Eastern (Russian) Knitting - How to Hold Yarn and Knit
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- Here's a step-by-step tutorial for beginner knitters that shows how to hold the working yarn and knit stitches using the Eastern (previously known as Russian) knitting style.
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Many thank you for validating the knitting style I learned at my grandmother's knee. She called it Swedish knitting. Other knitters have criticized my style so much that I now avoid knitting groups. I have rheumatoid arthritis and this style is so easy on painful joints. You are a gem!
Sharon, I'm so happy I could help you determine the knitting style you use. It was quite a journey for me as well when I moved to Canada and discovered that the knitting style that was used by every knitter I knew in Ukraine is not the only way to knit. As I was figuring this out, I realized one very important thing - as long as we make knitted fabric out of yarn, it doesn't matter how we hold yarn and needles and how we knit and purl stitches. There is no shame in being different :-) Much love, Maryna
I'm glad you have a comfortable method so you can keep knitting
the others are just jealous that your stitching is so much faster than their let-go-and-wrap style😊
I've been knitting this way my whole life, I learned from my grandma and she did from her mom. I think that's why people usually tell me that I knit way faster than them 😂
Watching this made me realize I was knitting the Russian way when I was first learning how to knit (self-taught). But when I noticed my stitches were looking different from the pattern, I switched to knitting continental style. But thank you for the tip on Russian garter stitch being thicker, warmer, and stronger. I will definitely remember to use that on my next heavy duty knitting project.
I just turned 69. My mother learned to knit at a night school class. She taught me how to knit when I was in my late teens. Life got in the way, and I never finished a ripple afghan project that I started when I was in my early 20s. I taught myself to crochet, and over the years learned many new stitches from videos. I thought about picking up the knitting again, but could never find anyone who knitted like I did, until now. Thank you so much! Maybe now I can refresh my mind, and relearn what I've forgotten. I can still knit and purl, but don't remember anything else. I see new things in my future.
I am so glad I could help you get back to knitting. Here's a link to a playlist with the videos that show the basics of the Eastern knitting style - th-cam.com/play/PLH_ldSndCil48f7LRli2qmc5qs3lkmowq.html Happy knitting 🙂
Knit this way and realized I was not knitting like everyone else. Thanks for clarifying this.
Although I’ve learned from my grandma back in Brazil, I’ve learned Russian knitting, who knew?
Thanks for sharing!
I grew up in former Yugoslavia and thats how i knit and was
thought by my mom. I am now in canada too and dont see anyone knitting this way.
Even though Eastern knitting is not as popular as the classic knitting, many knitters use it. You are not alone :-)
I know this as Swedish knitting and have used it for 70 years!! So much easier than "English"
Thank you. This is how I knit. Now I think I am beginning to understand why my stitches are twisting while I am following Kitchener stitch instructions.
WOW I am so grateful to finally have found this! I've been knitting this way for over 15 years, self taught, and I was getting so frustrated with not finding my knitting style anywhere online. Thank you so much. I've been picking up knitting again recently and knew I had to find out what this knitting method was so I could actually follow patterns, knowing how my knitting method creates results different than what the instructions say. I always thought I was doing continental but when my results looked completely different and some things just didn't make sense, I was getting so confused. Seriously so happy to see that other people knit like me ❤❤❤
I am so happy I could help :-) You can use patterns written for the classic knitting (that's the majority of patterns out there) but you have to make changes when you decrease stitches. Knit 2 stitches together to make a left-slanting decrease and make an SSK to make a right-slanting one. Also, keep in mind that when you work in the round, the stitches will be twisted. Happy knitting!
@@10rowsaday that is SO helpful, I really appreciate it ❤️
@@10rowsaday
Hi. Thank you so much for your video. This is how I learned from my mum. Later I learned Continental because I thought I was doing it the "wrong way".😮
Are the decreases the only difference? Can I still follow regular knitting patterns?
As a self-taught knitter, English and Continental styles didn't make sense to me, so I came up with something that worked for me and the outcome still looked the same. I didn't know until maybe 10 years later it was called Russian knitting. Your video is very well done and explains it perfectly. This style makes sense to me and is faster too. Your video also gave me another new name for it, Eastern Knitting. Thank you.
Wow, Anna, you are amazingly creative. To come up with a knitting style is not an easy task. Hats off to your skills and talent!
Wow. Just wow 🤩 😮.
I look forward to trying this. It’s a beautiful way to knit. I often thought knitting the twisted stitches was too difficult for my aging arthritic hands. I only started knitting 5 years ago. I have only made blankets, dish & wash cloths, and mixed yarn scrubbies to match my dishcloths for gifts. But I enjoy it so much and it makes me feel useful as there are things I can no longer do because of the deterioration of my lower spine. Both hips have been replaced and they work well. Too bad my back surgeries weren’t as effective. But I am grateful for the things I can still do. But I loved how much neater and better projects looked done this way.
I try to be patient with myself as I have worked to become consistent with my stitches and gradually gain speed & confidence. This style of knitting should help me achieve my objectives for my knitting while getting more enjoyment and less pain.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. And I will throw in a bless you for good measure.
Your grateful student,
Lee Ann Fouert. ( pronounced foo-air)
PS. Thank you for sharing your talent and skills with us. It is much appreciated 💖
Thank you so much, Lee Ann 🙏 This is the easiest and more streamlined way to knit that I know, and I am happy that you too find it easy. I made a playlist about this knitting style, you are very welcome to watch it at th-cam.com/play/PLH_ldSndCil48f7LRli2qmc5qs3lkmowq.html Happy knitting, my friend!
@@10rowsaday Excellent!!! Thanks ever so much. 💗
My mind right now 🤯🤯 You've just opened up a whole new world of knitting techniques, thank you!
This makes sense to me ... none of the other ways makes sense - especially that English throwing or flicking style! With all of the stop starting motions it is a very halting way to proceed on a project!
Thank you very much for your tutorial. This style of knitting seems much easier than other styles. I’m hoping I can knit again using this style. I’ve had several wrist surgeries and have arthritis. Thank you again.
Hello Tammy. I've heard from other knitters, that they do find this knitting style more gentle to their wrists. But, please, be very careful when you re-introduce your hands to knitting. Start with just a few minutes of practice and slowly add to your knitting time. Whenever your wrists get tired, stop and give them a rest. Take care.
Hi Tammy. Just stopped by to comment and say that this style of knitting (which is my first style) is great for some purposes, but causes some stitches to look odd and not function well (SSK and some lace YO/PSSO come to mind). For those, you can always reorient those stitches (prior to working them) so your finished work has the "proper" look and flexibility
Like the Russian way of knitting so much easier and faster.
I'm happy to hear that, Charmaine :-) Happy knitting, my friend!
I am so glad I found your channel. I learned to knit when I was 11 years old. The mother of my best friends taught me. I cast on using 2 needles, and knit and purl the way you do. EVERYBODY in the central part of Mexico knit and purl the way you do. Then my mother moved back to the United States when I was 15 and I was horrified at the difficult way Americans have of knitting and purling (taking their right hand off the needle, grabbing the yarn and winding it around the tip of the needle, putting their right hand back on the needle and pulling the yarn through, to make ONE stitch). Also, because the way Americans enter the stitch to be knit from a different angle, the stitches lay on the needle in a different angle to the way I am used to. This makes following instructions very difficult because the stitches are backwards to me.
My dear Margaret. Thank you so much for sharing your story. It is very interesting to know that knitters in the central part of Mexico mostly use the Eastern knitting style. I wonder how this method got introduced to Mexico. Or, maybe, it is just a coincidence that this simple and efficient way was developed in two very different parts of the world. Who knows ...
I've been knitting for 55 years now and particularly enjoy lace knitting. I always said I knitted Continental style, as I hold the yarn in my left hand. I've only recently discovered that I knit Eastern style! I learned from my mother who learned from her mother (born in present-day Ukraine) who learned from her Polish stepmother. Makes sense, doesn't it? I find it much easier than what I now see is continental, especially on the purls.
Thank you so much. You are so clear and easy to understand
Wonderful demonstration, thank you! I’m going to give this a try.
So happy to find your channel! The old ladies in my family from Eastern Europe and North Italy taught me to knit like this. I thought I was wrong after listening to TH-cam tutorials . After trying to change to putting the needle in front of the knit stitches, I found it slow, awkward and not as fun. Lace stitches are so uncomfortable knitted Western. I can’t believe you said the way I learned is faster, I agree! ❤. What a relief I look forward to learn more about Russian style.
I love your tutorials.
Thank you, Anu :-)
Thanks again🌷 stay safe❤️
Thank you. You too!
Looks easy. I am trying to learn
Thank you!
Nice I am go to try this , look good,
I am curieus how the purl stitch will done
I'll make a separate tutorial about purling the Russian way within the next few weeks. Stay tuned :-)
Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing!
I love love your how to videos. I have always knitted the Russian way and just didn't know it. Everyone just said I did it wrong. But now maybe you can clear up a problem I have always had. When a pattern says to knit in front and back of a stitch, what should I do? I just end up with a tangled mess and use a different kind of increase that doesn't look right. Please help me. Thank you for help in advance.
Hi Ruth. To make an increase similar to "knit front in back" in Russian knitting, first knit the stitch, as usual, through the back loop but don't slip it off the left needle. Then knit the same stitch through the front loop. Happy knitting :-)
All your tutorials are wonderful and I always look forward to them. The Eastern/Russian knitting method intrigues me because I just had wrist surgery to repair damaged tendons. (De Quervain's Tenosynovitis, a very common condition among knitters.) Since knit and purl stitches are done differently in Eastern/Russian knitting, what do you do when the pattern tells you to knit through the back loop (ktbl) or purl through the back loop? Thanks!
Hi Merryl, In many ways, Eastern knitting is the "opposite" of classic knitting. When a pattern tells you to knit through the back loop, knit through the front loop to make a twisted stitch. When a pattern tells you to purl through the back loop, bring the yarn to the front, then insert the right needle into a stitch from left to right to twist it and return this stitch purlwise to the left needle. Then purl this stitch as we normally do in Eastern knitting. Good luck 🙂
Thanks again🌷
But what about stitches in patterns that have to be knit through the back loop if this is how you do all the knit stitches? And how do you make twisted stitches? I do love your explanations and demonstrations. You have a very calm manner. Thank you for all the videos!
Great question, Maggie! You are right - to twist the stitches, we should work them through the front loop. As long as you purl stitches the Russian way (the tutorial about Russian purling is coming soon), the stitches will be twisted.
In Russia this style is called granny style, and the eastern (or oriental? "восточный") style for them is another, third style, with purling under the back leg. And I like the third style most, as the most convenient and fastest for me.
Thanks for the insight. Can you send me a link to a video that demonstrates this third style, please? It would be interesting to see how it works. Thank you.
@@10rowsaday Yes, of course th-cam.com/video/j0wAGb14rAg/w-d-xo.html
This video demonstrates 2 knitting styles; the first is "eastern", and the second is regular continental.
It might be worth noting that I am a beginner; I use the third method only for non-circular stockinette stitch (I have not tried circular knitting yet), and with this method I do not have gaps between rows on the wrong side. For ribbing, I continue to use continental (Russians call it "classic" or "western") - it looks slightly better for me at the moment.
@@cloverfield6880 Thanks for the link. It is a very interesting way to make knits and purls. I gave it a try, and I find it a bit more difficult than the efficient Eastern / Russian / Grandma knitting style. As to the name, the Russian / Grandma method is described as "Eastern" in "The History of Hand Knitting" book by Richard Rutt That's why I call this method Eastern. I wonder why this name is also used for the "third" method described in the video you sent me. The situation with the names could be very confusing :-)
Thank you.
I learned knitting from my mother, a little bit, and the rest of the things I know are from the internet, and she learned from my grandmother.I was searching how this knitting style is called as I couldn't find videos on how to do ssk and p2tbl etc.
If you use Eastern knitting style, knit 2 stitches together (the Eastern way, of course :-) when the instructions written for the classic knitting tell you to do SSK. Otherwise, there are very few adjustments you would need to make when you follow patterns written for classic knitting. I made a course about the Eastern knitting. If you are interested, you can get it at www.10rowsaday.com/eastern-knitting Happy knitting :-)
Using this method, I find that my tension is very even
Happy to hear that, Jen :-)
Ribbing help plz! I am thrilled to have found Russian style. I have fibro and the effort of "throwing" was a challenge. I could NOT figure out that continental purl so a youtube deep dive uncovered this amazing method. My K1 P1 ribbing is not as esthetically pleasing no matter how I try to improve. Any ideas?
I'll make a separate tutorial about purling the Russian way within the next few weeks. Stay tuned :-)
Great tutorial 💕💕
This, along with your way of purling, is how Annie Modesitt knits. She taught herself, and it is called Combination knitting.
You are right. This style of knitting is called Combination Continental knitting in some sources. It was used as the Eastern / Russian knitting style for centuries.
Can you please show your Russian purl too? ( Harder to maintain tension)
Of course! I'll make a separate tutorial about purling the Russian way within the next few weeks. Stay tuned :-)
@@10rowsaday is it up yet? ^^ i gave up on russian style (continental normally), but stopped because there was no help to find when it came to more advanced stuff
That looks like something I could do! Thank you. But I wanted to wish you and your family God’s blessings during this dark and tragic time. I am praying for the Ukrainian and Russian people who are affected by this cruel war. May it end quickly and may those who are profiting from it suffer the consequences of their crimes. 🇺🇦🌻
My dear Bonnie, thank you so much for the warm wishes. My parents managed to escape just two days ago. They are so shaken, my Mom can't stop crying. It is a huge tragedy for so many people. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, they are greatly appreciated. Thank you. Much love.
Just wondering if stockinette looks the same, knit side and purl side?
When we work back and forth, the fabric looks exactly like the fabric formed using a classic knitting style (maybe, a little bit neater). Happy knitting, my friend :-)
Thank you for your video. I have been trying to figure out what my style of knitting is and now I know it’s Russian! I’ve been told I do “continental combined.” Are these definitions synonymous?
Hi Kelli, it is hard to tell what a "combined knitting" means. Apparently, this term was suggested by Mary Thomas in her knitting book published in 1938. By "combined" she meant a style that combines elements of Eastern knitting (the one that we call Russian knitting) and classic knitting, but from the description of knits and purls it seems to be pure Russian knitting. That makes the term "combined" pretty confusing. Considering that the way to knit and purl seems to be the same in Russian and Combined knitting styles, it is safe to say that these two names are synonymous. But I still don't see a reason to call the Eastern / Russian knitting style "combined" because it is not clear what is combined with what. If you get any information about this discrepancy, please let me know. I've been trying to figure out this issue for quite some time without much luck. Thank you.
@@10rowsaday I saw another video after I watched yours that showed the exact way I knit AND purl. They called it Russian knitting Grandma Style. I have no clue if that’s an actual thing or just that person’s definition.🤷🏻♀️. I am interested to see you demonstrate the Russian purl. Yes, it’s very confusing. I am just very curious to get a definite name, if there is one, to the style to which I Knit. It works perfectly, except for in the round! That is what clued me in that I do something different than most other knitters.
If you are knitting stockinette flat, does it matter whether you wrap the purl stitches (wrong side) clockwise or counterclockwise?
Yes, it will matter. If you are doing "regular" knitting (knitting from the front to the back) and then purling clockwise, rather than counter-clockwise, you will get twisted stitches. it will look like this (www.simple-knitting.com/twisted-stockinette.html) If you knit the Russian way (into the back of the loop), you need to use the Russian purl to get "regular" stockinette. I imagine that Marina will show the Russian way to purl in an upcoming video.
Yes, it does. I'll make a separate tutorial about purling the Russian way within the next few weeks. Stay tuned :-)
Thank you so much for the clear explanation. Of course, I'll make a separate tutorial about purling the Russian way within the next few weeks. Stay tuned :-)
If you are knitting in the round, so you can't do the Russian purl to untwist the knits, my guess is that it is through the front loop?
That's a clever observation, Martha! You are right, if you work in the round using the Russian knitting style, the stitches will be twisted. It is not a bad thing as twisted stitches usually form a stronger fabric that doesn't wear out fast (less mending!), but the fabric does look a bit different than the fabric formed by normal stitches. If you want to keep stitches from twisting, knit them through the front loop.
@@10rowsaday Will you have a video on knitting in the round?
Martha: If you want to do stockinette stitch in the round by knitting through the back loop, but you don't want your stitches to be twisted, here's all you have to do: Grab each new stitch from UNDER the yarn on your left finger instead of OVER it (as is done in regular Continental knitting). Voila! No more twisted stitches!
This is not what you would do, however, if doing flat ribbing in the Russian manner. In that case you wrap the yarn the other way when PURLING. In this case, you are actually twisting the yarn on one row and untwisting it on the next.
@@10rowsaday In this instance, what do you mean by knitting through the front loop? Which way would the needle enter and which way would the yarn wrap? You're already entering the stitch purlwise for both knit and purl stitches, and I was taught that you enter purlwise to knit through the back loop?
I'm so confused, I thought knitting the Eastern method meant you wrapped your yarn clockwise when entering from the right side of the stitch - this is how I was taught and I've been doing it like this since, am I doing it wrong??
In Eastern knitting, we do enter the stitch from right to left, but we don't actually wrap the needle with the yarn. It is more like "picking" the strand than making a wrap. But if we did make a wrap, we would do it clockwise. This approach seems consistent with the method you use. Happy knitting, my friend!
Is this method different from Continental style?
Even though we hold the yarn in our left hand, just as we do in Continental knitting, the stitches are worked in a different way in Russian knitting. Here's a playlist that explains the basics of this knitting style - th-cam.com/play/PLH_ldSndCil48f7LRli2qmc5qs3lkmowq.html Happy knitting :-)
What's the difference between the way you hold the yarn in continental and Russian knitting?
No difference at all. As long as you keep the yarn in your left hand, and you feel comfortable using it to make new stitches, you are all good to knit using the Russian knitting style.
I always knit in th back loop, it's not the way I was taught I just seem to do it that way. When I do it through the front loop it feels so awkward and slow. Now I know why.
I agree - knitting through the back loop is so much easier :-)
how do you cast on so that the leading leg of the stitch is in the back loop instead of on the front side? I can knit Russian easily but the first row is always twisted unless in deliberately move the leg to the back. A lot of work. I can knit Continental as well as English flick aka throw, although I don’t really throw in the traditional sense, I just flick my index finger over the tip of the right needle with little effort and movement. I also can knit and taught Portuguese but I would like to know how to cast on with the lead in the back, great videos BTW
When you use the cast on described in this tutorial, the stitches don't have a "leading" leg. Simply work each stitch through the front or through the back leg (depending on the knitting style you use) and the stitch won't be twisted. Happy knitting!
This is easy. When doing the LT cast-on, just go UNDER the yarn on your index finger instead of OVER it. All the casted on stitches will then face to the right.
How do you knit in the front?
Hi Jessica, Here's a playlist that shows the basics of Eastern knitting, including knitting and purling stitches - th-cam.com/play/PLH_ldSndCil48f7LRli2qmc5qs3lkmowq.html Happy knitting!
Uhm...isn't this combination knitting? You are switching your stitch mounts when you knit because of the way you wrap the yarn, meaning if you were knitting flat, your purls are done the opposite way to remount the stitches Eastern.
Eastern knitting style was around for centuries. At some point, some American knitters started to call it "combination knitting". What is "combined" with what - I have no idea :-)
I tryed this, and I knit so teight, that by the 5 row i can not put my kneedle in a stitch
It is common to knit tight when you learn a different knitting style. It will get better with practice. Good luck :-)
but they are all twisted stitches?
You purl differently too .. so how I think of it is they twist and untwist
Not if you purl stitches the Russian way. We'll talk about purling within the next few weeks. Stay tuned :-)