Success!

I think I've finally found my own rhythm with this Continental Knitting...

Notice I say KNITTING.

I can now work the knit stitch with even tension and no white knuckles. It takes a really long time to relax your hands when learning a new technique. You're concentrating so much on holding your fingers in new positions - and having them perform different roles than they normally would - that the poor things cramp up! Seriously. You can only work in short bursts because it it so exhausting for the Poor Little Fingies. I know that it sounds pathetic, but it's true...



But I'm confident now. And relaxed. I can knit Continental Style.

Just don't ask me to knit two together.

Or increase.

Or purl.

Those skills are going to take A LOT more practice!!!!

As you can see, I finished that third mitt.



Do you think it was a match with Loose Tension Mitt (the 1st one I knit) or Tight Tension Mitt (the 2nd one I knit)???

Come on - you know the answer. Just think about which would be the most annoying outcome!

It matched NEITHER.

But at least it fell somewhere between the two. Closer to the loose one... So I'm pretending they are a matched pair. Sometimes you just have to pretend a little. Fake it 'til you make it. Isn't that what they say?

And I thought I was SO clever...

I've been hearing over and over again about how much faster knitting is for those who use Continental Style. But it never really interested me. I mean, I've been perfectly happy with my usual pace and technique up until now - so why change, right?

Besides - I've been knitting for over 30 years now - so I wondered if it would even be possible to change my technique at this point...

I kind of have my own little style going on when I knit. People love to tell me how STRANGE and UNUSUAL it is - which used to really bother me - but now I just don't care! Anyway, I tuck my right needle under my arm while I work.

Some people tell me it's a SCOTTISH style...

Some call it PIT KNITTING...

And others just call it weird!

It's not the way I was taught to knit, it's just a comfortable style I fell into as I learned.

So.

My main problem with PIT knitting, is that it doesn't work when you use circular needles or double pointed needles. You can't tuck a needle under your arm pit when it is only 10 cm long (4 inches). So I usually avoid working anything in the round.

Because if I can't tuck, then I SLOW down so much!

But then I was thinking...

If I could learn this Continental Style that everyone keeps talking about, then I could work quickly in the round - SO I DID IT! With the help of some You Tube videos, I taught myself to knit Continental Style. This is the one I found most helpful.

It was a bit tricky at first - since it involves holding your working yarn in the left hand instead of the right - but I got there in the end.

And I practiced, and practiced and practiced until my tension was even...

Then decided it was time to test it out on a project!

I thought I was SO CLEVER.

With my wonderful, even, beautiful tension...

(Which was hard, because it tends to be quite loose when you work Continental)

But I have a problem.

Look at these Mitts:



They're SUPPOSED to be the same size!

I've used the same yarn, same needles, followed the same pattern and worked the same number of rows... But they do NOT match up...

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K...