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Combined
Knitting Q&A
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x x Combined
Knitting Q&A Questions
from Readers This
method is so fast for knitting, that if I can
master the purl I will probably stay with it,
rather than the English (wrap) style that
I've always used. I hope you can help.
A However,
the only thing I do try really hard to deter
is wrapping the yarn around the hand in a
cat's cradle for tensioning. I just let my
yarn hang down the front when I purl
(actually it hangs in the front and then I
flip the part that goes toward the skein over
the work) When I purl I hold the yarn between
my thumb and index finger and "scoop" each
stitch with the right hand needle. It might
seem slow at first, but everything new feels
awkward at first (well, almost everything).
Force yourself to do it for 10 rows and see
if it doesn't feel more comfortable by row
11!
Thank
you so much for posting the combined knitting
technique. It is amazing how much quicker and
more even my stitches look. I
have a question about knitting in the round.
If I'm doing stockinette in the round, will
the leading edge face the right way to knit
the stitches the combined way or will I have
to alternate between knitting in the back on
one round and knitting in the front on the
next? I
just want to make sure I'm not going to twist
my stitches. For years, I have been purling
in the combined method (all the while not
knowing that was what I was doing) but I was
wrapping wrong on the knit stitches so my
knitting was always plaited. A This
means there is no purl row to re-seat the
stitches, which is essential to Combination
Knitting. To correct this and make the
leading edge of the stitch face the tip of
the Left Hand needle you must slightly alter
the way you make a knit stitch when working
in the round. It will be necessary to wrap
the yarn clockwise around the
RH needle when making a stitch. Depending
on the knitter, it may just be easier to knit
Western style when working in the round. I
find that the time I use getting the stitch
seated correctly is more than I save by
knitting Combination style. Having
said that, however, when I'm working with a
fiber that "wants" less twisting (a loose
blend of cotton and rayon, a fragile fiber,
wire) I take the extra time to form my knit
stitches by wrapping the yarn clockwise as I
knit so that I am, indeed, knitting
combination style! This puts less strain on
the fiber and makes for a nicer
fabric. Garter
Stitch in the Round Every
great advance has it's limitations, and
circular knitting might just be the
combination's Professor Moriarty. Knitting
calisthenics is rumored to be a new Olympic
event. Heck, if they can consider arm
wrestling, then why not?
A In
Western Knitting (the way the LYS owner
taught you), knitting through the back leg
(or loop) is "twisting" the stitch because
you're inserting the needle into the trailing
edge. The leading edge of the stitches are
seated on the needle facing the blunt end
(away from the tip, the trailing edge of the
stitch is toward the tip) so in Western
Knitting one inserts the needle into the
stitch through the front leg of the stitch
toward the point. In
Combination Knitting, when one makes a knit
stitch it's through the back leg (loop) of
the stitch, but because of the way I purl,
the stitches are seated on the needle with
the leading edge facing the tip of the
needle. Thus, knitting through the 'back
loop' doesn't twist the stitch. When
I make a knit stitch I insert the needle
through the back leg of the stitch (or back
loop, as some folks call it, but I find that
an inexact description) with my right hand
needle pointing AWAY from the tip of the left
hand needle. The
way you purl determines how your stitch will
lay on the needle. If you purl by wrapping
the yarn OVER the needle, when you turn your
work you will knit through the front leg (or
loop) of the stitch. If
you purl by wrapping the yarn under the
needle (aka "scooping the yarn") when you
turn your work you will knit through the back
leg (or loop) of the stitch. Hope
this makes it clear(er)!!
Q However,
I am wondering, are there any stitch
patterns/cables, etc. where this method can
not be used? A
breathe of fresh air! I have struggled so
long trying to get this lefthanded purl to
work for me... A If
you purl your stitches in the Combined
Method and then try to knit them in the
Western Method your stitches WILL be
twisted (this would be the style of knitting
that is also known as Eastern Crossed
knitting) However
if you purl in the combination style (MUCH
faster - a real delight) and then take into
account which way the stitch is seated on the
needle you'll understand as you're knitting
that the stitch WANTS the needle to go into
it with the leading edge toward the tip (or
through the back loop, as some Western style
knitters say) You'd
still do cabling the same way (although I
always cable without a cable needle...) but
when decreasing you need to understand what
the designer desires in the final result to
"translate" the written instructions. For
this reason I find charts SO much easier to
read - as a matter of fact, I could never do
lace until charted lace patterns became more
common. Refer
to my decrease page for a more detailed
explanation about K2tog-TBL vs. K2-tog-LS
(left slant). Basically, I prefer to describe
the FINAL RESULT of a decrease in my patterns
and let the knitter get there how ever they
choose to. I believe that my micro-managing
the knitting by telling the knitter how they
should put the needle into each stitch
actually hangs up more knitters than it
helps, and can be unnecessarily
confusing. In
each of my patterns I have a stitch key
reference where the knitter can turn to see
how I would work a certain stitich, but in my
written instructions I try to be as
style-neutral as possible because I realize
that not only are there Western and
Combination knitters out there - there are
also Eastern Knitters, Left Handed Knitters,
Turkish Knitters - so many variations! In
this shrinking world it just seems more -
well, democratic - to try to be style neutral
so that EVERYONE can enjoy my
patterns! . .
&
Answers from Annie
Q
I
am having terrible problems holding the yarn
in place to pick/scoop for my purl stitches.
I've tried several methods of wrapping and
finally ended up holding the yarn between my
index and thumb, which is very awkward, slow
and uncomfortable.
When
I teach knitting I tell my students that my
dream for them is that they'll discover their
own "perfect" method of knitting that suits
them, and I'll never tell them that they're
doing anything "wrong" as long as they're
getting the result they want...
Click to see a larger image
Q
Stockinette
Stitch in the Round
Most of the time when knitting in the
round the knitter is working in stockinette
stitch (K on RS, P on WS) so each row is
worked as a knit
row.
I find that knitting garter stitch or
seed stitch in the round is actually easier
and quicker using combination style. The
stitches are automatically set up to create
the opposite type of stitch in the next round
- it definitely makes those long garter
streches less tedious!
Q
I
was reading about combined knitting and
believe that's the way I was taught as a girl
of 8 by my Hungarian grandma!
When I was in my 20's it was pointed out that
if I didn't knit thru the back loop for
stockinette... my stitches were
twisted! Some LYS owner taught me to
purl differently which involves wrapping the
new yarn around the needle(instead of just
scooping) I would love to go back to scooping
when I purl... but doesn't that involve
knitting TBL?? There is no mention of it in
your wonderful instructions. Would you
please confirm??
Every
stitch has a leading edge and a
trailing edge. The leading edge is the
side of the stitch that seems to "want" the
needle to be inserted to make a knit stitch.
If you knit by inserting the needle in the
leading edge of a stitch it will be an
untwisted stitch. If you insert your needle
into the trailing edge of a stitch, you will
twist that stitch. 
This
is the way my mother taught me to knit but I
was told by many knitting instructors that
this method should be avoided and would
create problems such as twisted stitches... I
would love to go back to this because purling
is torture otherwise..
As
long as you understand which way the stitch
is seated on the needle (ie, is the leading
edge toward the tip or toward the back of the
needle...) you can do ANYTHING!
