Continental Knitters -- How do you hold your yarn?

[Amber]

I'm curious about how you all hold the working yarn. Do you wrap it around your finger? Weave it through your fingers? Or, some combination of the two? Or something else?

I used to wrap the yarn around my index finger, but found that the yarn would sometimes get "stuck" and I'd frequently have to pull on the yarn and adjust things. So, lately, I've just been weaving the yarn though my fingers -- under my ring finger, over the top of my middle finger and then up and over my index finger. It still seems little awkward (I don't feel like I have as much control over the yarn), but the yarn flows smoothly and I'm getting used to it.

Before I get too used to it, however, I'd like to know if there is a better way. Plus, I'm just interested to hear about how others hold the yarn -- what you do and how it works for you.

[lgbrlbatb]

I am new to sewing but I think it works bet to combine the two. I have found it easier for me if I wrap it once around my pinkie and then weave through my fingers and wrap once around my index. I do have to readjust occasionally if the yard gets stuck in my fingers but the stitch stays as tight as I like it to be.

[lgbrlbatb]

Sometimes I can even just wrap it two times around my index but the same re-adjusting applies though.

[Denise in Michigan]

I wrap it around my pinkie (at the base), over the ring, under the middle, over the index. Works for me!

[lgbrlbatb]

Try completely wraping once around your pinkie and then come uder the rest of your fingers and loop over your index. I have been trying this and I think it works the best.

[dustinac]

I had to go find my knitting and see I couldn't remeber...

I wrap mine once around the pinkie but then it goes over the top of my ring/middle/index finger.. my index finger is also straight up lol I just grap it with the needle and go.. it took me awhile to figure out how I wanted my yarn to go.. try different ways or you might be like me one day you just pick it up and it works.. you have no idea how you found that way to hold your yarn...

[jamadian75]

I wrap it around my pinkie (at the base), over the ring, under the middle, over the index. Works for me!

This is how I do it too, but I'm very new to this and only started knitting Conti as part of the KH August Challenge KAL, so I'm still working it out too.

I ran into the same adjustment issue you mentioned too Amber and I'm still trying to find a good way to keep the yarn flowing smoothly because I was so accustomed to it being at just the right tension when I knit with my right hand (throwing).

[Renoah]

I wrap once around my palm, and then around my index finger, adjusting the number of wraps for the way the yarn moves.

[Julie]

I do it exactly like Amy does in the continental videos -- at first I was like, "huh? how does she do that so effortlessly?" but then one day it clicked and I do it the same way, effortlessly. :D Wrap around the pinky once (knitting) or twice (purling), across the next 2 fingers then over my index finger.

[rebecca]

Try completely wraping once around your pinkie and then come uder the rest of your fingers and loop over your index. I have been trying this and I think it works the best.

This is exactly what I do, too