Knitting for Lefties
Knitting Tutorials & Resources for Mirror Knitters
08/11/2019
Though she be but little, she is fierce.
In a small swatch, gauge differences may not look like much. However, when those small differences compound over an entire project, the change in size and yarn usage can be significant.
Based on these three swatches, I was able to estimate the size differences for both final dimensions and yarn utilization and showed them off in an infograph.
Do you notice anything surprising about the results?
In today's Terra Firma Cowl KAL email, I talked about choosing and substituting yarn, swatching, evaluating your swatch, and estimating the final dimensions and yarn utilization using a calculator.
Still want in for the knitalong? You can sign up at knitl.ink/tfckal
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If you're knitting mirror, it's possible your swatch will look like the one below! For righties, the leaves are on the right of the swatch, but if you knit the instructions as written for righties as a mirror knitter, it flips the stitches horizontally like you're viewing it in a mirror. Neat, huh?
08/11/2019
It's the last night to sign up for the Terra Firma Cowl Knitalong - are you in? First email goes out tomorrow with all kinds of educational goodies! Sign up at knitl.ink/tfckal
18/10/2019
I'm really excited to announce that the upcoming Terra Firma Knitalong is also going to have instructions and videos for mirror knitters! If you have been wanting to learn the invisible provisional cast on, evaluating what needs to be changed in a pattern instructions for lefties, knitting lace, or grafting in pattern, make sure to check out our KAL!
It will be running from November 8 through December 6 and will be hosted via email and video links. There will be weekly Q&A sessions and all of the key elements of the pattern will be covered in the knitalong.
Create something gorgeous for yourself or add it to your gifts for others stash, it is bound to be a fun knitalong! :)
Sign up at knitl.ink/tfckal
10/07/2019
Let's play a game! Count up how many of these lefty experiences you've had and leave your number in the comments below!
Do you know a knitter who knits left-handed or is struggling to learn to knit right-handed? Share our page with them - we have our first left-handed learn-along coming up real soon!
☆ Knit Two Together Decrease for Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
The knit two together decrease is a one stitch decrease that leans to the right for right-handed knitters and leans to the left for mirror knitters...
[1] Insert the right needle from front to back as to knit through the second and first stitch on the right needle so they are held together
[2] Knit the two stitches together
☆ Modified Slip Slip Knit for Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
The modified slip slip knit is a right-leaning, one-stitch decrease for left-handed knitters. The second stitch is twisted which can create a little bit tighter stitch and also a cleaner line for stacked SSKs because there are fewer stretched out stitches. Works better for smaller gauge knits because the twisted stitch is visible on larger gauge knits...
[1] Slip the first stitch as if to knit
[2] Slip the second stitch as if to purl
[3] Insert the right needle into the fronts of the two slipped stitches
[4] Knit the two stitches together through the back loops
☆ Slip Slip Knit Decrease For Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
The slip slip knit when worked as a right-handed knitter is a one stitch left-leaning decrease, but when worked mirror is a one stitch right-leaning decrease...
[1] Slip two stitches individually as if to knit
[2] Insert the right needle into the front of both stitches from front to back
[3] Knit the two stitches together through the back loops
☆ 1/2 Right Purl Cross Cable with a Cable Needle for Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
[1] Slip the knit stitch purlwise onto the cable needle and hold it to the front of the work.
[2] Purl the next two stitches.
[3] Knit the stitch from the cable needle.
☆ 1/2 Left Purl Cross Cable with a Cable Needle for Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
[1] Slip two stitches as if to purl onto the cable needle. Hold the cable needle to the back of the work.
[2] Making sure the working yarn is in front of the cable needle but behind the working needles, knit the next stitch
[3] Purl the two stitches off from the cable needle
☆ 1/2 Right Purl Cross without a Cable Needle for Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
[1] With yarn in back, slip the first stitch as if to purl.
[2] Purl the next two stitches.
[3] Bring working yarn to back of work
[4] Insert right needle into the front of the knit stitch (3rd stitch from the tip) on the left needle
[5] Drop three stitches from the left needle and pick back up the two purl stitches onto the left needle. The slipped knit stitch will now be on the right needle.
[6] Knit the slipped stitch.
☆ 1/2 Left Purl Cross Cable without a Cable Needle for Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
[1] Bring working yarn to the front of the work as if to purl
[2] Slip the first two stitches as if to purl
[3] Bring working yarn to the back of the work
[4] Knit the next stitch
[5] Bring working yarn to the front of the work
[6] Insert the right needle through the back of the two slipped stitches
[7] Drop three stitches from the left needle and pick up the knit stitch with the left needle. The two purl stitches will now be on the right needle only.
[8] Purl the two slipped stitches.
☆ Backwards Loop Increase on a Knit Row for Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
[1] Make a loop of working yarn around your right index finger from back to front. The yarn attached to your project will be in back of your index finger and the yarn attached to the skein will be in front.
[2] Insert the left needle from front to back through the front strand of yarn on your right index finger.
[3] Remove your finger from the loop and tighten to create a stitch on the needle.
☆ How to Work the Open Bar Increase for Mirror Western Knitters ☆..
The open bar increase is similar to a yarnover, but is worked into the row below instead of the current row. Because of this, it is often called an "afterthought yarnover" and is often used to fix a missed yarnover in a previous row. It produces a smaller eyelet than a regular yarnover because it is pulling the yarn from the running thread between stitches, which is a smaller length of yarn than the yarn used to create a regular yarnover...
[1] Insert the left needle under the bar (yarn in the previous row that connects the stitch on the left needle to the stitch on the right needle) from front to back.
[2] Wrap the yarn under the left needle, between the needle points, and around and over the left needle.
[3] Pull the new stitch through the picked up bar, creating a new knit stitch...
Congratulations, you've completed the open bar increase!
Videos (show all)
