How to Hold Knitting Needles — English vs Continental

The way you hold your knitting needles shapes your entire experience as a knitter — your speed, your tension, and whether your hands ache after an hour. There are two main styles: English and Continental. Neither is wrong. Both produce identical fabric. But they feel completely different, and understanding each one helps you choose what works for you — or switch if your current method is causing problems.

The English Style (Throw Method)

In English-style knitting, you hold the working yarn in your right hand and literally throw or wrap it around the needle to form each stitch. Your right hand does most of the work: it holds the needle, manages the yarn, and makes the wrapping motion.

To knit a stitch in English style, you insert the right needle into the stitch on the left needle, then use your right index finger (or right hand) to loop the yarn around the right needle tip, then pull that loop back through the stitch. The key motion is a deliberate, somewhat wide wrap of the yarn.

Your grip on the right needle tends to vary. Some English knitters hold the needle like a pencil, with fingers near the tip. Others hold it overhand, gripping further back like a knife. Both work — experiment to find what feels stable without cramping your hand.

English style is what most beginners in the US and UK learn first. It gives you very clear visual feedback on each stitch, which is why it's easier to learn. The trade-off is that the throwing motion is larger and slower, especially once you're doing hundreds of stitches per row.

The Continental Style (Pick Method)

In Continental knitting, you hold the working yarn in your left hand and use the right needle to pick the yarn through each stitch, rather than wrapping it. Your left index finger holds the yarn under tension, and the right needle tip dips into the stitch and hooks the yarn in a much smaller, more efficient motion.

To knit Continental style: insert the right needle into the stitch from left to right, then angle the tip of the right needle down and forward to catch the yarn held by your left index finger, and pull that yarn through the stitch. The yarn barely moves — your needle tip does all the work.

Your left hand holds the working yarn draped over your left index finger, with your remaining fingers catching and controlling the yarn tension against your palm. Getting that tension right is the main challenge of Continental for beginners — the yarn can't be too loose (stitches will be sloppy) or too tight (stitches are hard to work into).

Continental-style knitters tend to be faster, especially over long stretches of stockinette. The motion is smaller and more consistent. Purling in Continental is slightly awkward at first — many knitters find it the one tricky part of the style — but it's entirely learnable.

Which Style is Faster?

Continental is generally faster, and this is well-supported among experienced knitters. The picking motion is shorter and requires less whole-hand movement. You'll often see competitive speed-knitters using Continental, or Norwegian purl (a Continental variant for purling), for exactly this reason.

That said, speed only matters once you're comfortable. A relaxed English knitter who's been knitting for ten years will outpace an anxious Continental beginner every time. Your personal rhythm and consistency matter far more than your method.

Which Style is Better for Beginners?

English is easier to learn first. Here's why:

The throwing motion is slower, which gives you time to see exactly what's happening at each step.

It's easier to check that your needle is in the right place before you wrap the yarn.

Mistakes are easier to catch before they set.

Most beginner tutorials, books, and YouTube videos teach English by default.

That said, if you already crochet, Continental will feel more natural immediately — you're already used to managing yarn in your left hand. Many experienced crocheters pick up Continental knitting in an afternoon.

Tips for Switching Styles

If you've been knitting English for years and want to switch to Continental — or vice versa — expect about two to four weeks of feeling slow and clumsy. That's normal. Your muscle memory is being overwritten.

A few things that help:

Start with a simple project in smooth yarn on a moderate needle size. Not lace. Not a cable sweater. A stockinette hat or a plain dishcloth.

Slow down deliberately. Speed will come back faster than you expect once your hands learn the motion.

Pay attention to your left-hand yarn tension if switching to Continental — this is where most people struggle. Your index finger needs to hold the yarn at a consistent height.

Watch your gauge. Switching styles often changes your stitch tension, so swatch before committing to a big project.

Some knitters never fully switch — they use English for knit stitches and Continental for purl stitches (or in colorwork, holding one yarn in each hand). That's completely valid. There's no rule that says you must commit to one style.

What Your Needles Are Doing

Regardless of which style you use, both needles have jobs. The left needle holds the stitches waiting to be worked. The right needle forms new stitches and catches the working yarn. As you complete each stitch, it slides from the left needle to the right.

Many beginners grip both needles too tightly. If your hands ache after 20 minutes, loosen your grip. Your needles shouldn't be white-knuckled — they should rest in your hands with just enough control to guide them. Tension comes from your yarn hand, not from squeezing the needles.