I knit backwards?!

ilurffknit<3 · 12-01-2006, 12:43 AM

Okay, I've "known how to knit" for a year now, or so I thought.

I took my knitting to class one day. It's a scarf for winter, knit straight through because I just want to get rid of the yarn (lion homespun is the CRAPPIEST yarn ev0r). So I'm knitting happily as we're singing "Cantate Domino" and my friend Becca, who is a knitting and crochet veteran, looks down at me for a second, and continues singing.

When we've finished, and are having a break, Becca turns to me and says "You're doing that wrong" and I'm like "Say what?". Apparently I knit backwards!

here is a crude diagram of what happens to me when I knit, and what supposedly should be happening.

help yesh? A picture or two will come later.

Hildegard_von_Knittin · 12-01-2006, 06:01 AM

It looks like the "right" way is stockinette stitch... knit one row, purl one row... the "wrong" way looks like garter stitch, which is knit every row. So BOTh *really* are right.

ilurffknit<3 · 12-01-2006, 06:11 AM

hm I think I ought to clarify a bit.

I'm talking when I knit straight through and i flip my knitting over, it looks like. . . squiggly you know? From what it would seem, all knitters who do this properly have one side that looks squiggly and one that looks purled when they flip the work over.

Or did you know that? Thank you though :D

brendajos · 12-01-2006, 06:29 AM

are you only doing the knit stitch all the time though? if you are and are not knitting one row and purling one row then you are going to get what you are showing. that is garter stitch. you would only get the first set of pics if you knit one row purl one row knit one row etc

ilurffknit<3 · 12-01-2006, 07:18 AM

whoa hey! I tried knit 1 row purl 1 and it works!

Wow, what a n00b I am. But oh well, now I'm knitting on this six-stitch practice peice i made, and it's working gorgeously. Thank you thank you

Thank you so so so much

xxx

suuuueee · 12-02-2006, 08:24 PM

that's strange that your knitting veteran friend said you were knitting wrong... doesn't she know the garter stitch...?

suzeeq · 12-02-2006, 09:39 PM

Maybe her friend knew she should've been doing stockinette and that was what was `wrong'? Funny though, that she didn't tell her how to do it `right'.

sue

ecb · 12-03-2006, 01:44 AM

yeah
one of us here has a GREAT quote from Elizabeth Z about knitting "wrong" and I used that idea earleier today to a woman who wants to learn to knit
just for her to learn, and not to worry so much if its not perfect
she learned to crochette that way
was taught ONE stitch, and then as she needed, she learned the reast by herself

self taught

ecb