Any tips?

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:NPR9e.2896$Zi.2318@fed1read04...
I know this has come up in the past, but I was wondering if you experienced
knitters would be able to help me teach knitting to a left handed person?

Allaya

Allaya,

I am a leftie and taught a rightie by sitting opposite her so that she could
see a mirror image. That seemed to work for both of us.

BUT, I would encourage you to teach your friend "right-handed" knitting by
which I mean the stitches moving from the left to the right needle. Because
it gets annoying to have to convert every pattern to be used in a
right-to-left manner. I found that the "handedness" mostly applied to which
hand I held the yarn in so I was able to pick up Continental knitting in no
time.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

LauraJ

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:NPR9e.2896$Zi.2318@fed1read04...
I know this has come up in the past, but I was wondering if you
experienced knitters would be able to help me teach knitting to a
left
handed person?

Allaya

Allaya, I'm left-handed, but learned to knit and crochet right-handed
at age six.
One of my left-handed cousins TRIED to learn left-handed by my aunt
using the mirror-image (sitting across from one another) technique,
but gave up till my mom taught HER right-handed as well.
HTH,
Noreen
http://noreensknitche.com
http://noreensknitche.com/patterns/

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:NPR9e.2896$Zi.2318@fed1read04...
I know this has come up in the past, but I was wondering if you
experienced knitters would be able to help me teach knitting to a left
handed person?

Allaya

I'm left-handed and when my right-handed teacher decided to teach me to
knit, I told her I'm left-handed. She said it doesn't matter. It wasn't a
problem for me to learn.
Crochet, otoh, was a pain in the butt to try to learn from a right-handed
person. I gave up until I was 19 and sat down with a hook, ball of yarn,
and instructional pamphlet and figured it out for myself.
For me, thought, it could've been a matter of age and maturity. I was 16
when I learned to knit, but only 7 when trying to learn to crochet from
others.
I'd say tell your student just to give it a try your way. I bet she'll get
it.
~Peggy

I'm not much of a knitter and never taught someone left handed...but I
did teach my best friend to crochet left-handed. She already had a bit
of an idea of how to do it, and I just sat across from her and she
mirrored my movements and had no problem crocheting left handed.

~Kristen

Peggy wrote:
"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:NPR9e.2896$Zi.2318@fed1read04...

I know this has come up in the past, but I was wondering if you
experienced knitters would be able to help me teach knitting to a left
handed person?

Allaya


I'm left-handed and when my right-handed teacher decided to teach me to
knit, I told her I'm left-handed. She said it doesn't matter. It wasn't a
problem for me to learn.
Crochet, otoh, was a pain in the butt to try to learn from a right-handed
person. I gave up until I was 19 and sat down with a hook, ball of yarn,
and instructional pamphlet and figured it out for myself.
For me, thought, it could've been a matter of age and maturity. I was 16
when I learned to knit, but only 7 when trying to learn to crochet from
others.
I'd say tell your student just to give it a try your way. I bet she'll get
it.
~Peggy

On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 10:57:24 -0700, Allaya Diep
wrote:

I know this has come up in the past, but I was wondering if you
experienced knitters would be able to help me teach knitting to a left
handed person?

Allaya
Allaya

I am a leftie and I knit and crochet right-handed. My mom taught me
to knit and she's right-handed and my sister taught me to crochet and
she's a leftie but crochets right-handed.


Darlene in Toronto

Hi,

I'm another leftie who knits and crochets right handed. My Mom just
wasn't able to teach me so I had to learn her way, LOL. I started
knitting at age 16 and crocheting at 25.

Hugs,

Nora

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
news:NPR9e.2896$Zi.2318@fed1read04...
I know this has come up in the past, but I was wondering if you
experienced knitters would be able to help me teach knitting to a left
handed person?

Allaya

As a lefty, I second all opinions here that say, "Teach them right-handed"
at least when it comes to knitting. As for crochet, I picked it up (not
being taught, just watching) by sitting across from a right-handed
crochet-er.

JJMolvik

I know this has come up in the past, but I was wondering if you
experienced knitters would be able to help me teach knitting to a left
handed person?

Allaya

Hi Allaya,

Instead of knitting, why not show that 13 year old how to hold a
crochet hook. Maybe holding two needles and the yarn is just to hard
for her to grasp now. I know even at age 16 it was a bit difficult to
get used to knitting, but I finally learned with a lot of patience from
Mom.

Hugs,

Nora

There is a 10-year old girl who has started coming to one of my LYS's social
circles and is getting knitting lessons from somewhere there. She seemed to
be struggling the first week but something must have clicked because she has
been knitting up a storm every since! They started her on big fat circular
needles for a hat.

LauraJ

"Allaya Diep" wrote in message
...
Allaya Diep wrote:
I know this has come up in the past, but I was wondering if you
experienced knitters would be able to help me teach knitting to a left
handed person?

Allaya


Thanks for all your advice...I never thought of it that way, but I guess
it really does make sense to learn "right handed"...I never thought of the
implications of having to translate patterns to knit "left handed." Also,
now that I think about it, you guys are right...it really doesn't matter,
does it? LOL I suppose "handedness" for knitting is just a state of
mind.

I also found the comment about age interesting. Out of curiosity, what do
you think is the earliest one can teach knitting to somebody? I know some
of you were knitting at age three...and I totally believe you, but I know
very few three year olds who are coordinated enough to do anything like
that. Shoot, some of the ones I know are still struggling with forks and
spoons! hehehehe

The reason I ask is that there was a girl in my first Knitting I class who
just had the hardest time picking it up. At first, I thought it was
because she was left handed and it was difficult for her to translate the
motions. But then I found out she was 13 years old and maybe she was not
very good with fine motor movements...I noticed her really struggling with
even holding the yarn.

I'm not really sure when these things are supposed to "develop," so I'm
wondering what your past experiences have told you? Do any of you think
that there's such a thing as somebody who just is too uncoordinated (at
any age) to teach something like Knitting?

Thanks also for your comments with crochet...I will be teaching some
crochet classes, and from what I've read, handedness is very
important...I'll keep this in mind.

Thanks for your input! I appreciate your help

Allaya