How to Knit Left-Handed
Left-handed knitting can be very challenging and difficult. A majority of knitting instructions and patterns cater to right-handed knitters, making it very hard for lefties to master the skills. It is very difficult to find patterns that are designed for lefties. Although arduous, left-handed knitting is not impossible.
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Things You'll Need
- A skein of yarn (worsted weight is best for beginners)
- A pair of knitting needles
- Basic knowledge of knitting terms
Instructions
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How to Knit Left-Handed
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First and most importantly, familiarize yourself with the language of knitting and the procedures for casting on, knitting, and casting off. These processes are very simple once you are used to them but may seem complex to a beginner. They are difficult to describe without visual aids and illustrations, so you may want to consider doing a little research. Most knitting books have helpful pictures that depict the aforementioned techniques.
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For practice, begin by casting on 40 stitches. If you are a beginner, you may find it easiest to work with thicker yarns and needles. Consider using worsted weight yarn on your first few tries, as it is much easier to manipulate than thinner ones.
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The needle with the cast on stitches should be held in your right hand and the empty needle in your left. Insert the left needle through the first stitch of the right needle from front to back.
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4
Wrap the loose yarn under and over the left needle in a counter clockwise direction.
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5
Use the left needle to catch and pull the wrapped yarn through the first stitch on the right needle. Slip the knitted stitch off the right needle; it should now be on the left needle.
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Repeat steps 3,4 and 5 for each stitch. When you have knitted all the stitches and the right hand needle is empty, you have completed one row. If you care to continue, simply switch the empty needle to your right hand and repeat the steps above. Even though you now know how to knit, your hardship is not over. There still remains the problem of knitting patterns almost always being written for right-handed people. If you are unable to find patterns designed for lefties, then you may have to use the right-handed patterns and work them in reverse.
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