Knitting Help - Combination Knitting

In this video I give an overview of Combination Knitting, a distinct style of knitting used by many knitters.

I mention Annie Modesitt's website in the video...she has since rearranged her website, and no longer seems to have info on combination knitting, sorry. You can find other resources with a quick google search.

My video called "What's Your Knitting Style?" includes many knitting styles, but not Combination Knitting, as explained in the video. :)

[christinegoldzman]

Thank you so much I have knitted this way for 15 years and have always been told I have been doing it wrong. I have looked for many years on whether other people knit like me.

[Kmg]

I’m a continental combined knitter, so working yarn on left hand in this style. I learned how to knit the “normal” way, which is having the leading yarn in the front. But I found that purling was really hard on my wrists. So I switched to combination knitting because purling is much more ergonomic. It takes some time getting used to but my wrists really thanked me.

[toroiva]

Thank you so much for addressing this. I do continental knitting and this is how I was taught to knit as a girl. Years later here in the US, it was extremely confusing for me to figure out why my projects weren't coming out as they were supposed to. I didn't know there were other styles of knitting and that I had to swap my increases and all kind of little details that need attention when working with a pattern. It took me a while to understand all of it! A video like this would have been SO helpful, good thing that you have made this available for those that might need it.

[sandidew]

This is the way I thought myself to knit too many years ago. It wasn’t until I knit my first pair of socks that I realized something might be off... I figured it out and switched to knitting through the front leg in the round and back to “combination” when knitting flat!!! Thank you for explaining this!

[MissaJae]

When I taught myself to knit years ago (from a book! YouTube wasn't a thing yet!) this is how I naturally knit. When I picked up knitting again as an adult I was told to try to learn not to knit this way because reading patterns would be difficult. I think I may try it again now that I'm more experienced, thank you Staci!

[gemni]

Lol, I'm a Continental knitter, and when I was first learning I would knit through the front leg, but purl like in this video, it was just easier. I never realized it was twisting my stitches because that was how I had always done it. One of my friends pointed out that it was twisting and I spent weeks trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. I think If I have a pattern that calls for lots of purls, I'm going to try this, it's so much easier on my wrists to purl this way.

[eastern_mimolette]

I live in eastern Europe, this is how my grandma taught me to knit, the difference is that we also wrap the knits clockwise. I was very confused when I tried knitting American patterns, I had no idea they were written for a different knitting style. I eventually switched my knitting style since it was much easier to follow American patterns this way.

[Hazel_Ela]

Wow, this is hands down the first knitting video I've seen so far that I can identify with. I didn't know that style had a name, nor that it was actually a thing. Thank you!

[susanbeck]

I was taught to knit this way as a child. When I started knitting again as an adult I found that it was impossible to complete American lace patterns. So I watched knitting snd purling videos on YouTube and was surprised there really was another way. I still use this method to make tighter ribbing stitches in the round. I do a front leg knit stitch and a purl stitch my old way since it pulls the purl still closer to the knit stitch

[lucestitches]

I taught myself to knit using a book. I was using long straight needles and every time I let go of the right needle to wrap the yarn, the needle would fall out. I already knew how to crochet and decided that there had to be a way to do it using my left hand to wrap the yarn. So, little did I know that it actually was a real way to knit. When I knit in the round I knit in the front loop (leading leg). I now use circular needles exclusively. No more straight needles. Heard a woman at a stitches show say the only thing straight needles are good for are plant stakes :-) I learned to knit about 50 years ago and yes, before You Tube!

[jenm]

I had no idea my way knitting had a name. Now I know I'm a combination knitter and I hold my yarn in my left hand. This was just the way my mom taught me and I didn't know that everyone didn't do it this way for a long time.

[AmyKnits]

I LOVE that purple yarn! Nice color. This sounds almost like lefty knitting. I knit and purl into the back loop and I swap ssk and k2tog in patterns.

[holly-leedickson]

Ohhhh that's why I was having problems. I was purling in combination but knitting in regular and everything is so tight. Interesting!

[marilyna]

What a timely subject! I am a thrower but just started experimenting with combined technique in order to improve the appearance of ribbing. Try 1x1 ribbing for a sock cuff, wrapping the purls clockwise; the difference is amazing, especially for perfectionists. Am also experimenting using it for seed stitch. The reason for a thrower to want to combine wrap direction is to shorten the distance yarn travels when working a purl stitch that follows a knit stitch.

[coldfusionmusical]

You're right, the purling in this combined style is easier to continental knitters.
I don't necessarily do combined knitting these days, but the one place I use combined knitting is, surprisingly, ribbing in the round, for the purl stitches only of course.
For the first round I still have to bring the yarn to the front (and wrap it clockwise) but on the next round I don't even need to bring it to the front (that's a bliss for me!), since the leading leg is at the back, I just yarn over then push the leading leg from the back and scoop the yarn through (clockwise) and voila the purl stitch is made.
I largely still knit the western way but use combined knitting only in ribbing in the round, and you're right, I find it unnecessary to wrap the yarn the other way (clockwise) when knitting stockinette combined style in the round, since it's all knit stitches, and I think continental knitters who use this combined style mostly do so because of the easier purling.
Nice change of video topic, love it!

[leleslie]

I've always knitted this way! Everything still comes out fine when I follow the patterns. My grandmother taught me this way. Consistency is the key to keeping it even. Yes, the decreases do have to be switched. You get used to that.

[lindaholt]

I learn so much from your videos. I just learned that this is the way I knit (by accident) and am constantly turning my stitches to purl, so now I know I don't have to turn them

[annanderson]

I knit this way continental. In my exploration of knitting styles, I discovered that this style is common in Russia and Eastern Europe.

[MegaMindyLou]

I watch a lot of knitting videos even some from other countries and in other languages. I see this knitting all the time and wondered how it works. Thank you so much for clarifying. ❤️

[mayazc]

Well, I'm from the Middle East and this is how I was taught to knitt. This comes more natural to me. Thanks for your video