I can see why this is so difficult to explain and teach, but you do it very well! I've been struggling with minor "rowing out" issues in my garter stitch (!) so I knew I needed to correct my "tension" but still didn't really understand what that meant. I think a lot of tutorials overlook what's happening on the right needle after the stitch is finished, and that was the key for me. As soon as I started paying closer attention to what was happening to the stitch *after* I moved it off (and almost subconsciously making minor adjustments with my fingers to tighten it up), almost all of my tension problems went away and my stitching is more consistent than ever. THANK YOU!!!
I started knitting about a month ago and have just finished my first pair of socks. Your UA-cam videos have been invaluable bc you are thorough about technique and explain things in detail. Thanks for all your help.
Pat Colburn 😳. Wow. Socks already. Good for you!! I’ve been knitting over 30 years and I have never made a pair of socks. I have made sweaters and cabled stuff. But socks scare me. Which is silly because I have knitted mittens and a stuffed owl that requires the kitchener stitch. AND I have huge collection of sock yarn. This social isolation thing is the perfect time finally do it. Be safe everyone! 🧶
Oh wow! I came to this video looking for a way to hold my yarn cause I thought mine was wrong somehow but apparently my family has been using the Portuguese way and that’s why I don’t see anyone online doing it like that! Thank you for that video!
@@WatchBarbaraKnit you just hold the yarn around the back of your neck and two time wrapped around your thumb! It is super easy and it’s always nice and firm ☺️
I’m extremely new to knitting. Only been doing it for 3days😊.I started with the English style.For me it was not comfortable and felt awkward. My joints didn’t like it either. I was so excited to find knitting has so many styles. I found the Portuguese style and I’m in love. For me it felt natural. I’m enjoying the process.I’m making a lot of beginner mistakes, but I love learning from them ❤️❤️
I am self-taught from various UA-cam sources. I started out with English style, but as soon as I did my first ribbing, I switched to continental. At first it was awkward managing the thread going through my entire hand, with friction being either too much or too little (and yarn slipping all the time), but eventually I landed on wrapping the yarn twice around my index finger, and that works great for me, unless I knit for a long time and it squishes my finger too much. I've found that lately I can manage weaving the yarn around all fingers once (like you've shown), but I still feel the most relaxed and secure using the double wrap around index finger. It makes it easier to feed the yarn from close to the tip of the finger, which I personally find the easiest to work with, since my purling style is a bit weird, compared to most UA-camrs. I really appreciate you saying that there is no wrong way as long as you can do it consistently.
Omg You are awesome !!!! Been struggling Been frustrated You are such a great teacher !!! Cannot thank you enough. FINALLY I get it I have watched so many videos!! It is a feeling!!!! You explain perfectly, make sense. Can't thank you enough really!!! I was gonna give up. Kept saying .....what's the secret lol Now, I know. I'm ME I feel my knitting I'm really knitting FINALLY Took a long time Didn't give up
I learned crochet before knitting too. I was using English style, but it seems so awkward to hold the working yarn in my right hand, so I am going to switch to continental.
Thank you this was so helpful! I was realizing that I wasn’t being consistent with tension so that was likely messing up my project! I’m new to knitting but I’ve crocheted for over 45 yrs! I’m loving my “new” hobby!
Thank you for this. I’m just starting to knit, I have tried several times before but I haven’t managed to figure out how to hold my needles and how to apply the tension. The most helpful information in this video is that all my stitches need to be consistent with the needle , although this should have been obvious to me, it wasn’t and it makes me feel better knowing that I don’t have to hold the yarn to around my needle the same way as everyone else....I have always thought I was doing it wrong. Thank you Barbara
If you are getting a fabric you like then you are doing it right! But I am so glad that something I said made things click a little bit better for you. How you get the yarn round that needle is less important as long as it is wrapped the correct way and you have even tension.
That was interesting to see the different ways people can hold their yarn. I have been knitting for a little over a year now, and still cannot wrap the yarn in my fingers in any way without ending up with either a loose mess or so tight I can't slip my needle into the next stitch. I knit English style as a thrower. I pinch the yarn with my thumb and pointing finger while gently curling the rest of my fingers around the yarn as I wrap and pull through the loop to keep my tension. The yarn stays in my curled hand as I slide the stitch I just made on my right needle and repinch to make the next stitch. I know it sounds weird, but it seems to work, and I have nice consistent stitches. I still want to learn how to flick because I think that might be easier on my hands, but we will see if I get there.
Barbara is an absolutely fantastic teacher. I knit but I am far from accomplished. Took Barbara's Mosaic class on line and it looks GREAT! Thank you so very much.
thank you for that! I tried holding my thread the way you do yours and found that I can really control the tension in my knitting and feel comfortable with it, too. thank you Miss Barbara!
Thanks for this video! I’ve had the toughest time getting my tension right for continental knitting. I tried your tensioning method and it worked perfectly for me! Thank you so much!
This was very helpful, thank you. I am also a Continental knitter and I'm trying to practice English style, so that I can do both for easier colorwork. It's like trying to learn to write with my left hand! Everything feels odd, but it's getting better with practice.
Finally! Somebody explained tension in a way I can use to resolve my tension challenges! I recently learned how to knit (Continental style), and I barely "get" the knit stitch, but the tension (or lack of it) screws me up! Thank you for the encouragement to give it some time, practice, and patience. I love your analogy of learning how to drive a manual vehicle - you are so right on, "it's a feel". Thank you, Barbara!
Thank you. I don't recall my knitting tension issues---I think I was a losse knitter. However, I'm teaching a knitting class, and I needed something better than don't strangle the project/needles to help a student who is a very tight knitter;-). This was very well done.
I really struggled with tension when I first started knitting. I was so tight I actually split my fingers open trying to push the needles back out. I looked at loads of UA-cam videos to see how other people tensioned it. I had my eureka moment when I realised, as a rule, the more you wrap the yarn, the tighter the tension and the less you wrap the looser it gets. That coupled with the fact fleshy fingers create more tension, but looping nearer the finger ends, the less excess tension. Since then I've never had any more problems controlling my tension. I do find i have to alter how I hold the yarn between hot weather and cooler weather, but I know how to adjust now.
Yes, I rarely have a problem with knitters finger anymore 😆. Actually I found changing from wooden laminated needles to steel needles made a big difference too. Dont know if it's just me, but I relaxed my grip more with sloppy metal needles and have more of a death grip trying to wrestle stitches on and off wooden needles
I love this video. Explained what I Intuitively understand very clearly. As a small child I was taught by my Lithuanian immigrant grandmother, Yadviga Lapinauskas Kaliunas (1901-1989). Watching UA-cam vids this year, I find that I do a Norwegian knit stitch and hold my yarn in the Norwegian manner. However, my purl stitch is very simple by bringing the L index finger with yarn, over the left needle, now yarn is in front. Enter front leg of stitch from bottom and pick the purl stitch. I have never seen this demonstrated, but it seems to work for me. I automatically straighten stitches as I go. I always feel my stitches tend to be large, but am learning to compensate with smaller needles and smaller sizes. This is why your theme “there isn’t a wrong way to do it if you are getting the fabric you want” works for me!!
What a cool history. Thank you for sharing. There are so many different ways to knit and I think they are all cool. I can't understand people who are like "this is the one true way."
How we tension our yarn is definitely an interesting topic. How you hold your yarn can change depending on a bunch of different things too, which hands the yarn is in, as you showed, but the yarn weight, type of knitting (loom, straight ect.), and of course whether your knitting or crocheting, posture too. At the end of the day, it's another tick on the 'pro' side of making a swatch!
I'm a left handed English style. I saw that you struggled with the tension with the English style. What I do is start your tension with your little finger or ring finger.. then wrap. You may find it easier. Or maybe not. My goal is to learn left handed .. and that is a bit of a learning curve for me. Love your videos. I've learned a lot from you and look forward to your future videos
Very helpful Thank you. I’ve been knitting for about 4 months now and yes this has been a challenge. Just today while knitting a hat in the round I was telling myself that there had to b another way of holding my yarn I’m also a continental knitter and watching u today how u tension ur yarn I’ve been trying it and wow my left hand is not getting tired and I seem to go a bit faster!
I'm brand new to knitting, & my tension is all over the place; therefore, I guess I need a lot of practice. I have a big project I must crochet, but I'm practicing my knitting tension instead...😝 Thank you for this video; I'll keep at it...🤗 Maybe someday I'll be able to do one of your projects in your book, 'Mosiac & Lace Knits' or something like that gorgeous Shawl behind you, 'There is Water at the Bottom of the Ocean'...🥰
I tension my knitting yarn in the same way that I tension for crochet, it's why I'm a continental knitter. It can be hard to figure it out. Thank you for your kind words!
It's like drumming; you have to be able to step on the kick pedal and hit the snare in rhythm at different times and if you focus too much on one you'll forget to do the other. I get so into whatever stitch I'm doing I forget to give myself slack and I end up with suuuuuper tight stitches.
That is great to hear! There isn't really a right or wrong way to tension your yarn .... as long as you get it tensioned in a way that is comfy and repeatable for you.
I learned to crochet first. I taught myself to knit from a book. That was a few years ago(about 35). I later took a knitting class. I remember the instructor said I did my stitches "backwards". I am a continental knitter and just use the same hand to tension for both. I never stood what she meant by backwards, but that was over 30 years ago. I do remember being challenged by trying to hold two needles and yarn at the same time. It got easier with more practice, but at first my tension was all over the place.
The first time someone tried to teach me how to knit they insisted that English style was the only proper way to knit and I hated it! Continental was my saving grace! Backwards might have referred to twisting? don't know.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit I don't think I could have knitted English style to start. I guess that was one advantage of teaching myself to knit from a book; I just held the yarn the way I did to crochet. I may try English style just to add a new challenge level. But it would definitely need to be a simple project.😸
@@heidicook2395 check if you a a combination knitter. I discovered that about myself around 5 years ago. I also had no formal training so I am seeing that I do a lot of things differently. Sometimes I have to adjust it a pattern was to use knitting as a design element. I just mastered make 1s and ssk. Before I avoided them and did Kfb and k2tog only😁.
@@annmariebusu9924 thank you Annmarie. I will check. I have no problems with ssk's but had not conquered make1's. You Tube has helped a lot; being able to see a close up of how to do a stitch (when my eyes cooperate) has made a hugh difference!
barbara 😭 youve saved my life! this and your video on common mistakes has helped me SO MUCH to figure out where im going wrong and to improve my technique THANK YOU
I knit English style, throwing, and I loop the yarn around my ring finger, hold the slack with my little finger, and then run it over my index finger to knit. It works well for me. The silly thing is that my grandmother taught me a little crochet at the same time as she taught me to knit, but I never got good at tensioning yarn with my left hand. I hold up my first two fingers with the yarn pinched between them as I crochet, which isn't ergonomic at all. :P I've tried to learn Continental knitting in the hopes that it would improve my yarn tensioning but I haven't been able to get the hang of it; maybe I'll have time to practice now!
Wow - this was so enlightening! And seriously, that comparison to driving a manual car and knowing where that grab point is when you're letting off the clutch and pressing the accelerator pedal is SUCH a great comparison!! You're an excellent teacher. :)
Hi Barbara, I'm not exactly a beginner but I'd never learned about the importance of tension! I'm an english knitter and knit pretty loosely. I'm going to try being more aware of the tension from now on. Thanks!
It's a thing that is pretty difficult to really address and a lot of knitters do it without even really thinking about it. Some teachers don't address it at all.
I agree with you, learning to tension is a very personal thing, difficult to teach. I learnt to crochet first, now I also knit. I hold my yarn in the same way that I crochet or knit, with the yarn wrapped once around my index. I never had tension issues with crochet like I do with knitting ! I’ll have random rows or just spurts of few stitches that are randomly bigger, rib stitch feels like a snail race, and if I try to speed up my stitches are so uneven. I have slowed right down on my last few projects to really pay attention to my hands. I haven’t been able to find a common denominator to those random loose stitches yet. I’ve noticed today that my 2x2 ribbing is neater than on the beanie I made just before. I’m also picking up a bit of speed. But yeah, it’s a slow process for sure !
Portuguese tensioning is my jam. I can’t really explain it, you kinda just feel when you need to adjust the yarn a little with your right hand to your neck/pin. I can tension also both continental and English style so I would say it’s kinda like that? You just know after a while how your stitches should feel and look (I started English about 10 years ago from books so basically self-taught). I’m still a beginner/intermediate knitter but I would say your video was definitely helpful! Sometimes I’m not really sure if I’m doing something correctly, it helps to see someone much more skilled do it so I can figure out what I’m actually doing and how to hone the skills I have a little better. Thank you!
If you are getting the finished product you want and that you are happy with then you are doing it right! That is so cool that you do the Portuguese tensioning.
Great video tutorial and helpful tips. I am trying to improve my left-hand tension for fair isle. I always find my left hand sitches were either too loose or too tight , than I would like them to be. Thank you
I’m an English knitter (6 years + a few earlier briefly periods), and I’m trying to sort out continental for the 3rd time (especially for colourwork, and also because my purl in English is less tight than my knit, as well as maybe trying to get a little faster because my knitting time is limited). The funny thing is, I tension my yarn just like you on my R hand (and kind of flick - yarn stays on my finger but I still somewhat drop the R needle), but I can’t make it work that way with my left hand 😂 I’ve been using the holidays to do stockinette swatches and try different handholds. I’m improving, but no way has “clicked” yet. I kind of want to cast on a new project, but I’m finding myself obsessed with doing this right now 😜 It’s all (mostly) fun and keeps my brain happy though, so that’s not the worst thing in the world!
It's all about the process! I hold my yarn completely different in my right hand than I do my left. And I am super clumsy with the right hand, but I'm right handed. Go figure?
Great information. I am a beginner/intermediate, a Continental, and have tension issues...a lot due to Arthritis. I just can't seem to get the thread tension right in my left hand....esp when I do the Purl stitch. Drives me crazy! This video provided me with a few ideas...will give it a try. Thank you.
I started crocheting as a kid with tensioning in my left hand. I learned to knit in my mid-twenties (almost 30 years ago.) I knit as a flicker, tensioning in my right hand. My tension is very consistent this way. I have tried to switch to continental knitting, but can't get a consistent tension in my left hand when knitting. I have tried a variety of tensioning methods with no success. It makes no sense to me that I can have consistent left hand tension when crocheting, but not when knitting.
Huh. Shows how this is really a very individual element! I also learned crocheting first, as a kid, then knitting much later. The only knitting resource I had showed the throwing method. Years after that, I wanted to learn continental, and struggled with tension until I realised, hey, wait, this is how I hold yarn for crocheting. And, instantly, I had great tension. How weird is that?
I started knitting just these past few weeks! I am really enjoying the learning process & find your videos and fb group really fun and informative. I am kind of at a point where I felt like I was finally getting the hang of tensioning with my rh (english?) but have somehow lost it and now keep struggling to keep the yarn wrapped around my fingers like I had been before. I am right handed so I thought that maybe I just automatically won't feel as comfortable tensioning with my lh, but maybe I should give it a try after all? I am getting annoyed at losing my grip on my yarn all the time now lolll !!
I had to quit knitting and crocheting because my hands are all weird with thick skin and my thumb is cramped inward. It’s very painful and my hand does not lay flat on the table anymore. I’m SO HEARTBROKEN!! I don’t know if I did this to myself with bad tension techniques or what ?? I knit a ton of socks last year because I was in a bad depression. That’s what makes me wonder if I did this to myself or not. I just know I want to knit again. 🥹😭 I’m trying to teach myself tension on the left hand to see if I can knit for a few minutes a day. I just wanted to share that tension is very important over a period of time, so it’s good to practice a good healthy way to tension and knit. I love the way some ppl barely move their hands and kind of flick the yarn over. I’d love to do that!! Lol. I am Portuguese. Lol. So maybe I’ll have to check out this Portuguese method? 😁
I'm an English version knitter. I wrap the yarn round my little finger then round my first finger. I use a shuttle method and keep my hand on the needle. Simple. Always done it that way. I struggle with holding the yarn continental style.
As a new knitter about 11 years ago, my tension was so tight that the yarn squeeked as i tried to move it on the needle. I knit continental style with the working yarn wrapped so it moves clockwise once around my pinky, under ring and middle fingers, and over the pointer finger's middle section. When i purl, my left hand thumb moves the yarn about the right hand needle (RHN). For purling the yarn goes over the pointer finger, LHN, and around the thumb to the most recently made stitch on the RHN. My thumb moves the yarn up, over, and behind the RHN tip and my right hand guides the RHN through the old stitch on the LHN and pulls the old stitch off the LHN. As i got more comfortable knitting, my tension became a bit more relaxed. I am ALL thumbs if i attempt English style knitting or purling; any stitch that does get made is terribly sloppy.
I can suggest guidelines. Try something with a medium weight yarn (DK or Worsted) on a medium needle (7 or 8) with yarn you enjoy and a pattern that you actually want the thing that it makes. Many people start with scarves, which are great if you want a scarf. If not, it's a lot of knitting to slog through. Something like a dishcloth is always fun and fast and it's no big deal if it's the wrong size or wonky LOL.
Have you tried the norwegian style? It's 13:19 a combination of continental but without holding the pointing finger up. The way that you pass the jarn around your fingers help me better to keep my tension while knitting in norwegian style. Thank you
Ty Barbara, do you have any easy sock patterns for new knitters? I would love to knit socks . I have crocheted since I was 5 but could never catch on how to knit very good. Then about 2 months ago it finally clicked and I been on a roll. I wanted to make socks forever but knit ones not crochet so that’s my new goal.
I'm afraid that I am not much of a sock knitter, they just aren't my kind of projects. But there are many who specialize in socks and my friend Jen Lucas has a series of video on sock making you can find here: ua-cam.com/play/PLL5tIFRJvbMh5yPUe8WWxJEGtImsqybPt.html
That was very helpful. But I have a question for you. How would you go about making your tension loser? I'm knitting a pair of mosaic pattern socks and I'm a very tight knitter. Any tips for me?
Go up a needle size until you get gauge. I never recommend to knitters that they attempt to knit tighter or looser than they naturally tend to knit. The reason why is that as soon as you settle into a project and relax you will slide back into whatever you naturally want to do and your gauge will shift. The needle size stated in a pattern is just a starting point - it tells you what the designer used to knit the sample. If you need to change the needle size to accommodate your style of knitting then go for it!
Oh the struggles with yarn tension 🧐😬 I have know problem with tensioning bulky yarn but, when it comes to thinner yarns I’m all thumbs. It drives me crazy. They say practice makes perfect, we shall see. 🤞🤞 until then, I will struggle with thin yarns
My question to you is : If I am going to switch from English style to Continental style, is it just a different hand holding the yarn, or will I need to learn to make the stitches differently? I am self-taught (before the internet so I learned from books), and I was doing English throwing style, but like you, I just can’t figure out how to tension the yarn in my right hand. And in the future for my projects I am hoing to need practice at moving working yarn from front to back, I never mastered that, and yet I want to do some knitted lace projects.
I am the opposite. I am an English knitter and I cannot get tension continental style. I seem to end up with a long boingy bit (Barbara's technical term) and so have no tension on it.
Hi, Barbara, if you could give me some light, that would be great. I've been knitting the Norwegian style to tension and it was working perfectly. I then found some patterns using cashmere lace and I can't figure out what's wrong with my gauge. I'm using the exact yarn and pattern. The pattern recommends 4.5mm needles, I tried 3.5mm, but the stitches are still bigger than what the pattern has (when it should be 19cm wide, it's turning out 24cm), they're even, but bigger. I tried tightening the tension but the stitches still turn out big and it's nearly impossible to work with. I am a relatively new knitter and I haven't blocked the pieces, cause I end up unraveling everything, but I don't think this is related to blocking and blooming, cause the garment wouldn't shrink, right? What are your thoughts?
Blooming can make the stitches appear closer together, but the way you are describing the swatch as being "Too wide" makes me think that you might not be doing your gauge swatches correctly. You might want to check out this video on how to make a gauge swatch: ua-cam.com/video/eP_hz5_5czs/v-deo.html
I’ve been knitting over a year and have yet to find the best way to tension my yarn. I still get the corrugated/gutter effect in my stockinette due to my purls being looser than my knits 😑
That is really challenging. If you are a continental knitter, have you tried the Norwegian purl? If you are an English style knitter, have you tried Continental (or vice versa)?
I am so sorry you are having a frustrating time with this. It is one of the hardest things to learn in knitting (or crochet for that matter). You just have to experiment with different holds, practice, and find what works for you.
I can see why this is so difficult to explain and teach, but you do it very well! I've been struggling with minor "rowing out" issues in my garter stitch (!) so I knew I needed to correct my "tension" but still didn't really understand what that meant.
I think a lot of tutorials overlook what's happening on the right needle after the stitch is finished, and that was the key for me. As soon as I started paying closer attention to what was happening to the stitch *after* I moved it off (and almost subconsciously making minor adjustments with my fingers to tighten it up), almost all of my tension problems went away and my stitching is more consistent than ever.
THANK YOU!!!
It is alllll about the right hand needle!
You explain things simply and easily to this beginner. Grateful for this video. Thank you.
I'm so glad that your learning style clicks with my teaching style! You are at the beginning of a fun time!
Tension has been the biggest pain in my backside. Thank you for this.
Happy to help!
I started knitting about a month ago and have just finished my first pair of socks. Your UA-cam videos have been invaluable bc you are thorough about technique and explain things in detail. Thanks for all your help.
Pat Colburn 😳. Wow. Socks already. Good for you!! I’ve been knitting over 30 years and I have never made a pair of socks. I have made sweaters and cabled stuff. But socks scare me. Which is silly because I have knitted mittens and a stuffed owl that requires the kitchener stitch. AND I have huge collection of sock yarn. This social isolation thing is the perfect time finally do it.
Be safe everyone! 🧶
I am so glad that you find my videos helpful. It's so hard to do things across the internet so I always err on the side of more words not less LOL.
Oh wow! I came to this video looking for a way to hold my yarn cause I thought mine was wrong somehow but apparently my family has been using the Portuguese way and that’s why I don’t see anyone online doing it like that! Thank you for that video!
That is a super cool way of knitting and one that I have NO CLUE how to do LOL!
@@WatchBarbaraKnit you just hold the yarn around the back of your neck and two time wrapped around your thumb! It is super easy and it’s always nice and firm ☺️
I’m extremely new to knitting. Only been doing it for 3days😊.I started with the English style.For me it was not comfortable and felt awkward. My joints didn’t like it either. I was so excited to find knitting has so many styles. I found the Portuguese style and I’m in love. For me it felt natural. I’m enjoying the process.I’m making a lot of beginner mistakes, but I love learning from them ❤️❤️
I am self-taught from various UA-cam sources. I started out with English style, but as soon as I did my first ribbing, I switched to continental. At first it was awkward managing the thread going through my entire hand, with friction being either too much or too little (and yarn slipping all the time), but eventually I landed on wrapping the yarn twice around my index finger, and that works great for me, unless I knit for a long time and it squishes my finger too much. I've found that lately I can manage weaving the yarn around all fingers once (like you've shown), but I still feel the most relaxed and secure using the double wrap around index finger. It makes it easier to feed the yarn from close to the tip of the finger, which I personally find the easiest to work with, since my purling style is a bit weird, compared to most UA-camrs.
I really appreciate you saying that there is no wrong way as long as you can do it consistently.
There is no wrong way!
Omg
You are awesome !!!!
Been struggling
Been frustrated
You are such a great teacher !!! Cannot thank you enough. FINALLY
I get it
I have watched so many videos!! It is a feeling!!!! You explain perfectly, make sense.
Can't thank you enough really!!! I was gonna give up. Kept saying .....what's the secret lol
Now, I know. I'm ME
I feel my knitting
I'm really knitting
FINALLY
Took a long time
Didn't give up
I am so glad that I could be a part of a lightbulb moment for you. It sounds like you have worked hard and stuck to it!
I started knitting as a crocheter. I am normally a lose crocheter but am a tight knitter. This helped a lot with find a better tension
I am so glad it helped you!
I’ve been crocheting for 8 years now. I am really trying to teach myself how to knit. Thank you so much. You answered so many questions. ❤️
I hope you have fun on your knitting journey!
I learned crochet before knitting too. I was using English style, but it seems so awkward to hold the working yarn in my right hand, so I am going to switch to continental.
Thank you this was so helpful! I was realizing that I wasn’t being consistent with tension so that was likely messing up my project! I’m new to knitting but I’ve crocheted for over 45 yrs! I’m loving my “new” hobby!
Tension is so important and it just takes practice!
Thank you for this. I’m just starting to knit, I have tried several times before but I haven’t managed to figure out how to hold my needles and how to apply the tension. The most helpful information in this video is that all my stitches need to be consistent with the needle , although this should have been obvious to me, it wasn’t and it makes me feel better knowing that I don’t have to hold the yarn to around my needle the same way as everyone else....I have always thought I was doing it wrong. Thank you Barbara
If you are getting a fabric you like then you are doing it right! But I am so glad that something I said made things click a little bit better for you. How you get the yarn round that needle is less important as long as it is wrapped the correct way and you have even tension.
That was interesting to see the different ways people can hold their yarn. I have been knitting for a little over a year now, and still cannot wrap the yarn in my fingers in any way without ending up with either a loose mess or so tight I can't slip my needle into the next stitch. I knit English style as a thrower. I pinch the yarn with my thumb and pointing finger while gently curling the rest of my fingers around the yarn as I wrap and pull through the loop to keep my tension. The yarn stays in my curled hand as I slide the stitch I just made on my right needle and repinch to make the next stitch. I know it sounds weird, but it seems to work, and I have nice consistent stitches. I still want to learn how to flick because I think that might be easier on my hands, but we will see if I get there.
It did help! Thanks! I also struggle with pushing the stitch from left needle. Will look for more tips on the channel.
If you are using wooden needles you might want to try metal and see if that makes it easier.
Barbara is an absolutely fantastic teacher. I knit but I am far from accomplished. Took Barbara's Mosaic class on line and it looks GREAT!
Thank you so very much.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment! I am so glad you are enjoying mosaic knitting.
Second day of knitting …. Was look for this exact tutorial. You did an awesome job explaining. Thank you so much.
Yay! You have a fun journey ahead of you!
thank you for that! I tried holding my thread the way you do yours and found that I can really control the tension in my knitting and feel comfortable with it, too. thank you Miss Barbara!
That is fantastic. I am sure you will perfect your hold over time!
Thanks for this video! I’ve had the toughest time getting my tension right for continental knitting. I tried your tensioning method and it worked perfectly for me! Thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
This was very helpful, thank you. I am also a Continental knitter and I'm trying to practice English style, so that I can do both for easier colorwork. It's like trying to learn to write with my left hand! Everything feels odd, but it's getting better with practice.
You can do it! It is definitely all about practice.
Thank you so much! Describing the clutch in a car was great, plus seeing what the yarn should look like was very helpful.
Glad it was helpful!
Finally! Somebody explained tension in a way I can use to resolve my tension challenges! I recently learned how to knit (Continental style), and I barely "get" the knit stitch, but the tension (or lack of it) screws me up! Thank you for the encouragement to give it some time, practice, and patience. I love your analogy of learning how to drive a manual vehicle - you are so right on, "it's a feel". Thank you, Barbara!
You can do it! It really is something that you just have to give time.
Thank you. I don't recall my knitting tension issues---I think I was a losse knitter. However, I'm teaching a knitting class, and I needed something better than don't strangle the project/needles to help a student who is a very tight knitter;-). This was very well done.
Best of luck with your students! I'm sure you'll have them on track in no time.
I really struggled with tension when I first started knitting. I was so tight I actually split my fingers open trying to push the needles back out. I looked at loads of UA-cam videos to see how other people tensioned it. I had my eureka moment when I realised, as a rule, the more you wrap the yarn, the tighter the tension and the less you wrap the looser it gets. That coupled with the fact fleshy fingers create more tension, but looping nearer the finger ends, the less excess tension. Since then I've never had any more problems controlling my tension. I do find i have to alter how I hold the yarn between hot weather and cooler weather, but I know how to adjust now.
Oh your poor fingers. It really just takes practice, experimentation, and experience. I am so glad you found your zone.
Yes, I rarely have a problem with knitters finger anymore 😆. Actually I found changing from wooden laminated needles to steel needles made a big difference too. Dont know if it's just me, but I relaxed my grip more with sloppy metal needles and have more of a death grip trying to wrestle stitches on and off wooden needles
I love this video. Explained what I Intuitively understand very clearly. As a small child I was taught by my Lithuanian immigrant grandmother, Yadviga Lapinauskas Kaliunas (1901-1989). Watching UA-cam vids this year, I find that I do a Norwegian knit stitch and hold my yarn in the Norwegian manner. However, my purl stitch is very simple by bringing the L index finger with yarn, over the left needle, now yarn is in front. Enter front leg of stitch from bottom and pick the purl stitch. I have never seen this demonstrated, but it seems to work for me. I automatically straighten stitches as I go. I always feel my stitches tend to be large, but am learning to compensate with smaller needles and smaller sizes. This is why your theme “there isn’t a wrong way to do it if you are getting the fabric you want” works for me!!
What a cool history. Thank you for sharing. There are so many different ways to knit and I think they are all cool. I can't understand people who are like "this is the one true way."
Sounds like combination knitting. It works great for flat knitting in ribbing pattern.
How we tension our yarn is definitely an interesting topic. How you hold your yarn can change depending on a bunch of different things too, which hands the yarn is in, as you showed, but the yarn weight, type of knitting (loom, straight ect.), and of course whether your knitting or crocheting, posture too. At the end of the day, it's another tick on the 'pro' side of making a swatch!
ALL THE SWATCHES
I'm a left handed English style. I saw that you struggled with the tension with the English style. What I do is start your tension with your little finger or ring finger.. then wrap. You may find it easier. Or maybe not.
My goal is to learn left handed .. and that is a bit of a learning curve for me.
Love your videos. I've learned a lot from you and look forward to your future videos
I'm a new knitter and your video has been really helpful,
That is great to hear. I love it when my videos help.
Very helpful Thank you. I’ve been knitting for about 4 months now and yes this has been a challenge. Just today while knitting a hat in the round I was telling myself that there had to b another way of holding my yarn I’m also a continental knitter and watching u today how u tension ur yarn I’ve been trying it and wow my left hand is not getting tired and I seem to go a bit faster!
You just have to find a way that works for you. It really just takes practice.
I'm brand new to knitting, & my tension is all over the place; therefore, I guess I need a lot of practice. I have a big project I must crochet, but I'm practicing my knitting tension instead...😝 Thank you for this video; I'll keep at it...🤗 Maybe someday I'll be able to do one of your projects in your book, 'Mosiac & Lace Knits' or something like that gorgeous Shawl behind you, 'There is Water at the Bottom of the Ocean'...🥰
I tension my knitting yarn in the same way that I tension for crochet, it's why I'm a continental knitter. It can be hard to figure it out. Thank you for your kind words!
It's like drumming; you have to be able to step on the kick pedal and hit the snare in rhythm at different times and if you focus too much on one you'll forget to do the other. I get so into whatever stitch I'm doing I forget to give myself slack and I end up with suuuuuper tight stitches.
Thanks for saving my sanity. Watching you tension your yarn differently then everybody else finally let me tension my colorwork problem.
That is great to hear! There isn't really a right or wrong way to tension your yarn .... as long as you get it tensioned in a way that is comfy and repeatable for you.
I learned to crochet first. I taught myself to knit from a book. That was a few years ago(about 35). I later took a knitting class. I remember the instructor said I did my stitches "backwards". I am a continental knitter and just use the same hand to tension for both. I never stood what she meant by backwards, but that was over 30 years ago. I do remember being challenged by trying to hold two needles and yarn at the same time. It got easier with more practice, but at first my tension was all over the place.
The first time someone tried to teach me how to knit they insisted that English style was the only proper way to knit and I hated it! Continental was my saving grace! Backwards might have referred to twisting? don't know.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit I don't think I could have knitted English style to start. I guess that was one advantage of teaching myself to knit from a book; I just held the yarn the way I did to crochet. I may try English style just to add a new challenge level. But it would definitely need to be a simple project.😸
@@heidicook2395 check if you a a combination knitter. I discovered that about myself around 5 years ago. I also had no formal training so I am seeing that I do a lot of things differently. Sometimes I have to adjust it a pattern was to use knitting as a design element. I just mastered make 1s and ssk. Before I avoided them and did Kfb and k2tog only😁.
@@annmariebusu9924 thank you Annmarie. I will check. I have no problems with ssk's but had not conquered make1's. You Tube has helped a lot; being able to see a close up of how to do a stitch (when my eyes cooperate) has made a hugh difference!
barbara 😭 youve saved my life! this and your video on common mistakes has helped me SO MUCH to figure out where im going wrong and to improve my technique THANK YOU
Yay! I am so glad to join you on your knitting journey!
I knit English style, throwing, and I loop the yarn around my ring finger, hold the slack with my little finger, and then run it over my index finger to knit. It works well for me.
The silly thing is that my grandmother taught me a little crochet at the same time as she taught me to knit, but I never got good at tensioning yarn with my left hand. I hold up my first two fingers with the yarn pinched between them as I crochet, which isn't ergonomic at all. :P I've tried to learn Continental knitting in the hopes that it would improve my yarn tensioning but I haven't been able to get the hang of it; maybe I'll have time to practice now!
It is crazy what our hands will and will not do LOL!
Wow - this was so enlightening! And seriously, that comparison to driving a manual car and knowing where that grab point is when you're letting off the clutch and pressing the accelerator pedal is SUCH a great comparison!! You're an excellent teacher. :)
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Barbara, I'm not exactly a beginner but I'd never learned about the importance of tension! I'm an english knitter and knit pretty loosely. I'm going to try being more aware of the tension from now on. Thanks!
It's a thing that is pretty difficult to really address and a lot of knitters do it without even really thinking about it. Some teachers don't address it at all.
Thank you! I was waiting for how to tension in the left hand for purling. I am struggling with that but will be checking your videos for this! =)
Purling with the yarn in the left hand can be a challenge. My solution was the Norwegian purl but you have to find what works for you.
I agree with you, learning to tension is a very personal thing, difficult to teach. I learnt to crochet first, now I also knit. I hold my yarn in the same way that I crochet or knit, with the yarn wrapped once around my index. I never had tension issues with crochet like I do with knitting ! I’ll have random rows or just spurts of few stitches that are randomly bigger, rib stitch feels like a snail race, and if I try to speed up my stitches are so uneven. I have slowed right down on my last few projects to really pay attention to my hands. I haven’t been able to find a common denominator to those random loose stitches yet. I’ve noticed today that my 2x2 ribbing is neater than on the beanie I made just before. I’m also picking up a bit of speed. But yeah, it’s a slow process for sure !
I learned crochet first too!
Portuguese tensioning is my jam. I can’t really explain it, you kinda just feel when you need to adjust the yarn a little with your right hand to your neck/pin. I can tension also both continental and English style so I would say it’s kinda like that? You just know after a while how your stitches should feel and look (I started English about 10 years ago from books so basically self-taught).
I’m still a beginner/intermediate knitter but I would say your video was definitely helpful! Sometimes I’m not really sure if I’m doing something correctly, it helps to see someone much more skilled do it so I can figure out what I’m actually doing and how to hone the skills I have a little better.
Thank you!
If you are getting the finished product you want and that you are happy with then you are doing it right! That is so cool that you do the Portuguese tensioning.
Great video tutorial and helpful tips. I am trying to improve my left-hand tension for fair isle. I always find my left hand sitches were either too loose or too tight , than I would like them to be. Thank you
Tension is a never ending battle LOL.
Omgoodness I’ve just begun to teach myself to knit, I usually crochet! You’re amazing, thank you Barbara x you’re now my ‘go-to’ helper 😍
I'm so glad I could help!
Thanks Barbara. I knit some. I will try it. My rows in garter are never the same. Thanks again
Interesting! Hopefully you'll get it with practice.
Thank you for your sharing. I knitting in English way, and I love the way you do in continental. Will try it. Thank you again.
You are welcome 😊
I’m an English knitter (6 years + a few earlier briefly periods), and I’m trying to sort out continental for the 3rd time (especially for colourwork, and also because my purl in English is less tight than my knit, as well as maybe trying to get a little faster because my knitting time is limited).
The funny thing is, I tension my yarn just like you on my R hand (and kind of flick - yarn stays on my finger but I still somewhat drop the R needle), but I can’t make it work that way with my left hand 😂 I’ve been using the holidays to do stockinette swatches and try different handholds. I’m improving, but no way has “clicked” yet.
I kind of want to cast on a new project, but I’m finding myself obsessed with doing this right now 😜 It’s all (mostly) fun and keeps my brain happy though, so that’s not the worst thing in the world!
It's all about the process! I hold my yarn completely different in my right hand than I do my left. And I am super clumsy with the right hand, but I'm right handed. Go figure?
Great information. I am a beginner/intermediate, a Continental, and have tension issues...a lot due to Arthritis. I just can't seem to get the thread tension right in my left hand....esp when I do the Purl stitch. Drives me crazy! This video provided me with a few ideas...will give it a try. Thank you.
Glad that it helped. You might want to check out videos of the Norwegian Purl, that really helped me.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit Thank you
I started crocheting as a kid with tensioning in my left hand. I learned to knit in my mid-twenties (almost 30 years ago.) I knit as a flicker, tensioning in my right hand. My tension is very consistent this way. I have tried to switch to continental knitting, but can't get a consistent tension in my left hand when knitting. I have tried a variety of tensioning methods with no success. It makes no sense to me that I can have consistent left hand tension when crocheting, but not when knitting.
Fiber Chronicles I am same as you. But throw instead of flick.
Huh. Shows how this is really a very individual element! I also learned crocheting first, as a kid, then knitting much later. The only knitting resource I had showed the throwing method. Years after that, I wanted to learn continental, and struggled with tension until I realised, hey, wait, this is how I hold yarn for crocheting. And, instantly, I had great tension. How weird is that?
It is so weird. I hold my yarn the same crochet vs knitting. It's just what works for me.
I started knitting just these past few weeks! I am really enjoying the learning process & find your videos and fb group really fun and informative. I am kind of at a point where I felt like I was finally getting the hang of tensioning with my rh (english?) but have somehow lost it and now keep struggling to keep the yarn wrapped around my fingers like I had been before. I am right handed so I thought that maybe I just automatically won't feel as comfortable tensioning with my lh, but maybe I should give it a try after all? I am getting annoyed at losing my grip on my yarn all the time now lolll !!
I always struggle with right handed tensioning. I am right handed as well, but it is just easier in my left hand.
I had to quit knitting and crocheting because my hands are all weird with thick skin and my thumb is cramped inward. It’s very painful and my hand does not lay flat on the table anymore.
I’m SO HEARTBROKEN!!
I don’t know if I did this to myself with bad tension techniques or what ?? I knit a ton of socks last year because I was in a bad depression. That’s what makes me wonder if I did this to myself or not.
I just know I want to knit again. 🥹😭
I’m trying to teach myself tension on the left hand to see if I can knit for a few minutes a day.
I just wanted to share that tension is very important over a period of time, so it’s good to practice a good healthy way to tension and knit.
I love the way some ppl barely move their hands and kind of flick the yarn over. I’d love to do that!! Lol.
I am Portuguese. Lol. So maybe I’ll have to check out this Portuguese method? 😁
The Portuguese method might be a great fit for you as that is a very different way of tensioning the yarn that relies less on the hands. Best of luck.
This was very helpful as a very new beginner
Glad it was helpful!
I'm an English version knitter. I wrap the yarn round my little finger then round my first finger. I use a shuttle method and keep my hand on the needle. Simple. Always done it that way. I struggle with holding the yarn continental style.
You just gotta do what works for you! It's amazing to me that there are so many ways to accomplish the same thing LOL!
Nice. Thanks madam.
Welcome 😊
As a new knitter about 11 years ago, my tension was so tight that the yarn squeeked as i tried to move it on the needle. I knit continental style with the working yarn wrapped so it moves clockwise once around my pinky, under ring and middle fingers, and over the pointer finger's middle section. When i purl, my left hand thumb moves the yarn about the right hand needle (RHN). For purling the yarn goes over the pointer finger, LHN, and around the thumb to the most recently made stitch on the RHN. My thumb moves the yarn up, over, and behind the RHN tip and my right hand guides the RHN through the old stitch on the LHN and pulls the old stitch off the LHN. As i got more comfortable knitting, my tension became a bit more relaxed. I am ALL thumbs if i attempt English style knitting or purling; any stitch that does get made is terribly sloppy.
You really have to develop your own style and what works for you!
Thanks! I'm an English Thrower but, I've been trying to branch into Crochet and learning to hold the yarn in my left hand has been a real struggle.
I totally understand, holding it in my right is my struggle LOL!
I am a brand new knitter - trying it after being a crocheted! This was helpful, Thank you! Could you recommend a first project/pattern?
I can suggest guidelines. Try something with a medium weight yarn (DK or Worsted) on a medium needle (7 or 8) with yarn you enjoy and a pattern that you actually want the thing that it makes. Many people start with scarves, which are great if you want a scarf. If not, it's a lot of knitting to slog through. Something like a dishcloth is always fun and fast and it's no big deal if it's the wrong size or wonky LOL.
I would like to watch you do continental knitting. I knit English BUT I’m trying to learn continental.
Hmm, I hadn’t considered doing that in a video mostly because my personal knitting style is a bit wonky lol!
I can leaver knitting in the right hand and yarn around the first finger
Excellent, that looks relly cool.
Have you tried the norwegian style? It's 13:19 a combination of continental but without holding the pointing finger up. The way that you pass the jarn around your fingers help me better to keep my tension while knitting in norwegian style. Thank you
I've tried a lot of methods and this is where my hands always end up resting. I quit fighting LOL.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit you just have to put your point finger down and take the jatn from the finger...
@@WanderlustadventuresAK Oh I know, my finger just doesn't want to stay down. Lol
Old dog cannot learn new skills 😂😂😂@WatchBarbaraKnit
Ty Barbara, do you have any easy sock patterns for new knitters? I would love to knit socks . I have crocheted since I was 5 but could never catch on how to knit very good. Then about 2 months ago it finally clicked and I been on a roll. I wanted to make socks forever but knit ones not crochet so that’s my new goal.
I'm afraid that I am not much of a sock knitter, they just aren't my kind of projects. But there are many who specialize in socks and my friend Jen Lucas has a series of video on sock making you can find here: ua-cam.com/play/PLL5tIFRJvbMh5yPUe8WWxJEGtImsqybPt.html
That was very helpful. But I have a question for you. How would you go about making your tension loser? I'm knitting a pair of mosaic pattern socks and I'm a very tight knitter. Any tips for me?
Go up a needle size until you get gauge. I never recommend to knitters that they attempt to knit tighter or looser than they naturally tend to knit. The reason why is that as soon as you settle into a project and relax you will slide back into whatever you naturally want to do and your gauge will shift. The needle size stated in a pattern is just a starting point - it tells you what the designer used to knit the sample. If you need to change the needle size to accommodate your style of knitting then go for it!
Oh the struggles with yarn tension 🧐😬 I have know problem with tensioning bulky yarn but, when it comes to thinner yarns I’m all thumbs. It drives me crazy. They say practice makes perfect, we shall see. 🤞🤞 until then, I will struggle with thin yarns
I can see that - it really is just practice. You can do it!
Hey! Is that a mini Yubaba statue in the background!
It is indeed! You are the first person to notice it. Spirited Away is one of my most favorite movies.
My question to you is : If I am going to switch from English style to Continental style, is it just a different hand holding the yarn, or will I need to learn to make the stitches differently? I am self-taught (before the internet so I learned from books), and I was doing English throwing style, but like you, I just can’t figure out how to tension the yarn in my right hand. And in the future for my projects I am hoing to need practice at moving working yarn from front to back, I never mastered that, and yet I want to do some knitted lace projects.
If you are knitting in the standard western method there is no difference in how the stitches are made, just where your yarn is held.
I'm a continental knitter too. I just can't get really good at English knitting.
I am the opposite. I am an English knitter and I cannot get tension continental style. I seem to end up with a long boingy bit (Barbara's technical term) and so have no tension on it.
You and me both!
And I do the same when I try to throw English style. Always choking up LOL!
Hi, Barbara, if you could give me some light, that would be great. I've been knitting the Norwegian style to tension and it was working perfectly. I then found some patterns using cashmere lace and I can't figure out what's wrong with my gauge. I'm using the exact yarn and pattern. The pattern recommends 4.5mm needles, I tried 3.5mm, but the stitches are still bigger than what the pattern has (when it should be 19cm wide, it's turning out 24cm), they're even, but bigger. I tried tightening the tension but the stitches still turn out big and it's nearly impossible to work with. I am a relatively new knitter and I haven't blocked the pieces, cause I end up unraveling everything, but I don't think this is related to blocking and blooming, cause the garment wouldn't shrink, right? What are your thoughts?
Blooming can make the stitches appear closer together, but the way you are describing the swatch as being "Too wide" makes me think that you might not be doing your gauge swatches correctly. You might want to check out this video on how to make a gauge swatch: ua-cam.com/video/eP_hz5_5czs/v-deo.html
I’ve been knitting over a year and have yet to find the best way to tension my yarn. I still get the corrugated/gutter effect in my stockinette due to my purls being looser than my knits 😑
That is really challenging. If you are a continental knitter, have you tried the Norwegian purl? If you are an English style knitter, have you tried Continental (or vice versa)?
@@WatchBarbaraKnit I knit English, but I may have to give continental a try (although I hear this is usually a problem more for continental knitters)
I just start knitting, and I just cannot hold the needle and to tension the yarn properly. It is frastating me
It is super frustrating and I am so sorry you are going through this. Unfortunately the only advice I can give is in this video.
☹️😢my thread doesn’t slide easily, I don’t know what to do. It’s so hard to keep tension and not make it too tight
I am so sorry you are having a frustrating time with this. It is one of the hardest things to learn in knitting (or crochet for that matter). You just have to experiment with different holds, practice, and find what works for you.
Trying so hard to learn continental but my fingers just won’t play the game 🤷♂️
It all comes down to figuring out what works for you. I tried to learn English style and can't do it consistently for love nor money LOL.
prus knitting Norwegian knitting in your lefted hand