YNotKnit: Continental Knitting

Posted by
Kelly Gilliam
Jun 8, 2006

I've been an English knitter since I was a little girl. I learned knitting by throwing and through the years I've gotten very efficient and fast at it. One of the things I'm constantly hearing from continental knitters though, is how much more efficient and faster it is. After seeing it done myself I had to wonder - was it really that much more efficient, or is it all about comfort and how fast you can get while using the method that you find most comfortable?

I had to try continental knitting for myself, and I just happened to learn of the new book "YNotKnit: Step-by-Step Instructions for Continental Knitting & Knitting Basics" by Jill and Susan Wolcott. To my knowledge (and to theirs as they point out within the book) there doesn't seem to be another book that simply looks at continental knitting and how to do it.

What I was most excited about by the book when I first received it was the visuals. The images in the book, while not being photographs but instead black and white drawings, are clear and concise, possibly some of the most clear I've ever seen. I was easily able to understand the basic movements of continental knitting and the steps it required. I picked up my practice yarn and started knitting, and despite the fact I was slow (due to my lack of experience), it seemed easy enough to do.

It's a good book for the very beginner, with instructions how to cast on, knit and purl stitches, adding yarn, simple increases and decreases, how to bind off and how to work in the ends. It's a good source for information on tools, and terms as well. The book seems to be most geared towards the very beginner, even if continental instructions are for beginner and experienced alike.

The only beef I had with this book is a nit-picky one at best (and purely there because of my formal education that required footnotes and sources ad nauseam). They make statements such as the smaller movements of continental knitting reduce the possibility of repetitive stress disorders, and that knitters with arthritis find it easier to knit using this method, however no sources are given for these statements. I think it would be interesting to include more information for the knitters who would be interested in knowing about this further.

That being said, I found this little coil notebook a very handy reference, and with its size it's easy enough to bring along with you wherever you may go.