Obs. on knitting vs. crochet

Hi everyone,
I am finally learning to crochet (at 42). I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting. I am left-handed and insisted unlike with
knitting that I learn left-handed-maybe that's the difference, I don't
know. I wonder how many other knitters feel this way?
Lisa

Since I'm a righty I can't comment on the handedness making any sort
of difference.

I learned to crochet before I started elementary school. I could go
like greased lightening even early in my career. I had some issues
with the way the patterns were written, and with abbreviation
inconsistencies. But, all in all, I got along. Singles,
half-doubles, doubles, half-trebles, yadda yadda, and oh, I almost
forgot that our cousins across the water use different terminology so
gods help me if I forgot to check the pattern's origin!

Then I learned to knit. One stitch with myriad ways to manipulate
same. Amazingly simple. Fast. So much more versatility. I carry
the yarn on the left (German-style, whatever) since that's how I
learned to carry it for crochet and it seemed awkward to have to drop
everything and THROW the yarn around from the right. I can, at this
point, do 5-color knitting with moderately good tension, carrying 3
colors on the left and 2 on hte right. Challenging, but not
impossible.

The only thing I crochet these days is edgings, and that right rarely.

On 5 Dec 2004 08:54:12 -0800, (Islands) spewed
forth :

Hi everyone,
I am finally learning to crochet (at 42). I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting. I am left-handed and insisted unlike with
knitting that I learn left-handed-maybe that's the difference, I don't
know. I wonder how many other knitters feel this way?
Lisa

Hi Lisa, I'm a lefty but taught myself to knit right-handed. I, too, was
crocheting at a very young age. I'm most comfortable crocheting but do
enjoying knitting. I can purl without looking at what I'm doing very often,
but need to glance down more often while crocheting. I carry the yarn in my
right hand when both knitting and crocheting.

"Islands" wrote in message
om...
Hi everyone,
I am finally learning to crochet (at 42). I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting. I am left-handed and insisted unlike with
knitting that I learn left-handed-maybe that's the difference, I don't
know. I wonder how many other knitters feel this way?
Lisa

Hi Lisa,

I'm a lefty, but knit and crochet using my right hand as my Mom didn't know how
to show me the left handed way. I don't think it makes any difference at all
which hand you use. I've had to give up most of my knitting and I agree
crocheting goes along so much faster for me too. It does use more yarn though
than knitting, but when we are having fun who cares.

Hugs,

Nora

On 5 Dec 2004 08:54:12 -0800, (Islands) wrote:

Hi everyone,
I am finally learning to crochet (at 42). I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting. I am left-handed and insisted unlike with
knitting that I learn left-handed-maybe that's the difference, I don't
know. I wonder how many other knitters feel this way?
Lisa
Hi Lisa

I am another one of the lefties in the group and like some of them
learned how to knit right handed at age 5 because everyone around me
only knew how to knit right-handed. I also crochet right-handed
because my sister also a lefty learned now to crochet right-handed.

To me crocheting does go faster and I can see results so much quicker
than when I knit.


Darlene in Toronto
http://members.rogers.com/craftkitten

Lisa Congratulations ,, over the years i found that i like both
techniques for different reasons ,,,, kinitting is sometimes softer
and more even ,, but i also have crochet that is the same ,, i don`t
really know ,,, my end result and material will tell me which
technique to use .... and in my art i use them together , sometimes
even + weaving and/or embroidery .
Having chosen to do it on Left hand method ,, might be a reason for it
feeling easier ,,,
Many years ago i had `trouble` with right hand and was taught to use
my left ,,, i still can use it in many ways , other people are
facinated ,, but i am a Right hand person ,,, In weaving i learned to
throw the shuttle in same strength both sodes ...
mirjam
mirjam

Hi everyone,
I am finally learning to crochet (at 42). I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting. I am left-handed and insisted unlike with
knitting that I learn left-handed-maybe that's the difference, I don't
know. I wonder how many other knitters feel this way?
Lisa

I am also a lefty, and I crochet left(I learned by using the mirror
technique), but I learned to knit last year right handed. I prefer knitting
because I seem to be able to adjust the tension better and I don't have to
pay attention to what I am doing as much as when I crochet. But then again,
I could be an anomaly...
Chris
"Islands" wrote in message
om...
Hi everyone,
I am finally learning to crochet (at 42). I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting. I am left-handed and insisted unlike with
knitting that I learn left-handed-maybe that's the difference, I don't
know. I wonder how many other knitters feel this way?
Lisa

In article ,
ojunk (GSHEPDOG) wrote:

I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting.

Hi:

I am a righty but having tried both knitting and crocheting, I can
honestly say
that knitting and I were not a good fit. Crocheting on the other hand
suits me
perfectly.

A side note, I was at the CGOA convention in New Hampshire this summer. I was
always taught that crocheting takes more yarn than knitting. But the teachers
I had insisted that crocheting doesn't really take any more than knitting if
done properly. They talked about using a much bigger hook than recommended to
make a more pliable cloth. It is hard to explain in written words without a
diagram but basically that a crochet stitch has three pieces to it and
knitting
has two pieces. So you need to leave more room for the third part of the
crochet stitch so you don't get a piece of cloth that feels like cardboard and
also so you don't use as much yarn. I am going to sit down and test the theory
with some squares, worsted weight yarn and different size hooks (when I have
time.)

Just my two cents' worth.

Lee

Lee to bad you are so far away, I would love to see how that works.
Amazing that at each turn in the textile adventures there is more to be
learned. Maybe we should become 6x6 partners for Jan '05, I could see
how it works in an exchange.....LOL

Els

--
hate spam not welcome

I am also a lefty. I originally learned knitting left-handed (English
style, so holding yarn in my left hand). I have found that the thing that
makes the difference to me is where I'm holding the yarn, not which hand I'm
moving the needles with. Since righty crochet holds the yarn in the left
hand, I found that easier than lefty. I also recently taught myself
right-handed Continental-style knitting which again involves holding the
yarn in my left hand. I always wanted to learn Continental since I had
heard it is faster and now I have the added bonus of not having to convert
all my patterns to work with left-handed knitting!

I'm with you, Chris, I totally prefer knitting to crochet, for all the same
reasons you do. But then I am only crocheting my first piece right now so
maybe it will grow on me.

LauraJ

"Nunya" wrote in message
...
I am also a lefty, and I crochet left(I learned by using the mirror
technique), but I learned to knit last year right handed. I prefer
knitting
because I seem to be able to adjust the tension better and I don't have to
pay attention to what I am doing as much as when I crochet. But then
again,
I could be an anomaly...
Chris
"Islands" wrote in message
om...
Hi everyone,
I am finally learning to crochet (at 42). I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting. I am left-handed and insisted unlike with
knitting that I learn left-handed-maybe that's the difference, I don't
know. I wonder how many other knitters feel this way?
Lisa

Islands wrote in :

Hi everyone,
I am finally learning to crochet (at 42). I learned to knit as a child
but what I find interesting is that crochet seems much easier and more
intuitive than knitting. I am left-handed and insisted unlike with
knitting that I learn left-handed-maybe that's the difference, I don't
know. I wonder how many other knitters feel this way?
Lisa

I learnt to knit when I was about 7 or 8, and 30 years later am teaching
myself to crotchet. My first project is a cushion cover, which I want
to be quite dense (so the cushion doesn't show through), which means I'm
doing it all in (UK) double crotchet. I think it is probably a combination
of the stitch and the hook size, but it seems to be going very slowly.

I like knitting, because I can do it while watching TV or reading. I can't
see that I'd ever be able to crotchet and read.

It is probably my technique, but I feel like I'm waving my hook around a
lot. Knitting seems to be a 'tighter' hobby. OTOH, I've found that I can
crotchet whilst waiting for appointments, because you can stop it quite
easily: with knitting you need to finish the row.

I can see that for some things knitting is the right technique, but for
others it will be crotchet. That's one of the reasons I wanted to learn
to crotchet.

I've got a shop-bought jumper that is a combination of knitted parts
and crotcheted parts. I'd really like to be able to do something like
that, while I'm learning, so I can get finished quicker.

--
Penny Gaines
UK mum to three