Question on "Continental " and "English" knitting techniques

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