How to Knit with Your Left Hand

Learning how to knit is simple even for left-handed people. Knitting left-handed can make reading patterns harder, so left-handed crafty types might want to consider learning the "continental style" of knitting instead.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• light-colored yarn
• knitting needles

The Basics

1. It is easier to begin knitting with a lighter-colored yarn because individual stitches can be hard to see in a darker color. It's also easier to start with a bulkier weight yarn and larger needles. Do not rush when learning to knit; the process is simple but will take some concentration and practice.

2. Cast on a row of stitches. Wrap the end of the yarn around the left finger, leaving a long tail, and tie a slip knot. Put one needle in the right hand. Place the loop of the slip knot over the end of the needle in your right hand and pull until it is secure, but not too tight. Take the other end of the yarn, the side attached to the ball, not the tail, and pull it across your left palm. Wrap this side of the yarn loosely around your left index finger. Now, slip the right needle underneath the yarn stretched across the palm and through the loop on the left index finger, starting from the bottom of the loop and coming out the top. Pull the yarn taut and remove the finger. There will now be a second loop on the right needle. Repeat this process until the desired number of stitches are on the needle to begin the project. If it is a practice project, cast on 10 stitches to create a test square.

3. Now that there is a row of cast on stitches, knit the first row. Slide the left hand needle into the first loop on the right needle, making sure it goes underneath the right needle, not on the top of it. Pick up the yarn from the right side of the needle, and wrap it over the left needle. Pull the left needle through the loop on the right, and pull the stitch from the right needle onto the left one. Continue this process until all the stitches from the right needle are now on the left needle. This is the first row of knitted stitches.

4. To begin the second row, put the empty needle in the left hand and move the working needle into the right hand. Turn the work so the working end is again on the right side, and repeat the process above.

5. The piece of fabric being created is called "garter stitch" fabric, a fabric in which each and every stitch is knitted. It's a standard for beginning knitters and leads to learning more advanced techniques, like purling and casting off, and more advanced patterns and lacework.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many videos of left-handed knitters on the Internet; watching the technique described here makes it much easier to learn. If possible, go to a local knitting store to get an in-person knitting lesson. If you are having trouble learning left-handed knitting, consider knitting continental-style. In this method, the knitter holds the yarn in the left hand but does the work with the right hand. Many right-handed knitters use this style because it is much quicker. See the Resources for information on the continental style of knitting.
• Almost all traditional knitting patterns are written for right-handed knitters. If you are knitting left-handed, you will have to recalculate shaping on garments, which could be difficult. Charts used for knitting garments and accessories that have a pattern in the design, will also have to be read in reverse.

References

• Left Handed Knitting Videos

Resources

• Knitting in the Mirror
• Video: Purling and Binding Off Left Handed
• Continental Knitting Video