I don't have a problem with gauge knitting continental style. I'm usually,
not 100% always, but usually, the same as the recommendation on the yarn
label. Of course, I've been knitting mostly continental style on and off
from the time I was 8 years old and that's a very, very long time ago.

It also just may be luck because my mother, who also knitted continental
style from the time she was a little girl, did have a minor problem. What
she did to compensate when she was doing stockinette was to use a smaller
needle for the purl rows. It's usually not as noticeable when you're doing
a pattern or two color knitting.

It's great to know how to knit both ways because when you're doing fair
isle, or any other intarsia knitting, you can hold one color in one hand and
one in the other. That is lots of fun to do.

Lucille


"SlinkyToy" wrote in message
. ..
Most people knit a different gauge with each hand. Nothing to worry
about,
as long as you don't try to convince us that you ALWAYS knit to gauge with
the recommended needles and yarn


"AGRES" wrote in message
news:6WAQa.59798$Ph3.5632@sccrnsc04...
I've knitted English style (feed yarn with right hand) for as long as I
can
remember, and I tend to knit very tight with only one color

But, the other day, someone on RCTY said that Continental style (feed
yarn
with left hand) was faster. I have a big, mindless project going, so the
other night, I looped the yarn over my left hand. It was easy and felt
natural, and the stitches really flew off the needles. I had never
before
knitted that fast in my life (stitches per minute). I assume that I
leaned
to knit Continental style as a child, and then switched for some
reason,
but the motor skills remain.

But, the gauge was much looser. I had to drop down two needle sizes to
get
the same number of stitches per inch, and then the stitch definition was
not
as good and the fabric was not a firm and dense.

Is this a flaw in my technique? Shouldn't the gauge be the same
regardless
of which hand feeds the yarn? Or, do the different styles of knitting
really produce different styles of fabric? Do the Knitting Fairies and
Knitting Goddesses simply move their yarn from hand to hand to produce
different fabrics?

Aaron