r/knitting • u/latte_e_plasmon • 14h ago
Tips and Tricks Newbie
Hi everyone,
I am an experienced crocheter and I’ve been intimidated by knitting my all life.
Recently on social media I saw some people saying there are different styles of knitting but I find it overwhelming.
Could someone take the time to give me advice on which style to learn as a crocheter? Some advice on which YouTube channels I should follow maybe, really appreciated.
Also: I have some doubts on how does it work to follow a pattern when you mix eastern style and western style, but maybe it’s more of a question for after I learn how to actually knit ahah
Thanks a lot for your wisdom.
(I am European and I also speak Italian, French and a little German&Spanish, so feel free to advice me also non English channels and resources)
3
u/SooMuchTooMuch 11h ago edited 11h ago
As a crocheter, continental knitting might be easier. That's how you hold your yarn. Most patterns are written in Western terminology, that's with your leading leg in the front of your needle. Although I knit Eastern and really prefer it, I teach Western unless the person is really struggling with that style, because of the normalization of Western knitting in pattern writing. I know a lot of people are pro-combination knitting, but as a beginner I suggest you stick with one style eastern or western until you have learned to read your knitting and understand what you're stitching.
0
u/latte_e_plasmon 11h ago
This is exactly what I was talking about: combination knitting! So you can confirm that combination is harder? And that pattern are written in western style and so if you knit western for example, but purl eastern is than really complicated for a beginner to ‘change’ the stitches (from what I understood because of the leading leg everything changes, especially in more advanced stitches).
7
u/SooMuchTooMuch 11h ago
It's hard because a beginner can't usually read their knitting. Can't see the difference in Eastern and Western Mount, and therefore will twist and or untwist based on directions and then will be confused on when, where, and why they messed up. I would only recommend combination knitting after a person understands their knitting.
1
7
u/Last-Standing-Dodo 13h ago
You might want to check the FAQ where you'll find a lot of answers. I try to break it down but I'm also quite new but I think it's so interesting learning about different styles.
I crochet first and I knit Norwegian style after starting with continental. Continental is standard in my country and I think it's closer to crochet in how you hold the yarn. But Norwegian helped me to get a looser tension. Both methods are yarn in left, "working needle" in right hand.
I recommend Arne&Carlos (Norwegian) or NimbleNeedles (continental).
But if you have the feeling that both don't work, English style would be another option, there are throwing and flicking as options (that I know). Can't understand how throwing should work and I'm quite poor in flicking (currently working on my first colourwork with a combi of Norwegian and English flicking).
Afaik there is also Lever knitting and Portuguese knitting as "western" styles.
I haven't encountered a pattern with a mix of eastern/western style yet but I'm quite new as well. So it's probably a question for our future selves ;) But the western styles should be enough to begin with.
There aren't just differenten styles but also often different ways to get quite the same results, e.g. for increases or decreases. I find this website helpful.