Mary Beth Temple

English Knitting (Throwing)

Mary Beth Temple
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Duration:   5  mins

There are many ways to hold and tension the yarn when knitting. The English (or throwing) knitting method is a common way to knit where the yarn is held in the right hand. In this video, knitting expert Mary Beth Temple shows you how to knit using the English method and shares her expertise on how to create a nice even fabric.

Mary Beth works on a swatch of Stockinette stitch (knit on Right Side/purl on Wrong Side). She holds the yarn in her right hand, keeping a slight tension on the yarn as she knits the stitches on the Right Side of the swatch. While working the knit stitches, she is careful to bring the stitches onto the largest part of the needle. She notes that if you create the stitches at the tip of the needle, your stitches will be very tight, and they will be difficult to slide on the needle.

To knit the stitches, Mary Beth follows these steps:

  • With yarn in back, insert the right needle from front to back through the stitch on the left needle.
  • Wrap yarn around right needle and pull through the stitch on the left needle, making a new stitch on the right needle
  • Drop stitch off the left needle
  • New knit stitch has been created on the right needle

Once the stitches are worked on the Right Side, Mary Beth turns the work to purl the stitches on the Wrong Side. She tensions the yarn in the same manner in her right hand, keeping the stitches on the largest part of the needle.

To purl the stitches, Mary Beth follows these steps:

  • With yarn in front, insert right needle from right to left into the first stitch on the left needle
  • Wrap yarn around the right needle counterclockwise
  • Bring right needle through the loop on the left needle, making a new stitch on the right needle
  • Drop stitch off the left needle
  • New purl stitch has been created on the right needle

Mary Beth also demonstrates how she handles the knitted fabric as she works. When the stitches reach a point where they are too far away from the end of the needles, she pushes them gently forward so that she can continue knitting.

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4 Responses to “English Knitting (Throwing)”

  1. K

    It's much faster if you carry the working yarn over your right hand first finger. I'm English and an English knitter for over 55 years

  2. Patricia Stevens

    Thank you Mary Beth! My grandmother taught me how to knit 70 years ago and I just started knitting again after about 30 years. I never knew that what I was doing is the English method! Also I didn't realize the thicker part of the needle is important for the gauge. I just joined the Knitting Circle and I'm looking forward to watching all your videos. I just love the way you show all the details. Thank you so much!

  3. Sandra

    English knitting video by Mary Beth. OMG it's brilliant! I learnt to knit as a child and have just picked up the needles again after 40 years, surprisingly most of the skills came back quickly and naturally. I've been looking at other videos online and they're telling me the way I hold my working yarn is incorrect and to wrap it and weave it around my fingers instead; then I find this video and I hold my yarn and create tension exactly the way that Mary-Beth does which is so reassuring, then I learnt a brilliant tip about making the stiches on the thicker part of the needle and not the tip; such an important piece of information which is so often overlooked in other videos. Thank you Mary Beth from the other side of the world in Australia - I'm signing up and becoming a member.

  4. Debora Quinn

    This is great, however my problem is the way I'm holding the yarn in my right hand. Would you be able to do a video (short) on the best way to hold the yarn in your right hand. Thanks

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