointer finger in the air. It cramps my hand. I figured it out when knitting but not purling yet. The other style I'm trying is to have the yarn in the back and do a 'speed' stitch also called Norwegian, I think. Both of these still seem to require the finger in the air. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for your video. I've been having trouble with my left thumb when I knit because, I think, I'm holding the needle too tight when I knit, particularly when I purl. I looked up 'how to purl' and found your video. I am so grateful to you. By pressing on the yarn on the right needle with my thumb, as you suggest. I have eliminated the tension on my left thumb. Yay!!!
Can't believe it never accured to me to use my right finger to anchor the stitch! Thanks so much!
You are so welcome!
After decades of throwing, I've been knitting Continental more and more. C. purling of course is challenging. Your technique of anchoring with right finger and rocking is very helpful. Thanks for posting!
I am just seeing this all these years later. I am sooooo happy! I’m a crocheter attempting to be bistitchual and purling was one reason I am not further along. This makes so much sense! Thank you!
I hope it works for you! It will really depend on whether you are an index finger extender or not. Good luck! :-)
I've have searched high and low for a good continental purl stitch tutorial. You have knocked it out of the park! Thank you so much!
I'm 65 and I've been knitting steady for 45 years. I've always been a thrower but for the past year, due to repetitive strain in my right hand, I've had to pretty much quit knitting. Then I was challenged to try the continental method. I got the hang of knitting. However, purling was so (and still is) hard and slow. I'm persevering, Roxanne, and it is because of this video. I just want to say thanks. I'm a new subscriber and it is because your videos are so well done and motivating. Living in the country, far from main centers, I depend on your instruction and encouragement. I think I can keep on knitting now (I have 11 grandchildren) and I was pretty discouraged before seeing this video.
I'm so happy this video was helpful to you! Every knitter is unique, so what helps one may not help another. Let's hope for another 45 years of comfortable knitting! :-)
Yeah go you!
+Robert Mae The continental purl is difficult for me as well so I figured out how NOT to flex ANY fingers to do it. I found out that it's called Russian knitting! Great if you have stiff fingers or painful joints. Look for a video that shows Russian knitting and you'll see what I mean.
Basically, instead of"pushing" the yarn to wrap around the Right needle, just "hook" the working yarn (when it's crossing the Left needle) and bring it through to the front of the Left needle and finish the purl stitch.
Wish I was good at doing a video of it because it'd be easier to show.
Good luck!
+ Robert Mae here's the best video I've found that describes how to do the Russian purl. Ignore her strong accent, she does all sorts of ways that work. ua-cam.com/video/gjRdy47-S38/v-deo.html
iluminameluna I’m going to look that up! I get so jealous when I watch knit tutorials and the person is knitting so fast and I am so slow!
Thank you so much for this video! I've never been able to get the hang of continental purling after watching other videos, but yours is the most helpful. Finally got it down ❤️
Like you I purl differently than anyone else and I've never seen it done exactly as I do. That being said you are pretty close to what I do. However, instead of anchoring the yarn with my right hand as you do, I actually use my left thumb. What I do is insert the needle and, like you said the thread already lays across, so all I do is grab it with my left thumb and roll in down the left needle just long enough to allow me to complete the stitch with my right needle. It allows me to purl very fast and doesn't slow me down any. Another way I purl is also by tightening the yarn by rotating my left hand away from the right hand a bit and it is just enough that I can just grab it with the right needle and pull it through also. Both ways are very quick. I hope you'll try the "thumb roll" and see if it doesn't speed things up for you. Thanks for sharing your video.
I am just learning to knit after crocheting for years. Your tutorial is by far the easiest one I found to follow. It is so helpful! Thank you!
Love your statement at the end." It doesn't matter to me how you knit or purl." I have been watching many videos to help me be more efficient and not hurt at the end of the day. So many videos claim there are 'wrong/right' ways. But there is no such thing. To purl is to simply get the loop from the front to the back. Many different ways because there are many different folks who knit.
Exactly! Every knitter has to find what works for them. Small changes in needle or yarn hold can make a big difference one way or another as to whether any particular method will work well. That's why I spent 4 years looking for the way that would work best for *me*! :-)
Another wonderful video -- thank you!
Your visuals are clear; your explanations are clear; and I really appreciate your friendly voice. Keep them coming!
I would love to see how you graft the ends of an i-cord. I'm finishing off a scarf that has an i-cord on the edges, and I would love to finish it off nicely -- rather than the way I usually do it ...
Thank you so much! I am left handed and a crocheter, but am trying to teach myself to knit. Loved your video and found it very helpful. Your explanation of this technique was very clear and easy to understand.
I'm so glad you found it helpful! I hope you keep up with knitting! :-)
I am a beginning knitter. I appreciate VERY MUCH your videos. Most of the time I can't figure out what the pattern's directions are, but am thankful for the help you give via your videos. Thank you.
I'm a somewhat new knitter and this is my natural knit and purl except for the index anchor of the purl stitch, which may be the answer to my loose purl stitch. Your video has been invaluable to me. Thank you.
Thanks! This was very helpful! I signed up to take a fair isle knitting class and was told I need to know how to continental knit first. I've been teaching myself continental style but have been really struggling to purl in a way that doesn't inflame my carpal tunnel and this is it! I don't do it exactly like you but your tutorial gave me the foundation to find my own way! Thank you from the bottom of my toe-up socks! :)
You're welcome! I adopted this method after I saw a video wasn't quite like I do it, but it, too, gave me the foundation for something that would work for me. Have fun with your Fair Isle class!
Agree. I learned this way, and it seems fastest. I have seen other methods that seem to have too many twists.
aix2379 simple scarf
I taught myself to knot using a lot of videos. & your version of purling looks like what I have started doing. Great video went slow enough I could see how you were moving your hands & the needles. 🤗 thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your video and clear instruction. I've been crocheting for almost ten years and have wanted to add knitting to my craft. I've not been able to grasp the art of throwing. This technique is perfect for me. I've successfully completed projects that used to be impossible.
After trying a few times it just clicked. It's that turning of the right hand. So much easier to purl now. thanks!
Wow! I've been trying more continental for color work but purling just didn't work. This totally makes sense and I can't wait to pick up some needles tonight to give it a try. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, I wanted to expand my horizons, ( not that anything is wrong with Portuguese style ) and being a former crocheter seemed to me that allowing my left hand to control things made sense , I managed to figure out knit , just could not work out how to purl so here I am , tension will come eventually, but I am on my way.
I knew you had a video on the continental purl! At 68, after 40 years of knitting, I am a continental knitter. My German Grandmother is smiling in heaven
I have a more recent video here: ua-cam.com/video/q92bAeVFdao/v-deo.html
I found you/your video by chance and I'm so glad I did. I was taught to hold the yarn in my right hand and have wanted to learn a faster method. I've seen other, more confusing ways to purl and I feel your methods of knitting and purling will work very well for me. I haven't yet tried a fast alternative method of knitting/purling, but I'm anxious to try yours. Thanks so much!
I love this continental method of purling, I was tightening almost every purl stitch making my knitting slow. My purling has bother me for years, I even did the Norweigan method for awhile but this is so much faster and my tension is just as good as with Norweigan. This method solved my problem-only a few rows in and I am already faster. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for all of the videos and support!! I had surgery on my right hand, and I can no longer "throw". So I learned Continental, and I do just love it, yet I hate to purl!! I, too, tend to naturally hold my forefinger on the yarn when I knit, so I love how you do it!!! I've not yet got the hang of it, as you do, but I'll keep practicing, I am getting much better, but not even close to you!! I am "getting" it just a bit differently, but seems to be working for me. Thanks for also reminding us (me) that we each are different, and the aim is to get the same end result!
Roxanne, I knit exactly the way you do except for one thing-- I have the yarn traveling over the back of the index finger instead of the front, if that makes sense as a description. I don't know why I adopted this position (I learned to knit from my mother about 55 years ago, but we never discussed this fine point), and for all I know she did it your way! But for me it solves the problem you notein about minute 6 of the video where you have trouble hooking the yarn in the knit stitch. If the yarn is behind the finger, it's farther away and easier to pull through! Once I realized from UA-cam videos that everyone was doing it differently from my way, I tried it just for the heck of it, and of course, you can't change after 55 years! I wish I could have my mother here now to see how she did it.
BTW, I also keep the index finger up high. I know other people knit with it very close to the work, but that feels clumsy to me. As it is, I can switch very quickly between knits and purls for ribbing and seed stitch.
I also hold the yarn the same way for crochet.
Thank you! I've only been knitting for about 2 years, I can knit decently fast but purling takes me SO long! I hold my yarn/needles just like this to knit, so this method works great for me! Thanks so much!
You definitely did a great job showing so clearly how to improve doing the purl stitch. I've always done Continental (happily) I did think that the basic purling had a little to much wrist movement to twist the yarn around the needle. I know once I practice it, so I don't drop stitches, I'll love it. I've never held my yarn so close to the tip of the needle so it'll be quite a feat! :) Thanks!
I agree with you. I know several methods and they all yield good results. Sometimes I need a more dense stitch as in making mittens and I'll use my English throwing method or go down a couple sized in needles in order to get a dense stitch. It is good for making the sole of a slipper also where you want a more durable material.
If I need the cuff to stretch, Continental is better. So I vary technique to achieve the best product I am making. In the end if your knitting is beautiful and appreciated, no one will frown at you that you didn't make your stitches the same way they did.
I purl the same exact way, except left handed. It was born out of being self taught through UA-cam videos and not being able to coordinate my index finger down to do the yarn over. It seemed easier for me to move the needle rather than the yarn. Being unable to find really good left handed videos also played a part because I couldn't "flip" the images in my mind well enough to translate what I was seeing. So I just "found" another way! Knitting is one thing that ends well because you can justify the means in getting there. I thought I was the only one.
Thank you! I struggled for a couple of hours last night trying to learn how do do Continental knitting and purling. I got the knitting down, but the purling was clumsy and frustrating. Your method works well for me and it only took me one time through the video to get it!
I have watched many tutorials and this is the first where I have been able to achieve it and keep the tension. Many thanks
I'm so glad it worked for you! :-)
I think i finally GOT IT after one month. I gave myself a break to unlearn. Thank you for this demo😊
Thank you for this!
I am just learning to knit and decided to go straight to learning continental knitting and purling. I've got the continental knit stitch down great. I've got the motion of continental purl down but for some reason my tension is always loose. My 1 little issue was to use my index finger to hold the yarn while looping under. That 1 move you showed me has made that difference I have been searching for for over a week! 🤣
Thank you thank you thank you! 😘🤣
If you want to try and not have to use your right index finger to anchor the yarn (so it doesn't slide off the needle when you're trying to do a knit stitch), try holding your needles at more of an angle; in other words, form more of an upside down V with your needles. You will find that the working yarn is at more of a cross angle with the stitch you're going to be knitting into, and it will stay on the needle; you won't have to anchor it.
I have just taught myself to knit continental. I am purling this was because it was the only way I could get some speed. I just now came across this video so I must be doing something right.
Loved seeing your method, it looks super easy once you get used to it, but I could see where I could drop stitches easily... thanks so much for your time!!
Love it! I was purling, using my left index finger to pull the yarn down, which made the yarn slip off my index finger. this solves a lot of frustration I was having as I am learning to knit. Thank you
+amnesiaman89 You're welcome! Good luck with you're knitting--it's very addictive! :-)
You saved me! I am a continental knitter but my method wasn't giving me gauge on the fingering weight linen I'm trying to swatch while knitting English was. This method has done the trick! Thanks!
I've been knitting continental style for over 50 years and only recently realized that I don't purl like this! I don't wrap the yarn at all, but just pick the thread through. The only difference it makes is that the loop on the other side is reversed. I knit the stitch "as it lies" rather than knit through the left of the stitch. It is a faster method and works well with lace patterns.
This is exactly how I do it :) ... I am glad to see that another person uses their finger to hold the yarn down. Great tutorial for those who don't.
If people want to watch a slower demonstration, they can use the settings control to the right and under the video, same bar as the play button.
You do sound funny at 1/2 speed.
I absolutely love this purling method and no longer dread the purl stitch !!! Thank you so much!!!!
To call this method of purling "efficient" is something of an understatement, I'd say. I can't wait to give it a try!
Omg, I love the way you teach this. I'm simply trying to knit continental for the first time.(normally English) Now, I'm totally catching the rhythm. Thanks for this video. 🙏♥️
Brilliant, marvelous, awesome and exceptional!!!! I am a new knitter and just learning the pearl stitch. I've been having problems with it and your video was the one that did the trick! Thank you so much for posting this I greatly appreciate your help.
Thank you. I have been trying to figure it out for a couple weeks, this makes so much sense. I have been trying to improve my skills and work more quickly. I am so glad you posted this.
Thank you sooo much for this video! I FINALLY "get it" - how to purl continental style!! Your explanation of how you move your wrists was especially helpful for me. Thanks again!! Not only have I subscribed to your channel, but I clicked the "notify me every time you upload a new video"!!! :-)
I'm just learning continental. I can't wait to try this. This looks more in keeping with the way my fingers tend to go anyway. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!
This is the video that made continental purling FINALLY click for me. Thank you soooo much!
Love your videos. I am doing an Irish Moss stitch & did your tutorial but when I purl there is a yarn over. What am I doing wrong? Thanks. I appreciate your very quick response & do switch positions; yarn in back for knit & purl with yarn in front. I’m going to watch your video again. UPDATE: I was pulling the purl stitch much to tight thus creating a yarn over. Now I am a successful Continental knitter. Bless you for your quick response & video. I’m a very happy subscriber.
You have to move the yarn position to the front before working a purl, and to the back before working a knit. If you don't switch the yarn position before you insert the needle into the stitch on the left hand needle, you'll get a yarn over.
Hey Roxanne,
Thank u! I like the Peruvian and Russian style and like u said in essence, mix it up a bit to find the path thts the least resistance for urself. I live in Wisconsin and I used to knit earlier than this for the cold weather tht is coming. I started up again n DUHHH was I w everythg. Thankfully You Tube n people like u hve me more interested than ever. I hope ur well during this time n stay tht way n wld love to see ur work. God.Bless You. Sue.
Thanks so much! I was trying to learn continental knitting to put less stress on my hands (and I didn't mind moving a wee bit faster too) but the pearl stitches I just couldn't get the hang of. You're anchoring tip put everything into order! Now it's just practice and time that will make me smooth.
This is the first time I've managed to do purl in the continental way! Thank you 💕
Yay! :-)
Thank thank thank YOU!!! I am so happy to pearl and knit the way you have taught me!I was not the best pearl girl and now I enjoy it!Your new fan , Lisa 😀
I’ve been Portuguese Knitting since 7/2016 when it was recommended by a friend who noticed the arthritic pain in my hands was increasing. Purling is so much fun and easy on my hands, shoulders & neck.
By the next month numbness in my arms and hands developed so I had C7-T1 replacement surgery 10/2016. I’m grateful it stopped that issue for two & a half years. I switched to a Portuguese yarn pin when numbness returned to my right thumb last year right before I had lumbar surgery. At the follow up appt. My surgeon’s assistant ordered an x-ray 4/2019 which showed C6 is deteriorating and making the C7-T1 insert tip out of alignment. Revision surgery will be discussed at my appt next month. Sadly I have to take a break from knitting because I’m noticing mistakes due to the numbness.
I hope you are doing much better now and back to knitting
I like the way you do this. It seems easier than flinging my left hand finger down cause it tends to put my working yarn in the wrong position. I'm going to work on your way more. It feels more natural to me. Thanks for sharing.
I have to be honest: I came for the knitting help but became a subscriber because of your shirt.
+Christie Liffner I don't understand what her shirt means....
+demelza bunny Just look up "All your base are belong to us". Wikipedia has a very good article about the phrase and how it has become something of a sensation. Her shirt is an adaptation of it, and it made me laugh as soon as I saw it.
Me too! Loved the shirt, a play on a very early meme. --All your base are belong to us.
Hard same. :D
😊
It is funny. I am learning continental knitting. I learned it the other way as a kid in the netherlands. I found continental knitting much more relaxing. I hated the long needles stuck under my arms. Now knitting with a circular needles. Much more easy. and you know what was great watching your videos after I really got stuck with my knitting books on knitting purl continental way, I figured out myself to do it how you showed it. Seems I was doing it very correctly. It was very logical. Continental knitting should be learned to all beginners, very easy and fast.
Thank you so much for demonstrating! I am usually a Norwegian Purler with wool, but I've been wanting to work on the continental purl when knitting with unforgiving yarn (I'm lookin at you cotton!). I tried out your technique and I really love it! It makes purling fun and it feels like a similar dance to the Norwegian Purl.
I love Continental knitting but always struggled with purling but, I tried your method of purling & found it much easier. & quicker. Thanks.
Thank you for this! Love your technique. My purls were so loose that I was getting the same loose tension regardless of what size needles I would use. Now my knitting looks like actual knitting in the proper tension. Yay!
+TAK3000 Wonderful! I'm so glad this method worked for you! :-)
I don't like pulling the working yarn in front, so I finally learned Norwegian purl - I still resort to throwing sometimes, but Continental knitting, Norwegian purling works for me.
Thanks for this video!
I have SO much left over yarn, I will give this a try for practice! For sure, seed stitch is very tedious in the English method. I enjoy your videos and find your instructions so easy to understand. Sometimes I just browse to find something new.
Thank you for this video. My yarn kept slipping off my finger while purling and it was a mess. You have helped me tremendously.
Eureka!!
After 50+ years of knitting English style, I recently thought myself to knit continental style. I was never able to do the purl, though, as it always slipped off my needle… I did ok with the Norwegian purl but I can’t imagine working a whole row that way. The anchoring I use my thumb, or thumbnail) and the wrist twist you show have finally allowed me to master the purls. Thanks!!
I'm fairly new at knitting, and I found this to be very helpful in learning a different/better way to knit. Thank you!
Wow that makes it so much easier than I originally thought about continental knitting thanks!
Thank you for showing me how to do this! It sure solves the problem I have with keeping the yarn from slipping off my index finger. I tried it and it works great. :)
Roxanne, thank you so much for this very helpful video! You obviously put a lot care into presenting your information in a very understandable way. Absolutely excellent! As a new knitter, I am watching a variety of videos, a variety of styles. What you've shown us here is just what I needed to see.
As amnesiaman89 said, I too was so frustrated with the yarn slipping off the index finger when I tried to pull the yarn down in purling. This slipping doesn't happen with your method, which is terrific! I will practice with this video several more times. But after having gone through it just once with you, I can already see that it is going to help me become a better purler! I'm so happy to say that I a now "a knitter"!
+MNWildRose Even as an experienced knitter, I continue to try new ways of doing things. I can usually tell within a few minutes (but I give myself a half an hour!) whether or not something will work for me, once I have enough practice. I adapted my method from a German video I saw where the knitter anchored the yarn with her thumb. That method instantly resonated with me, and I quickly adapted it to using my index finger, since that's what I used for my knit stitches. It just felt right. Sometimes, techniques just don't work a given knitter, because of the way he/she holds the yarn and needles, so when you find one that really works, it's magic! Keep on knitting! :-)
thank you Roxanne - you have made purling continental so much easier for me!! i shall practice so that i can combine it with continental knitting and thereby be able to knit fastr!!
Thank-you! I have been trying to find a way I could purl and not have to slow to a crawl! The finger holding the stitch was all I needed to get comfortable, why didn’t I think of that! 😊
The slow-mo was great, and gave me a better idea as to how to do that style of pearling.
Thank you for this video! I've crocheted for over a decade, but I've also wanted to learn to knit. I've attempted this three or four times, and never progressed past a bit of garter stitch. Purling just feels like I'm trying to knit only with a handful of feet instead of fingers! Is seriously awkward, and no matter what I try, it's just beyond me. I think this method might actually work for me ... I'm crossing my fingers, and if it does work I'll be singing your praises from now on!
Laynie Fingers I FEEL THE SAME WAY, MY HANDS HATE ME WHILE PURLING HAHAH
Ambrosia Ludwick
I finally gave up. I just don't think my brain works this way... and that's ok!
+Laynie Fingers Don't give up!! I threw my hands up a few times but I was determined to learn this. You will get it!
I just learned how to knit…right handed even though I’m left handed. I crochet right handed as well. I knit like you do, probably because I’ve crocheted for 30+ years. Have only practiced….can’t wait to actually make something!
Finally a purl method that makes knitting more fun. Thank you!
so far, your way for continental knitting is the best. thanks for sharing.
Just happened to find this. I am a beginner knitter and have lots of trouble getting the same tension for knit and purl. This looks like it may work. Will have to play with it. Thanks so much.
"All Your Yarn Are Belong To Us"....totally on the floor for 5 minutes. Thanks for the vid!
Betsy Manning I don’t know what that means!
It’s a quote from a badly translated Japanese movie “ all your base are belong to us”. It was so quirky that it developed a life of its own. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us
I saw that and was laughing as well.
LOLOL. I wish I could find that shirt, I would totally buy one. Hilarious.
There is no chance of survive make your time
I’m not a continental knitter (I’m a “flicker”) but I always practice! I just couldn’t get the purling down to save my life. I just could never seem to wrap the yarn without it falling off my finger. Something just clicked when I watched this video and now I can do it (not great, still pretty shaky with my continental style, but one day!)
Excellent explanation! Until your video, the purl stitch was like something strange and very difficult to do. Thank you very, very much!
I do something similar, except I use my left thumb to grab the yarn against the left needle until I can grab it with the right needle to pull it through. It's more efficient and only takes a split second. You kind of roll it down against the needle. Another way is to tilt your left hand backward slightly to tighten the tension just enough that you grab it with your right needle and pull it through. If the tension isn't enough, it won't work. It does works great when you have lots of purls to do and is also very fast.
+Cyndy Lee It sounds like you have found a way that makes your own knitting more efficient, which is really what every knitter is looking to do. Unfortunately, what works for one knitter often does not work for another, which is why it took me four years to find a method that worked well for me. I don't expect my method to work for everyone. It couldn't possibly. Everyone develops their own way of managing the yarn and needles, so what makes one person's method "more efficient" than someone else's tends to be influenced by all those other tiny differences. Your method is actually impossible for me to do, because of the way I hold the needles!
Thank you, I wondered how the purl stitch was done, I find it makes the stitch tension a lot tighter knitting in the continental way.
THANK YOU! As a beginner, your demonstration and explanation were so helpful to me.
Thank you so much for this video. I have been purling wrong for years, which made the stitches twisted and I could never figure out what I was going wrong. I'm the only continental knitter in my group. so learning new techniques is very hard. Thank you for all your help! my stitches now look great
Rita Karns I'm so happy to hear the video was helpful! :-)
thanks for this video! I have been doing a very close version of your method (using my thumb to push the yarn down) and a little tweak to your method has vastly improved my motion and therefore my speed. I feel like doing a seed stitch project after watching!
And my tweak was of a German who used her thumb! Whatever works for you is the right way to do it. :-) I, too, became a lover of seed stitch (and ribbing), after adopting this purling method.
Thanks very much for doing this so slowly. Some of these knitters seem to be showing off to my mind (see how fast this is!), and even the slow motion videos aren't slow enough. I'm trying to learn Continental, as my English style is really awkward, and I keep dropping the right hand needle on the floor with the first two stitches in a row. Got the knitting down, but my purling just blows chunks.
I'm from Eastern Europe, and that's almost the same way how I was taught to knit, but I don't purl the stitches exactly like in the video. I hold the needles and the yarn the same way, but it's much easier to hook and pull the yarn when the thread is placed not above the needle, but below it. Then I just make small circle movement with my right needle and voila the yarn goes through the loop.
Thank you for your comment. :-) I keep my finger high above the needle, because that's where my finger wants to be. It's the best way for me to work, based on how my other fingers hold the needles and manage the sts as they move along the needles, and as the old sts are released from the left needle. I have learned a variety of ways to knit, with my fingers in different positions (and the yarn in different hands) to see if that would/could change my efficiency and/or speed, and so that I can understand better how others knit, but when the yarn is in my left hand, that index finger always pops back up, no matter what! So I adapt my knitting to work with what my body wants to do naturally, rather than fight it. It's wonderful for knitters to have so many options for getting to the same end result!
me too, the russian men knitters (eastern european combined) hold it this way....much less movement and stress....
It works better for me to hold my finger and yarn above the left needle, then all I have to do is move my wrist a little
dova113 that’s exactly how I do it!! I am American and taught myself to knit and I just did what was comfortable!! 😄❤️
That way would orient the stitch opposite of the way Rox shows.
If after inserting the needle you bring your left index finger down on top of the working yarn strand to push it behind the right needle, you don't have to rock your wrists or use your right index finger or thumb at all. You might have to keep your left index finger closer to your work. It's even less motion than you're making now. That's how I do it and I have disability in both hands. I know there's a video from some years ago. If I find it I will edit this to include a link.
Thank you for your tutorial. This will make the purl stitch more workable for me. Pam