Knitting into the back of the stitch

[Girlymomwithsons]

Hi! I have just started knitting in the last few weeks, and I am loving it. So far I have made 3 pairs of socks, 2 hats, and am now working on an owl. So it was during this owl project that I learned to knit into the front and the back of a stitch, and I realized that I have been knitting only into the back the whole time. The end result looks to same to me, so do I need to stop? I find it much less awkward than knitting into the front, and it goes much faster. What do you think?

[Marlet]

I think knitting just into the back produces a twisted stitch.

[birdiefu]

Knitting into the back of the stitch will make the stitch twisted- the legs of the V will be crossed over each other. But...it depends on how you knit, too. A while after I taught myself to knit I realized I was doing it 'wrong' and my 'front' of the stitch was everyone else's 'back', I also wrap the yarn around in the other direction. So for me to get a twisted stitch I have to knit into the 'front' of the stitch. Though the way I knit leads to other complications, like my decreases are the opposite of what they are supposed to be, but I've learned to compensate for that rather than trying to knit the 'regular' way. I too find that it's more comfy for me to knit this way.

The best way to troubleshoot your knitting is to look closely at examples of other knitting swatches and see how it looks in comparison. If your stockinette looks the same (both flat and in the round), great. Check and see if your increases and decreases are the same, too. Figuring out that I was knitting 'wrong' and how to make my stitches look like everyone else's (without changing my knitting style since I'm stubborn and all ) really helped me learn about the construction of a stitch and how to read my knitting.

[rhiandmoi]

When your stitches are on the needle is the left leg in the front or the right leg? If the left leg is in the front and you are knitting into the back you will probably be twisting your stitches. BUT if your right leg is in the back then you are just forming your knit stitch in a different than usual way. This will affect the way you purl and do decreases, but your knits will look normal.

[CallMeKelly]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knitting if you scroll down a bit they show examples of twisted stitches.

[hickorystick]

Originally Posted by CallMeKelly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knitting if you scroll down a bit they show examples of twisted stitches.

Great link! I have this problem too..

[xanandali]

Its NOT necessarily making a twisted stitch!!!! If you are using the combo method, depending on how you purl, you HAVE TO knit into the back of the stitch to make it NOT twisted!!! I just learned this on Saturday- I too had been knitting into the back and someone told me it was wrong so I stopped and changed, only thing was that the way I wrap my purls I was supposed to be doing the knit into the back NOT the front so it therefore made all my stitches twisted for the last year See my post above about it.... Anyway, Annie Modisett calls it the combination method.

How do you know?! If your works looks the same in stockinette in the round AND flat, then you are a combo knitter and have to knit through the back loop. If they are not, then you are a western purler and need to knit through the front. Do a swatch in the round all stockinette and do a swatch both ways (front for an inch then back for an inch) and see what looks like your round swatch.

Combo knitting is more efficient because it will allow you to knit faster AND use less yarn

[Kyamo]

Originally Posted by xanandali

How do you know?! If your works looks the same in stockinette in the round AND flat, then you are a combo knitter and have to knit through the back loop. If they are not, then you are a western purler and need to knit through the front.

If you knit combination, knitting flat your stitches will be untwisted, because your purls wrapping the other way compensate for your knits tbl, but if you knit stockinette in the round your stitches will be twisted. Therefore, your work will not look the same in the round vs flat if you are knitting combination.

[xanandali]

Hmm, not sure Annie Modesitt would agree about that.... Because stockinette in the round you don't do any purling you won't twist any stitches. You only will produce a twisted stitch if you're a) a western purler who knits into the back loop (90% of all knitters) or b) a eastern purler who knits into the front loop. So, your knitting in the round and your knitting flat COMBO (eastern purl and knit through BACK loop) will be the same- not twisted.

[birdiefu]

I find Combination knitting very interesting, but I'm happy with my unorthodox Eastern knitting . However, what Kyamo mentioned about stockinette in the round with true combination knitting is correct- here is an excerpt of a Q&A with Annie about this situation (found at http://www.modeknit.com/combined_questions.html):

Stockinette Stitch in the Round
Most of the time when knitting in the round the knitter is working in stockinette stitch (K on RS, P on WS) so each row is worked as a knit row.

This means there is no purl row to re-seat the stitches, which is essential to Combination Knitting. To correct this and make the leading edge of the stitch face the tip of the Left Hand needle you must slightly alter the way you make a knit stitch when working in the round. It will be necessary to wrap the yarn clockwise around the RH needle when making a stitch.

Depending on the knitter, it may just be easier to knit Western style when working in the round. I find that the time I use getting the stitch seated correctly is more than I save by knitting Combination style.

But there are many ways to knit, if you are getting the same results in the flat and in the round, it may still be something other than Western (like me).

[Girlymomwithsons]

Originally Posted by xanandali

Combo knitting is more efficient because it will allow you to knit faster AND use less yarn

I am loving what you are saying. I did try switching, and have gotten pretty good at knitting in the front too, but I prefer it the other way. And my swatches do look the same both flat and in the round. I am switching back! Yay combo knitting!