Why Learn Continental When English Already Works?
If you learned to knit English style — throwing the yarn with your right hand over the needle — you already have a working technique. So why change? There are three good reasons, and any one of them alone might be worth the learning curve.
Speed. Continental knitting moves the yarn a shorter distance per stitch. Rather than throwing the yarn around the needle, you pick it up from your left index finger, which is already positioned where the stitch needs it. Many continental knitters work 20–30% faster than their English equivalents once the technique is established.
Hand health. The repetitive throwing motion in English knitting — particularly the wrist rotation — can cause strain over long sessions. Continental knitting uses a smaller range of motion per stitch, reducing cumulative stress on the wrists and fingers. Knitters who have developed tendinitis or repetitive strain issues often find continental significantly more comfortable.
Colourwork. Two-handed stranded colourwork — holding one yarn in each hand — is far easier if you already know continental. You hold one colour English-style in the right hand and one colour continental-style in the left. Without continental, two-handed colourwork requires learning the technique under the added pressure of managing a complex pattern. Learning it separately first means the colourwork technique clicks into place much more easily.
How Continental Tension Works
In English knitting, your right hand manages both the working yarn and the right needle. In continental knitting, the left hand manages the working yarn and the left needle holds the work, while the right needle does the stitch movement.
The key to continental knitting is how you tension the yarn in your left hand. The yarn runs from the ball, over your left index finger (which stays relatively extended), and down around the remaining fingers to create drag. Some knitters wrap the yarn once around the index finger; others drape it over and catch it between the middle and ring fingers. Neither is definitively correct — find the tension method that keeps the yarn taut without your finger cramping.
The goal: your left index finger should hold the yarn at a consistent height above the needle tips, ready to be picked up on each stitch. Too loose and you will be constantly chasing the yarn. Too tight and your stitches will be difficult to slide off the needle.
The Continental Knit Stitch, Step by Step
- Hold the yarn tensioned over your left index finger, with the working yarn on the left needle side.
- Insert the right needle tip into the first stitch on the left needle, from left to right (same as English — the needle entry is identical).
- Instead of throwing the yarn with your right hand, use the right needle tip to pick up the yarn from your left index finger. The needle tip moves slightly downward and to the right, catching the yarn from below.
- Pull the caught yarn back through the stitch on the left needle.
- Slide the original stitch off the left needle.
The motion is a small "swoop" of the right needle — into the stitch, down and under the yarn, back through. Once your hands find the motion, it becomes a nearly effortless flick. At first it feels like the needle tip is fishing for the yarn. After a few hours of practice, the pick-up becomes automatic.
The Continental Purl Stitch — the Awkward One
Continental knitters will tell you that the knit stitch clicks in after an hour and the purl stitch takes considerably longer. This is universally acknowledged. The continental purl is genuinely more awkward than the English purl, and you should expect a period of feeling clumsy before it becomes natural.
Here is how to do it:
- Bring the yarn to the front of the work (between the needle tips), as in any purl stitch.
- Your left index finger, still holding the working yarn, moves slightly forward and downward so the yarn forms a diagonal line in front of the left needle.
- Insert the right needle tip into the first stitch on the left needle from right to left, going in front of the yarn (the working yarn should be between the right needle tip and the stitch).
- Use the right needle tip to scoop the yarn downward and pull it backward through the stitch. This is the opposite direction from the knit stitch.
- Slide the original stitch off the left needle.
The difficulty is in step 4: the right needle has to catch the yarn and pull it backward through the stitch while the working yarn is in front of the work. Many beginners find that the right needle tip keeps sliding under the yarn rather than catching it cleanly. The fix is to angle the left index finger slightly upward, keeping the yarn taut and presenting it at a better angle for the right needle to catch.
The Norwegian purl is an alternative continental purl technique that many knitters find more intuitive — worth looking up once you have the basic continental purl established.
What to Expect During Learning
Session 1: Everything feels wrong. Your gauge will be inconsistent, your tension will wobble, and you will knit much more slowly than usual. This is normal.
Session 2: The knit stitch begins to feel more natural. The purl still feels awkward.
Session 3: You may hit a point where the knit stitch starts to click and your speed picks up noticeably. The purl is still the obstacle.
Sessions 4–8: The purl gradually normalizes. Your English knitting speed begins to return, now with continental technique.
The most common mistake during learning: reverting to English throwing whenever the knitting gets difficult. This is understandable but counterproductive — every time you revert, you reset the practice clock. Commit to staying continental for at least one full project, even if it is a simple one like a dishcloth.
Continental Knitting and Gauge
Your gauge will almost certainly change when you switch from English to continental, at least initially. Continental knitting often produces a looser gauge because the yarn is tensioned differently and the stitches have more room to move as they form. Check your gauge with a swatch before starting any sized project in continental style, even if you have knitted that yarn weight many times in English.
With practice, your continental gauge will stabilize. Many knitters find that continental produces a more even gauge overall — because the yarn path is more consistent — but this takes time to achieve.
When Continental Is Not Worth It
Continental is genuinely excellent for stockinette, garter, ribbing, and colourwork. It is less obviously advantageous for complex texture patterns — cables, bobbles, complex lace — where you are frequently slipping stitches, working into stitch combinations, or moving stitches off and onto cable needles. In those cases, many experienced knitters stick with English for the specific technique and switch to continental for the long plain sections.
There is no law requiring you to pick one style and commit to it forever. Many accomplished knitters use both, choosing based on the demands of the project in front of them.