Learning to Knit w/o Looking

new_knitter · 10-21-2007, 11:43 PM

Ok all you talented knitters who can knit without looking... How did you get started??? I was trying to catch up on some knitting in the car tonight and was bummed when it was too dark to do anymore.

I tried to learn in front of the tv and once I have my needle inserted to knit, I can finish the stitch w/o looking, but I can't get the hang of not looking to start the next stitch.

Any suggestions?

suzeeq · 10-22-2007, 12:23 AM

You sort of learn to feel with your left fingers what's coming next. And it works best on stockinette, garter or ribbing. Not lace or patterned stitches. Practice while in front of the tv.... look up for a few stitches, you know what they're going to be. Then try it for a whole row. It's just practice.

new_knitter · 10-22-2007, 01:22 AM

Thanks suzeeq! I will give that a try!

MaleKnitter · 10-22-2007, 03:21 AM

get a big simple project, like an afghan where there might be a row of 200 knit stitches and then it just gets so easy.

also, knitting in the round on circular needles (not DPNs) helped me really get into the hang of knitting fast without looking, you just knit forever and only need to look down when you're out of yarn.

Sheridan · 10-22-2007, 06:04 AM

I hope someone else was driving! *wink*

I can't knit and be in the car, I always get sick even if I look down briefly, I can't even read a map while the car is moving or I start to feel queasy.

new_knitter · 10-22-2007, 09:05 AM

Thanks for the suggestion maleknitter. The scarf I am working on is a 55 stitch knit tube, and I am trying to get the hang of it..... it is the part of getting the right needle inserted that I am having trouble with.

And yes Sheridan my DH was driving LOL.... although.... I have been knitting at red lights lately

I have to be done with this project by Friday!

brittyknits · 10-22-2007, 09:52 AM

AFter the 5 millionth stitch or so, you stop having to look

. But in the meantime, if you really want to knit in the dark:
http://www.kpixie.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=223_224 (click on any set of the needles to get to the page where they show them in action)
http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.j...RODID=prd49535

semajrn · 02-03-2009, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by suzeeq

You sort of learn to feel with your left fingers what's coming next. And it works best on stockinette, garter or ribbing. Not lace or patterned stitches. Practice while in front of the tv.... look up for a few stitches, you know what they're going to be. Then try it for a whole row. It's just practice.

I can do this but, how do you avoid splitting threads? Even while looking, sometimes the needle's position will split the yarn and has to be corrected by repositioning the needle. If I was not looking, I never would even know that the yarn was split and therefore the project would continue with the split yarn. This is not a mistake that I can feel with my fingers.

suzeeq · 02-03-2009, 10:37 AM

I don't have much problem with splitty yarn, and you don't have to not ever look. Just check it once in a while.

Marria · 02-03-2009, 08:49 PM

You know, I never really taught myself to be able to knit without looking. It's just something I started to do without realizing it after I'd been knitting for quite awhile. I think it's similar to learning to drive-you brake and shift gears, etc., without having to think it out each time, but when you first learned to drive, you had to think about it.

I do have a glance though, because I do occasionally split a stitch. However, when I move the yarn to the other needle, I can feel the thickness of it and I can usually tell when I've done this. I can knit and purl without looking, but I don't do lace or anything like that.

Incidentally, I've never been able to crochet without looking, even though I've been crocheting longer than I've been knitting. Go figure!