Friday, 11 May 2007

Can a rightie ever be a leftie?

I am a rightie from way back, an english knitter, a thrower. Then a couple of years ago I started noticing all of those fancy lefties. It looked cool, it looked different and those kids they urged me to try it, to become part of their crowd. EZ told me that I should be a leftie too and so I did.

Sure I struggled at first. I didn't do it in public because I looked like a dork but eventually it became comfortable and I could venture out. Sure I noticed my tension was looser but eh so what - smaller needle will solve that right? Sure I noticed that my usual neat knitting was looking a little messy but it would get better I assured myself. I still didn't see that I had a problem when I started to make up excuses in public for my sloppy knitting; "oh this yarn", "just a little tired", "the weather""more/less coffee". I was in the "in" crowd, people liked me. I was fast, it was just me and the addis. And ribbing it was a dream, I was like the wind, seed stitch stand aside.

Well it has been over a year now and still my knitting looks like crap. So I have been secretly returning to the comfort of english knitting. The slow, steady neatness of it. And I am remembering I have never wanted to be cool. Those cool kids they usually aren't very nice, remember high school?

And then I was doing a swatch and it just wasn't working and so I changed hands and look:



Bottom - leftie
Top - rightie
Same needle size

Yep I guess I was just never meant to be hip.

6 comments:

Stell said...

Hey rightie, I am incredibly frustrated by finally 'learning' at 40+ what works best for me is not generally what I've spent the last few years doing - you think I'd get it sorted earlier. So it is great to hear that happens to others to.

Catch up soon? Next wed nite is out - School stuff, montessori agm - important issues, bother ...

Kathleen Dames said...

Hehe. I've been trying some Continental lately, and it's just not happening for me either. I'm sure more practice would help. I so want to be like EZ, whether she's cool or not.

Emily said...

Whoa! That's a pretty intense difference.

I'm having trouble getting fully comfortable with continental. It's that darn purling...

Anonymous said...

Wow, I'm amazed at the difference. I too knit only English - we're a hip subculture!

I tried teaching myself Continental because I heard rumors it would increase speed. Seeing the unevenness and strange gauge, I likewise decided it wasn't worth going faster to knit something I was unhappy with.

Amanda Jean said...

wow. that is a huge difference. I am a leftie and I never knew it was cool.

you are right, the cool kids were NOT nice in high school.

Anonymous said...

I must be the lone gal out, folks, because I switched to the left about five months ago and LOVE it. My knitting is still even (yes, it took a little while to get there, but what's practice for?), but the >feel< of the knitted fabric is more fluffy now than it was with a RH carry. Well, to each her/his own.