Help with learning different knitting styles?

[isabeau]

So, I have this problem.

I was taught to knit English style, using the long-tail thumb method for casting on. (I've tried Continental in the past, but knit stitch is awkward, purling is impossible, and my tension sucketh, so I always reverted to English.) The way I knit involved both my hands near the tips of the needles, so my fingers could (as needed) hold needles in place, hold stitches in place, move stitches off, guide the working yarn, and keep the appropriate tension.