tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7526143394607315081.post7440195955218971228..comments2024-03-19T02:30:47.333-07:00Comments on Karen Mom of Three's Craft Blog: Knitters Take Note! abc-knitting-patterns Are A Knitters Delight!Karen M. Owenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02669471456337724048noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7526143394607315081.post-13395689797151892022013-09-25T09:27:28.499-07:002013-09-25T09:27:28.499-07:00I am also a left handed knitter. It took years of ...I am also a left handed knitter. It took years of trial and error to finally learn how to knit which happened before the internet videos available now. <br />One thing to keep in mind when following a pattern is remembering you are knitting the opposite direction from the written pattern. If you follow the instructions for the right front of a sweater you actually are making the left front and vise versa. That means the button band will be on the 'wrong' side if you don't make a note of that before you get to those instructions - I've made lots of 'backwards' button bands because I forgot to mark my pattern and then didn't want to rip out rows after remembering.<br />Also once you get confident with your knitting and want to do cables or a more complicated stitch you need to figure out which way the stitches should slant - to the right or to the left because when you follow the way the pattern is written you will have your stitches slant the 'wrong' way. It just takes some planning before knitting to mark where you want to adjust your choice of stitch so you get the correct slant. There is even a little tutorial on abc-knitting-patterns about making stitches under the round yoke dress pattern which shows the different slants of stitches depending on how you knit - look at it to understand what I am saying.<br />After 16 years of saying I can't do cables or complicated patterns I am finally making a cabled sweater - for my doll! It is a smaller project than making one for me but it has slants in both directions so I had to make notes beforehand and highlight areas where I need to 'change' things.<br />Keep knitting (and crocheting), don't get frustrated - take a tea break if things get 'tangled'. And please don't cop out and learn to 'knit the proper way' (ie righthanded) as I was told to do years ago when I asked for help - you can do it just as well as a lefty and when the project is finished there is no way to tell if it was knitted left or right handed.Suenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7526143394607315081.post-25252740462045200802013-09-24T05:36:16.818-07:002013-09-24T05:36:16.818-07:00My daughter is also left-handed, and I wasn't ...My daughter is also left-handed, and I wasn't sure how best to teach her to knit. I showed her how I do it, both looking over my shoulder and in front of me (reversed). I was quite surprised that she settled on knitting pretty much right-handed because there has never been a doubt that she was completely and totally left-handed. I guess what I'm saying is, go with whatever feels natural to you. (My daughter is seven, so the fact that she's very young may make things a little easier for her to switch her dominant hand when knitting.)<br /><br />I also love that red cape, BTW, and have had it in my queue in Ravelry for awhile now. I may just make it for Christmas this year.Christahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17402057345137458596noreply@blogger.com