Knitting Backwards???

Before Jane left Skagway she gave Allyson and me knitting lessons. I knew how to cast on and how to make the knit stitch but hadn't done any knitting in a while and needed a refresher. After watching me for a bit Jane taught me a different way of knitting--the continental method. She wasn't sure if it was right-handed or left-handed knitting. It was just the way she learned a long, long, long time ago. (Was that too many "longs", Jane?) My stitches kept getting tighter and since my yarn had beads in it the process wasn't the relaxing hobby I had in mind. After a good night's sleep I decided it was more right handed than left handed and figured out how to turn it around. I watched some online videos and found one that showed knitting in the way I was thinking would better as my left hand would be doing most of the work.


It worked like a charm! The knitting looks and feels much better. My work is definitely that of a beginner but that's okay.



I've had a few people mention that I knit backwards!!! Jane is NOT one of those people. Remember, she didn't know if she was knitting left handed or right handed, etc. At one point she may have thought I was knitting backwards but after watching me decided I was doing the same thing; it just looked "different".



Enter laundromat scene. I put my clothes in the washers and decided to sit and knit. A lady sitting next to me said, "You're knitting wrong. You're going to wear out your yarn doing it THAT way." and proceeded to grab my yarn and needles away from me so she could show me how to knit correctly. I immediately said, "Wait, I'm moving the stitches from the right needle to the left needle." She just stared at it, "Hrmph...(is that a word?) you're doing it BACKWARDS!!!" and handed it back to me.


I don't think I'm knitting backwards...

I started with this...


If I was knitting backwards I think I would then have this...

However, this is what I have so far...


It looks forward to me!!!