Learning to knit faster is a matter of time and practice. Everyone's knitting style is unique. Whether its tension, knitting gauge, the way you wrap your yarn around your fingers or even your choice of knitting needles, a lot is based upon habit. When it comes to which hand you hold your yarn in, the knitting world is divided. Many knitters knit in English style (also known as throwing, etc.) which means holding the yarn in the right hand or Continental Style (known as picking, German, European, and more) where you hold the yarn in the left hand, but there are other knitting styles, as well.
Many of the world’s “fastest knitters” favour the style of knitting that's known as lever knitting. Lever knitting has many other names such as Flicking, Peruvian, Catholic, Australian, Irish Cottage, etc. It is a popular method for knitters who knit professionally though anyone can learn it. It allows you to knit quickly and is believed to be easier on the hands and joints than other methods.
Whether you are just stepping into knitting or have the experience of years, you can learn Lever Knitting.
What Exactly is Lever Knitting?
Lever knitting is a knitting style, in which the knitter holds the working yarn in the dominant hand and loops the yarn around the working needle without removing the dominant hand from the knitting needle completely, creating a sort of back-and-forth levering motion.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, a popular knitter also known as the Yarn Harlot, uses this technique to knit at lightning-fast speeds.
The Benefits of Lever Knitting
With lever knitting, you can enjoy the mindful benefits of the craft. You are not slowed down every time you wrap yarn around the needle tip. It also helps with efficiency because you don't need to pause to add more yarn.
The style also helps reduce knitting-related injuries. The hands are held in a position where the palms are gently facing up rather than pointed down, and that results in faster movements. This is advantageous for knitters who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis or other wrist and joint pains.
How Lever Knitting is Done?
Lever knitting is a sort of variation of the English knitting style in which the yarn is held in the right hand. One needle is held stationary which acts as a pivot or lever, while the other knitting needle does all the work.
The yarn is usually held around the fingers of the dominant knitting hand and the hand moves back and forth to form the stitches. The yarn tension is distributed on all fingers of the hand and left at ease in the palm giving the right flow to the stitches. The fluid movement that cuts down on repetitive strain of making the yarn work over the needles. That is why it is often used by production knitters (professionals) who need to be able to work for many hours each day without discomfort.
Lever knitting is easily learned on the long single pointed needles, one of which you can pop under your arm as you work, keeping it stable. That way, only the other hand moves. Once you're comfortable with working with straight needles, you can also perform the same actions with the circular needles. With practice, it is possible to adapt the style for knitting on double-pointed needles. Once you find your rhythm you can easily adapt the style for all kinds of knitting.
Learn Lever Knitting
Whenever you try to learn a new knitting style, there's going to be some frustration initially, especially if you have been knitting for years. You have spent years training your hands to work the needles in a certain way and now you must reprogram your brain and muscles to do something entirely different. If you're determined to learn it, practice often and consult online tutorials.
No matter where you get tips from, the most important thing is that you don't give up practice. Use the technique, without reverting to your old knitting style, and you'll get it. Many knitters in the knitting community have written about their experiences learning this method. It's not uncommon for it to take a while to become familiar, yet, many say it was worth the effort - especially for those who suffer from knitting-related injuries.
Now that we’ve explored Lever Knitting, let’s look at the unique collection designed for beneficial crafting: The Mindful Collection. This unique range of knitting needles and accessories was designed to help the knitter focus on the meditative aspects of knitting. The needles are made of premium stainless steel - a sustainable material with many positive attributes. To help the maker focus, each set of needle tips carries an inspirational word. Concentrating on the word encourages focus and results in the knitter being in the present moment.
With the Mindful Collection, you can easily begin the journey of mindfulness while expressing your creativity!
