knitting backwards?

[rjdecker]

I have tried knitting a few times. I have attempted it by myself and I have had someone try to help me. Apparently, I knit backwards. I do not even know what that means. The lady helping me told me it was because I learned to crochet first and so I knit like I crochet. Can anyone help clarify this for me. I am confused. (I have not knitted since then because she told me she did not know how to help me, and it has been a couple of years)

[MrsWildchild]

You'll probably get a better response later, because I'm not very experienced, but hey, it's Sunday afternoon and I'm not doing anything better, but:

Is it the way you are wrapping the yarn, I wonder? The videos on this website are very helpful. If you are doing English-style knitting (yarn in right hand), the yarn should be wrapped around the back of the right needle, right to left, and then to the front. If you are doing Continental (yarn in left hand), the needle should be moved behind the yarn from right to left. Sorry if this is confusing. The videos are better. And maybe this is not what you mean by "backwards," at all.

[dustinac]

I think you might be doing the combined method which is not wrong at all...Take a look at Amy's videos and see if it looks like your knitting

[rjdecker]

Thanks to both of you! This really helps me to get started again! I have been checking out the videos. They are great! Maybe I will be able to knit after all!

[suzeeq]

Many crocheters who start knitting wrap the yarn around the needle the same way they do on the crochet hook. It's not wrong, just different.

[Mike]

"Because you crochet" doesn't explain anything. I think people just see something different from what they do and dig for an excuse to call it wrong.
My great niece crochets like someone would English knit. In fact I handed her knitting needles and told her to do it just like she was crocheting and she was instantly knitting English style fast.
I can't help her much because I can't knit English. My sister can't help her much with crochet because nobody but my great niece does it that way. I told my sister to show her what do to and let her figure out how to adapt it to her wrapping style.
Originally my sister wasn't going to teach her new stitches until she started crocheting "right".
I think that is what you ran into, you probably knit Combined or Continental and the lady called it backwards because of where you held the yarn (Continental) or how you wrapped (Combined).

There's also a possibility you're knitting "left handed".
Actually knitting backwards like that makes what looks like you are knitting be purls and vice versa. It's handy for doing Entrelac so you don't have to turn every 6 stitches.
There's nothing wrong with doing it that way either but it probably would confuse people enough that most couldn't help.

[LeftOutKnitter]

Are you left handed? My site is down, I've been pretty sick, but there are youtube videos or my style of knitting. There is, btw, no knitting backwards, just different. Try watching this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7046rdhRTWU