Hi friends! Since I share both knitting and crochet patterns here on the blog, I have a lot of requests to teach folks how to knit (or crochet). Inevitably, when I post a crochet project, I have requests for a knit version and vice versa. I love it – so much yarn creativity out there! Today I thought I’d share a quick video on the way that I knit. There are many ways that people like to knit, but this version is easiest for me and I believe it’s the easiest version for crocheters to learn.
The style that I use is called “Continental Knitting”. The manner in which you hold the yarn is very similar to the way you might hold it for crochet, so for me, it was easier to learn and made more sense than English style. I don’t think one is any better than the other. I truly believe that you should do what works for YOU. Maybe you’ll despise the way that I do it, and that’s fine! Search around YouTube and see what clicks for you. Continental style “clicked” for me, so that is what I’m showing you today.
See how I’m holding the yarn much like you might hold it for crochet?
I learned to knit from YouTube videos. Funny story – first I tried to learn to knit from a book. If you learned from a book, I want to tell you that I believe that you’re a straight-up genius! It was impossible for me to figure out how to do it without seeing it done with my own eyes. YouTube was great because I could watch a zillion different videos and find one that worked for me. In fact, after trying to learn from the book, I almost gave up on yarn crafts completely. Before I gave up, I stumbled upon a “How To Crochet” video and learned crochet. It honestly had not crossed my mind to look to YouTube in order to learn to knit. It was like a whole new world to me!
Knitting for Crocheters 101
Step 1 Pick a yarn and needles that match (read the label on your yarn to see what size needles to use)
Step 2 Cast On Your Stitches (see the video on how to cast on to your knitting needles)
Step 3 Knit across the row (see the video as I use Continental Style knitting to knit across the row)
Step 4 Continue knitting for as many rows as you’d like
Step 5 Cast off ( I don’t show this step in this video)
That’s all there is to it! As with any new skill, it takes some practice. You’ll find that just as with crochet, you have to practice getting the right tension for each stitch. Today, I’ve just showed you the knit stitch but soon you’ll learn to purl! Then you’ll be able to make stockinette stitch which is that beautiful flat fabric that you see on most sweaters.
Are you a knitter? What advice would you give to someone who is just learning? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!
Happy knitting and crocheting to you!
XO
Jessica
carolyn says
March 6, 2017 at 11:35 amYou are so right! I have been crocheting since I was 10 and always found knitting so awkward- all that moving of the hands and yarn. Once I tried continental style it was so similar to crochet that I had no problems! Often wondered if other crocheters felt the same.
Jessica says
March 8, 2017 at 11:28 amYes! That’s exactly how I felt. All that moving of the yarn seemed so inefficient or something. I know many people who prefer other ways, but for me, this made so much more sense. 🙂
Roberta says
March 8, 2017 at 8:56 pmYes! I struggled to learn how to knit English style and gave up so many times. I finally stumbled upon continental knitting and it finally all made sense!
Leslee Sharp says
March 21, 2017 at 9:29 pmI am 72 and an experienced crocheter, never a knitter. I have struggld all my life with the English method of knitting until last year I sat next to an Italian lady on a bus and saw the Continental method in action! What an amazing discovery! I went home and learned how to do it on u-tube, but i can only do straight rows of knit and purl. I’m still trying to learn more compiicated combinations. I would LOVE you to publish a “how to” with perhaps a small item to knit, using combinations of stitches for all us newbies. (PS Here’s something interesting…. I am an Australian and here we use the English crochet stitch names. The US ones are different! The English “double-crochet” is like the US “single”, the English “treble” is like the US “double”, etc. There is no “single crochet” in English patterns, which is useful when you are trying to identify the origin of a pattern. Get it wrong and you’ll have a very odd result!)
Barbara Mandel says
March 20, 2018 at 11:39 amI learned as a child the continental style of knitting. I now do really intricate Irish knit designs. When I am not sure of how to do a stitch “my way”, I simply do the stitch using the English method to see what it should look like, then put the thread back on my left hand and develop the stitch to look the same. Most instructions are written for the English method, but it is really simple to change it to Continental. Good luck.
Barbara
Sheralyn says
March 15, 2017 at 12:49 pmI learned the English method from my mother, but always preferred crochet until I stumbled across Continental. I agree that the other methods seem to be a waste of movement and more difficult than necessary. I have a few sites bookmarked to help me transition some fancier stitches from english to Continental, but sadly, for some like the bee stitch, I cannot seem to make the transition. Have you ever thought about posting a conversion chart? To me, that would be gold!
Mary Jo carrier says
September 2, 2017 at 11:15 pmI enjoy your website so much. Just been wondering if you could give a lesson on the sequin stitch. The only video I have found is in Spanish which I can’t speak. This st itch is similar to the crocodile stitch. Thank you .
Trudie says
January 28, 2018 at 9:27 amI’m also a crocheter and have found learning to knit cumbersome, to say the least. Can’t wait to try your Continental way. Thank you so much!! I didn’t know there was another way. I would also love some baby patterns, if you have any. Thanks.
Trudie
Sharon Wallace says
July 23, 2018 at 5:03 amThis is how I began knitting, too! I always admired the look of knitted items but I’ve been crocheting since I was a little girl, it seemed like such a tedious craft, moving yarn each stitch, etc. When I was looking for a knitting tutorial on youtube as a last ditch effort to give knitting a try, I discovered Continental Knitting and haven’t looked back! I visited a local yarn store for a little sit-in time where you could work on projects and ask questions. As I was knitting a purse that would be felted, the owner came over to see what I was doing. She asked about the method and was really interested in learning to knit that way. I think I introduced a trend!
Great article!
Hortense says
November 27, 2018 at 7:48 pmFor me, it’s the other way around. I have been knitting for 15 years and O finally discovered crochet some time ago (better late than never…). I learned knitting as a little girl and have never thaught about it being english or continental, I hold my needles in a very strange way so I think I’m doing something in between. Being lefthanded I found it very hard to understand how to hold my yarn (youtube is definitely a great source of help but there is not always a lefthanded version of what I am looking for). I will definitely try your way of knitting, I think it will help me with holding my yarn when I crochet!
Victoria delaney says
June 4, 2019 at 6:58 amOH MY GOODNESS!~! I am so glad to have found your tutorial on knitting in continental style . So easy to follow and learn. My comfort zone has always been crochet and knitting always seemed so tough for me, all that movement just never felt fluid in my hands. Just this past weekend I attended a workshop on hand dye painting on merino wool. The colors and variegation seem to lend themselves more to a knitted project. Now that I have seen your video, I will be more confident in trying to knit with the 2 skeins that I created in the workshop. Cannot thank you enough. Attached a link of picture of the colors. Hope you can open it.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213884946177189&set=pb.1214596669.-2207520000.1559652997.&type=3&theater
Vicki, in Nova Scotia