Among the many things you can do on this website, are look for knitting and crochet patterns, find a certain type of yarn in which to make these patterns, stash that yarn in your own personal notebook, and discuss any issues you may have involving knitting or crocheting in their plethora of forums (over 1800 pages as of this blog posting).
This is just the basics ma'am, and the best part? IT'S ALL FREE! Yep, they do not charge a penny for all this crafting resource yummy-ness. Now, that isn't to say there are not things on there to which one can spend their hard earned dollar - no no. If you want to buy (or sell) some special yarn, whether it be store bought or home spun, you have many choices. If you want to buy a pattern that is special to you (there are both free and non-free on this site) you can do so.
There is so much to explore on this website, and from mainly all the users, with the help of the hosts. It's addicting.
So, saying all the above, there is still something that is frustrating to me, and that is the lack of lessons to be learned for the left handed knitter/crocheter. Don't get me wrong, there's stuff out there, but you will find that our right handed friends have an assumption that if us lefties would just "mirror" what someone else is doing, or look at a pattern and "switch it" in your head or in calculating what is necessary to accomplish knitting/crocheting a certain item geared ONLY toward our righty friends, family, neighbors (non of which are not necessarily mutually exclusive or inclusive).
Sometimes, one wants to learn a new skill, be able to have an ease in which to learn that skill, and not have to rip our brains into mushy shreds, trying to figure out what is put before them, but only with the opposite hand.
I have decided, as I can, to research the waters of righthandedville, skim the cream of the crop, and translate what I can into a left-handed explanation. All to serve us who are southpaws, who like to craft with yarn, who like to keep our brains from exploding.
With the help of my first search resource, Grumperina, who has an excellent knitting blog, full of resourceful tips, patterns, and the like (who is also a new mom- congratulations go out to her!), and with her written permission, I am going to show you my first translation to leftyness: The cable stitch, using no cable stitch holder.
Why this one first? Because it is what I was looking for, and if I waited to do things in any learning curve order, you'd never have this as a resource. Us lefties are not known for our logic, just our "artistic" values.
Please note, all pictures and captions are courtesy of Grumperina, and should not be copied or reposted in any way without her express, written permission. Thank you.
Now, on to the lesson:
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When you reach the cable stitches, move the yarn to the front. |
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| With yarn in front, slip the first three stitches purlwise onto the left-hand needle. |
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| Move the yarn across the three slipped stitches to the back. |
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| Knit the next three stitches. |
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| Bring the right needle to the back of the fabric, aiming at the three slipped stitches. |
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| From the back, pick up the three slipped stitches onto the right needle. |
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| Get ready for cable acrobatics by pinching the base of the cable stitches with your right thumb and forefinger |
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| Pull the left needle out of the six cable stitches: the three slipped ones will remain on the right needle, and the three already-kn |
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| From the front, pick up the three stitches hanging in midair with your left needle. These three stitches have already been knit. |
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| Straighten out your knitting. The three knit stitches are on the left needle, and the three previously |
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| Move the yarn to the back, and knit three stitches on the right needle (previously slipped) |
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| Left-twist cable complete! |
Next lesson, (when I get around to it!) the Right Twisted cable without a cable stitch holder, lefty style - ooooowwwww.
