It's my blog and I'll rant if I want to!
Dear Fuzzy Galore, EZ and every other knitter who has ever said disparaging comments about left-handed knitters (knitting off the right needle onto the left)
You are a clueless right-handed knitter who needs to keep your mouth SHUT on things you know nothing about. How DARE you say that left-handed knitters who knit from right needle to left needle are "illiterate!" and that learning to knit this way is "too difficult for beginners". Hogwash! Learning to knit is not something everyone takes to like a duck to water, but once the basics are grasped, knitting often begins to slide through our dexterous fingers much as water does. Please do not insult left-handers by thinking every stitch in a pattern has to be reversed. I wish all right-handed people would back off and leave the comments on left-handed knitting to left-handed knitters. How presumptuous can you get??? The ONLY thing that has to be reversed in a knitting pattern (for people who knit from right needle to left needle) is the shaping. Period. And just sit there and contemplate that for a moment. If you are a right handed knitter (knit from left needle to right needle) but you knit in a combined method, is it too complicated for your poor brain to sort out how to make a decrease or increase match the pattern AND accommodate your chosen style of knitting? Or perhaps you knit like the masses, do nothing different (by the way, there is no one way to knit) but your pattern says "for right side, repeat as for left but reverse shaping". Can you sort out how to reverse the shaping without rewriting the entire pattern? Then for the sake of all that is fibrous, let the lefties have a chance. Enough of this condescending "our way is the only way" drivel that has dominated the knitting world. A resurgence in the love of knitting is time to embrace all knitters.
Okay, I feel better now. I have almost wrapped up making the DVD for left-handed knitting. In it I show only 2 of the many ways knitting can be done left-handed, but I do clearly document how to make flat knitting. No twisted stitches here. I am stunned at how many knitting sites supposedly say they have illustrations for left-handed knitting, yet their instructions would result in twisted stitches every time. That's what happens with right handed people assume they know the left-handed world. shut up and knit!
9 comments:
LOL - Loved your speech and I'm looking forward to your DVD. :-)
You go girl!!! I had tried many times to learn to knit 'right-handed' and gave up in frustration. I just couldn't get my fingers to work that way. Three years later I was determined to learn because I wanted to make my grandaughter's christening dress. Thanks to your encouragement I succeeded! (Also, lefties have much more potential for knowledge and creativity because the left side of the brain has more capacity to absorb information. Maybe that's why righties can be so ignorant.)
This came to me privately, but it is inspirational so I am sharing in case there are other lefties who need a boost today:
WOW! You are awesome!!! That's the most powerful thing I've read in a long time. And oh, do I agree!
Lynn L. (from gnittink yahoo group)
I'm not left-handed, but AMEN!
Diane,
I couldn't agree with you more. If you get a chance, read my story on being a lefty and a knitter. It's on my blog at http://downeastyarnho.blogspot.com/2006/04/your-other-left.html
I still have my knitting challenges, to be sure...I am struggling with a DNA scarf for my science-geek daughter who is majoring in molecular genetics and the cables are driving me nuts...but I am confident I'll figure it out very soon.
Thanks for the validation!
Mary Ann
You go girl, Im with you, I read today that lefties were"doomed to mirror imaging patterns" well don't publishers have mirror imaging?
That is a myth, lefties can knit patterns as written! They only have to change shaping, depending on their lefty knitting style, from K2tog to K2tog tbl or ssk and the reverse. Thanks for reading!
How can I purchase the video. I have been knitting left handed for several years but I was only knitting scarfs and dishcloths etc. So I had not realized that I was going to have a problem. In the last year I have increased my skills to knitting in the round and began a lacy shaw and attempted socks. That is when I discovered that I have a problem with the pattern. I spoke with two knit shops and they told my I had to relearn to knit right handed. After some research on the internet I know there are ways to re-write the pattern but I do not know how to do that? Please help!
Email me leftoutknitter@gmail.com and I'll let you know about shipping the dvd. Thanks!
Post a Comment