Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am a Continental knitter and use a Norwegian purl. I have a pattern with YO, YRN, and YFWD. The pattern stated to do a: K2, YRN, P1, and I was having such a difficult time figuring out how to achieve the correct stitch. I'm happy to know I can ignore the pattern directions and use whatever I can so long as I will get an eyelet and an extra stitch.
This is a GREAT and comprehensive video on YO's! I was teaching someone to knit a lace pattern and the pattern instructed me to make a "yfwd, K1". I was unfamiliar with this technique and so we watched a youtube video from an English person. I wish we had watched your video instead. I, as a Continental knitter, told my friend, who's an English knitter, that the instructions don't make sense to me. I also said that I think a simple "yo" would be exactly the same as the "yfwd, K1". My friend will be able to follow the pattern as instructed. I love how your videos explain multiple ways to arrive at the same conclusion. Thanks again for providing a useful and easy-to-understand lesson.
As an old English knitter, I never really thought about this process I just did it, because I could read my knitting and didn't know anything else. I am South African and have no English roots, totally European, but with colonisation, we were forced to knit the English way. Growing up my mother, an Afrikaner was very strict and I had to hold my needle like a pen. I have knitted this way for 65 years. Fifteen years ago I came to the UK and wanted to teach myself to knit socks. I taught myself with the help of Ann But's book to knit socks and found it very difficult. I found the American way so different until I found it was just a different way and wrote my abbreviations in. I am dyslexic but practice is all it takes. Then coming to internet at a late stage in my life, specialy UA-cam, it was just magic. I discovered Elizabeth Zimmerman and how she was so lucky to have a Swiss Nanny and taught her the continental way. Het book also said something important to read your knitting. Moral of the story is that I became deeply disappointed that I did not learn my European way of knitting, because it is so logic. I tried to change my style, but after 65 years of knitting it just didn't work. One of my heroes is Arne, from Arne and Carlos fame. He knits exactly the way I would love to knit, with minimum movement. Thank you for keeping me entertained and a tad jealous. Anita
I can’t knit continental. I’m a fairly new knitter but it just doesn’t work out for me. I still try and keep at it but my stitches are so enlarged. I don’t really knit English style either. I “flick” the yarn and my hands never let go of the needle. I can knit really fast this way so I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is my style and I shouldn’t try to change it so much.
I have also changed my way of knitting and am nearly flicking, holding the needle on top, but still leave the needle for a moment. Knitting blankets with mitered blocks, on a circular needle, it is impossible to hold your needle like a pen. The lady from Very pink also flicks and it is amazing. I think to knit the continental way you have to learn this way as your first way of knitting. As long as you enjoy knitting, that is what counts. Thank you for your comment.
Yes, Staci from Very Pink Knits is who inspired me to “flick”!! I’m so used to it now that It feels funny to “throw.” It did take practice at first but now it’s just muscle memory. Happy knitting!!
Your videos are timeless, Roxy! Once again, I find your descriptions and explanations are clear, sensible and thoroughly meaningful for me! Thank you so much
Thank you for making this video. I knit continental and recently bought a pattern with all these instructions for yarn overs and I was very confused because I've never knitted English style. Now, thanks to you I can start without worries.
Thank you for your always clear explanations. Particularly this one exactly describes the steps for yarnovers between different flanking stitches that I eventually figured out through trial and error! I'm a Minneapolis native, but have lived in Chicago since 1973. Still proud to be a Minnesotan!
I had figured all of this out before but I thank you Roxanne because there are a lot of new knitters who get caught up in the language instead of the idea of what it is supposed to generate and the questions persist in the groups 👍🏼❤️
Thank you so much! I have been struggling with a sweater pattern from the UK trying to figute out why it wasn't coming out the way it should. Now I understand.❤
Oh my goodness! That was an excellent video. I'm a continental (new knitter) working on a British pattern. Trying to follow along with English-style knitting wore me out. Thank you for the continental instructions!!!
Thank you, this is such a helpful video for working out not only how to do the stitches, but *why* they are necessary. I feel like I understand this so much better now.
YOU ARE MY GO TO FOR ANSWERS ROX!! I have a pattern I am working and logic or common sense or both wld not turn up. Thanks and u ARE the best in teaching, my humble opinion.
you're amazing. I love your explanation. it makes all the difference to understand what's going on within the stitch structure and connect it to the instructions.
Great video Roxanne. As a Continental knitter I don’t usually have a problem unless I forget to put one in. Then I go to your videos for help! I never knew that patterns in the UK are written differently. Good to know. Thank you for another great tutorial!
Fabulous video. I (American) just got a UK lace pattern that is frightening with all these terms. I think I'm grateful that I hold my yarn in my left hand. :-)
Thank you!!!! I always wanted to know. I knit continental style using vintage patterns from the UK and I was wondering what am I missing - turns out nothing. 😂
As an English style knitter I struggled to understand how the singular abbreviation of YO to create an increase, could possibly replace, the more familiar to me, yfwd, yrn and yon. I knew YO made more sense to Continental knitters but I just couldn’t visualise why. I have only ever worked knit stitches and clumsily worked purl stitches in the Continental style when working stranded colour work (flat) with a different yarn in each hand. Never attempted a YO. The term Yarnover and its abbreviation makes so much more sense now that I’ve seen it demonstrated in the Continental style. A Yarnover, is literally an instruction to the knitter to place the yarn over the needle. The end result is the same regardless of how the stitches either side of the Yarnover are worked 💡 💡 💡. Another excellent Roxanne video I can provide a link to in my online knitting groups.
I'm a continental knitter and I can say that we have 2ways of yarn over, mostly it's important if in next row need do twisted stich, so you do yo frontway or yo backway it's make twisted stiches leen left or right
Thank you for a very informative video. Please can you do a demonstration on unzipping provisional cast on stitch. It should include (knit stitch and purl stitches) how you can recognise the difference between the two stitches when unzipping a provisional cast on.
I am knitting a lace pattern that an English lady wrote...I knit continental! 🤦♀️ I was familiar with the 'yfwd' so I knew what she wanted... But I watched a video on how to do it (just to make sure I was doing it right) and the lady in the video held the yarn in her right hand. So when I did the 'yfwd' it appeared that I was wrapping the yarn around my needle to many times! Lol I had to really watch the video and then watch what I was doing to make sure it was doing the correct thing! I wish had watched you video sooner! Lol At this point... Can I just do a yarn over rather than the yfwd and will it still look the same!?
I'm so confused... In the pattern I'm starting right now it says "yfwd, yrn, yon, k2tog"... Does it mean I have to do two yo at once before that k2tog? English style.
Thank you so much for your videos. I've found them only recently and have already learned a ton. Definitely binge worthy! I have a yo question and a request for another topic. (Apologies in advance if you've already covered these.) YO - any tips/recommendations for maintaining a consistent size in yarn overs? In particular, when a pattern includes yarn overs between different types of stitches? Like a lace pattern that includes k-yo-k and k-yo-p and/or p-yo-k. In these situations, my lace "holes" often end up being different sizes. Edge/selvedge - I've seen discussion of edge/selvedge stitches in knitting reference books, but have rarely seen them mentioned in patterns. What are various edge/selvedge methods and their pros/cons? Are some better/worse for an edge that is to be seamed vs. one to be picked up vs. an edge that is finished as knitted? If a pattern says something like "work in stockinette stitch for x inches", is it up to the knitter to decide how to handle the edge stitches? In a pattern that has seams, does the stitch count called for in the pattern include the edge stitch(es) ("seam allowance")? Or is the knitter expected to add them? Thanks again! I really appreciate your knowledge, passion, knitting curiosity and, especially, your willingness to share.
I love your Techniques Tuesdays and Casual Fridays. I am a long time crocheter, and have just started knitting in the last year or so. I have found that a combined eastern/western continental style has improved my knitting (I am also left handed but do both knit and crochet right handed). So when I knit and purl, my first purl leg is behind the needle. I can adjust when knitting on a purl stitch, but when the pattern is a little more complicated, I tend to get lost. You totally get the different knitting styles and are great at explaining things, could you do a technique Tuesday on how to adjust the stitches (example like ssk or k2tog) when the leading purl leg is in the back? The most difficultly I have is when working rows. I'm thinking there may be others that knit this way as well.
What happens if the pattern says knit two stitches yarn forward and round needle purl one and then purl three together. How do I do that as my patterrn is not turning out rights.
They're telling you to create a yarn over between the second knit stitch and the p1. The yarn is in back when you work the knit sts, so you need to bring the yarn forward (under the needles *as if you were going to purl*, and then bring it over the needle and back to the front again, so that you can work the purl stitch. If you are a continental knitter (holding the yarn in your left hand, then the instruction can be read as k2, yo, p1, p3tog.
Possibly, but probably not. If the instructions for the row say to "do this, do that, do this other thing, yf, knit, etc." so that the yf is flanked by commas, and followed by an instruction to knit, *then* it might mean YO. Without seeing the instruction in context of what comes before and after, and where the commas are, I can't say for certain. Sometimes, there are instructions to slip a stitch wyif (with yarn in front), with the goal of having that strand that spans across the sts on either side of the slipped stitch be on a specific face of the fabric. Again, I'd need more context.
@@RoxanneRichardsonWould this help? I'm afraid to start unless I understand this! The idea is to end up with 26 its in a row with 2 knot its at the end of every row. Many thanks!!
![How to knit a perfect sloped bind-off [no more steps!]](/img/n.gif)
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am a Continental knitter and use a Norwegian purl. I have a pattern with YO, YRN, and YFWD. The pattern stated to do a: K2, YRN, P1, and I was having such a difficult time figuring out how to achieve the correct stitch. I'm happy to know I can ignore the pattern directions and use whatever I can so long as I will get an eyelet and an extra stitch.
This is a GREAT and comprehensive video on YO's! I was teaching someone to knit a lace pattern and the pattern instructed me to make a "yfwd, K1". I was unfamiliar with this technique and so we watched a youtube video from an English person. I wish we had watched your video instead. I, as a Continental knitter, told my friend, who's an English knitter, that the instructions don't make sense to me. I also said that I think a simple "yo" would be exactly the same as the "yfwd, K1". My friend will be able to follow the pattern as instructed. I love how your videos explain multiple ways to arrive at the same conclusion. Thanks again for providing a useful and easy-to-understand lesson.
As an old English knitter, I never really thought about this process I just did it, because I could read my knitting and didn't know anything else.
I am South African and have no English roots, totally European, but with colonisation, we were forced to knit the English way. Growing up my mother, an Afrikaner was very strict and I had to hold my needle like a pen. I have knitted this way for 65 years.
Fifteen years ago I came to the UK and wanted to teach myself to knit socks.
I taught myself with the help of Ann But's book to knit socks and found it very difficult. I found the American way so different until I found it was just a different way and wrote my abbreviations in.
I am dyslexic but practice is all it takes.
Then coming to internet at a late stage in my life, specialy UA-cam, it was just magic.
I discovered Elizabeth Zimmerman and how she was so lucky to have a Swiss Nanny and taught her the continental way.
Het book also said something important to read your knitting.
Moral of the story is that I became deeply disappointed that I did not learn my European way of knitting, because it is so logic.
I tried to change my style, but after 65 years of knitting it just didn't work.
One of my heroes is Arne, from Arne and Carlos fame. He knits exactly the way I would love to knit, with minimum movement.
Thank you for keeping me entertained and a tad jealous.
Anita
I can’t knit continental. I’m a fairly new knitter but it just doesn’t work out for me. I still try and keep at it but my stitches are so enlarged. I don’t really knit English style either. I “flick” the yarn and my hands never let go of the needle. I can knit really fast this way so I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is my style and I shouldn’t try to change it so much.
I have also changed my way of knitting and am nearly flicking, holding the needle on top, but still leave the needle for a moment. Knitting blankets with mitered blocks, on a circular needle, it is impossible to hold your needle like a pen.
The lady from Very pink also flicks and it is amazing.
I think to knit the continental way you have to learn this way as your first way of knitting.
As long as you enjoy knitting, that is what counts.
Thank you for your comment.
Yes, Staci from Very Pink Knits is who inspired me to “flick”!! I’m so used to it now that It feels funny to “throw.” It did take practice at first but now it’s just muscle memory. Happy knitting!!
Your videos are timeless, Roxy! Once again, I find your descriptions and explanations are clear, sensible and thoroughly meaningful for me! Thank you so much
Thank you for making this video. I knit continental and recently bought a pattern with all these instructions for yarn overs and I was very confused because I've never knitted English style. Now, thanks to you I can start without worries.
Neato! Helps me to understand that those who have a different knitting style from mine go through more maneuvers to get to the same result.
Another needed solution. I'm trying my first vintage pattern from one published in the UK in the 1940's. It's a whole new vocabulary!
Wow I never realized how different English knitting directions are written. Thanks for this information!
Thank you for your always clear explanations. Particularly this one exactly describes the steps for yarnovers between different flanking stitches that I eventually figured out through trial and error! I'm a Minneapolis native, but have lived in Chicago since 1973. Still proud to be a Minnesotan!
I had figured all of this out before but I thank you Roxanne because there are a lot of new knitters who get caught up in the language instead of the idea of what it is supposed to generate and the questions persist in the groups 👍🏼❤️
It is appreciated that you show the Uk style of doing various techniques. Thank you from across the pond xx
Thank you so much! I have been struggling with a sweater pattern from the UK trying to figute out why it wasn't coming out the way it should. Now I understand.❤
Thank you Roxanne, every tutorial of yours I've watched thus far has educated me. This one was truly enlightening ☺️
Oh my goodness! That was an excellent video. I'm a continental (new knitter) working on a British pattern. Trying to follow along with English-style knitting wore me out. Thank you for the continental instructions!!!
Thank you. A very clear and helpful video
Super helpful!! I just found out I'm an English knitter! I'm bookmarking this helpful video. THANK YOU!
Thank you, this is such a helpful video for working out not only how to do the stitches, but *why* they are necessary. I feel like I understand this so much better now.
YOU ARE MY GO TO FOR ANSWERS ROX!!
I have a pattern I am working and logic or common sense or both wld not turn up. Thanks
and u ARE the best in teaching, my humble opinion.
Thanks Roxanne - that is so clear! I thought I understood what the pattern was asking for and you have given me the confidence to do it correctly.
you're amazing. I love your explanation. it makes all the difference to understand what's going on within the stitch structure and connect it to the instructions.
Great video Roxanne. As a Continental knitter I don’t usually have a problem unless I forget to put one in. Then I go to your videos for help! I never knew that patterns in the UK are written differently. Good to know. Thank you for another great tutorial!
Fabulous video. I (American) just got a UK lace pattern that is frightening with all these terms. I think I'm grateful that I hold my yarn in my left hand. :-)
Thank you!!!! I always wanted to know. I knit continental style using vintage patterns from the UK and I was wondering what am I missing - turns out nothing. 😂
As an English style knitter I struggled to understand how the singular abbreviation of YO to create an increase, could possibly replace, the more familiar to me, yfwd, yrn and yon. I knew YO made more sense to Continental knitters but I just couldn’t visualise why. I have only ever worked knit stitches and clumsily worked purl stitches in the Continental style when working stranded colour work (flat) with a different yarn in each hand. Never attempted a YO.
The term Yarnover and its abbreviation makes so much more sense now that I’ve seen it demonstrated in the Continental style. A Yarnover, is literally an instruction to the knitter to place the yarn over the needle. The end result is the same regardless of how the stitches either side of the Yarnover are worked 💡 💡 💡.
Another excellent Roxanne video I can provide a link to in my online knitting groups.
So happy the lightbulb(s) lit up for you! :-)
Thank you for your wonderful help. You’re so generous with your knowledge.
thank you so much! soooooo helpful to a continental knitter
Fox does ROCK❤️‼️. Thank you for helping me understand Martin Storey!
Very very helpful. Clears up my mind now. Thanks
Thank you so much for this! I have a pattern calling for a YFwd and then a YO and I was so confused!! I’ll just cross that out! Thank you!! 🌸
This was instructive-It just made me think more clearly about movement.
Very clear. Thank you so much
thank you i really needed this after ripping out my work 10 times today i finally get it !
Fantastic!
I'm a continental knitter and I can say that we have 2ways of yarn over, mostly it's important if in next row need do twisted stich, so you do yo frontway or yo backway it's make twisted stiches leen left or right
Yep, that's a technique available to any knitter. I've done a video on that previously: ua-cam.com/video/x_V6-yKx254/v-deo.html
Thank you!! It was just what I needed!!!❤❤❤❤
Thank you I thought I was going wrong when I did it using English knit
Thank you for a very informative video. Please can you do a demonstration on unzipping provisional cast on stitch. It should include (knit stitch and purl stitches) how you can recognise the difference between the two stitches when unzipping a provisional cast on.
I am knitting a lace pattern that an English lady wrote...I knit continental! 🤦♀️ I was familiar with the 'yfwd' so I knew what she wanted... But I watched a video on how to do it (just to make sure I was doing it right) and the lady in the video held the yarn in her right hand. So when I did the 'yfwd' it appeared that I was wrapping the yarn around my needle to many times! Lol I had to really watch the video and then watch what I was doing to make sure it was doing the correct thing!
I wish had watched you video sooner! Lol
At this point... Can I just do a yarn over rather than the yfwd and will it still look the same!?
Thank you sooooo much!!!
I'm so confused... In the pattern I'm starting right now it says "yfwd, yrn, yon, k2tog"... Does it mean I have to do two yo at once before that k2tog? English style.
Thank you so much for your videos. I've found them only recently and have already learned a ton. Definitely binge worthy!
I have a yo question and a request for another topic. (Apologies in advance if you've already covered these.)
YO - any tips/recommendations for maintaining a consistent size in yarn overs? In particular, when a pattern includes yarn overs between different types of stitches? Like a lace pattern that includes k-yo-k and k-yo-p and/or p-yo-k. In these situations, my lace "holes" often end up being different sizes.
Edge/selvedge - I've seen discussion of edge/selvedge stitches in knitting reference books, but have rarely seen them mentioned in patterns. What are various edge/selvedge methods and their pros/cons? Are some better/worse for an edge that is to be seamed vs. one to be picked up vs. an edge that is finished as knitted? If a pattern says something like "work in stockinette stitch for x inches", is it up to the knitter to decide how to handle the edge stitches? In a pattern that has seams, does the stitch count called for in the pattern include the edge stitch(es) ("seam allowance")? Or is the knitter expected to add them?
Thanks again! I really appreciate your knowledge, passion, knitting curiosity and, especially, your willingness to share.
Those are great questions, Laura. I'll see if I can address a few of them in upcoming weeks.
@@RoxanneRichardson Thanks! Looking forward to hearing more.
I love your Techniques Tuesdays and Casual Fridays. I am a long time crocheter, and have just started knitting in the last year or so. I have found that a combined eastern/western continental style has improved my knitting (I am also left handed but do both knit and crochet right handed). So when I knit and purl, my first purl leg is behind the needle. I can adjust when knitting on a purl stitch, but when the pattern is a little more complicated, I tend to get lost. You totally get the different knitting styles and are great at explaining things, could you do a technique Tuesday on how to adjust the stitches (example like ssk or k2tog) when the leading purl leg is in the back? The most difficultly I have is when working rows. I'm thinking there may be others that knit this way as well.
I do have plans to explain decreases for Eastern stitch mounts (which Combo knitters experience in their knit sts when knitting flat).
Could you please explain this k1 pl into yfwd yrn.
Thankyou
What happens if the pattern says knit two stitches yarn forward and round needle purl one and then purl three together. How do I do that as my patterrn is not turning out rights.
They're telling you to create a yarn over between the second knit stitch and the p1. The yarn is in back when you work the knit sts, so you need to bring the yarn forward (under the needles *as if you were going to purl*, and then bring it over the needle and back to the front again, so that you can work the purl stitch. If you are a continental knitter (holding the yarn in your left hand, then the instruction can be read as k2, yo, p1, p3tog.
Super video, Thank you!
Thank you so much for this.
Love color!
Thanks! This is a big help. I have a pattern that says Yf and the directions expand this as 'Yarn to front'. Is that the same thing as YO?
Possibly, but probably not. If the instructions for the row say to "do this, do that, do this other thing, yf, knit, etc." so that the yf is flanked by commas, and followed by an instruction to knit, *then* it might mean YO. Without seeing the instruction in context of what comes before and after, and where the commas are, I can't say for certain. Sometimes, there are instructions to slip a stitch wyif (with yarn in front), with the goal of having that strand that spans across the sts on either side of the slipped stitch be on a specific face of the fabric. Again, I'd need more context.
@@RoxanneRichardsonWould this help? I'm afraid to start unless I understand this! The idea is to end up with 26 its in a row with 2 knot its at the end of every row. Many thanks!!
Thanks 4 sharing.
Well explained thank you
I am following a pattern that says: ... k2tog, yfwd, yrn, p3, yon, s1, k1... and I'm so confused 😭, are they all supposed to be yarn over then?
Yep. :-) The first one is a yo between a knit and purl, and the second between a purl and knit-based sts.
@@RoxanneRichardson Than you so much! I'm a continental knitter so doing the yf, like you said, before doing the stitch is going to help out I think!
I just tried it and it worked out perfectly, thank you so much!!! :D
This was so helpful. Thanks so much.
You are so welcome!
Amazing.. thanks a lot
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🌹🌹🌹❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤..VERY VERY VERY USEFUL AND HELPFUL..THANKS SO MUCH.
What is yrn?
Each of the definitions is explained in the video in the section on English style knitting.
I'm still confused after watching this.
Walker Cynthia Williams Shirley Lewis Michelle
Too waffling 3:08
О чём речь?
how do you pick up 15 dropped stitches and knit, thank you I have found your video very helpfull