taught myself to knit- wrong???

[MissRubyandKen]

So I got a knitting book from the library. Couldn't make much sense of the pics (been crocheting for years, lol), seemed over complicated. So I switched it up a bit to make it easier. Then I noticed my stitches weren't perfect v's in the stockinette st. They're sorta crooked from each other. So I came online to search out why, found knittinghelp.com through suggestions in a different thread here. Followed a link about combination knitting and voila this is how I've been knitting, exactly. Seems so much simpler than other ways. Only my st are not perfect v's. Did I teach myself wrong? Is this a drawback of the method? Or do I just need more practice to get my st in shape? What's going wrong here? I want pretty v's please!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wendyland]

I did it wrong when I started too. I didn't pick up on it for like a year. I'm pretty sure I was doing it the same way you did. When you start to knit the "right" way, it will feel weird or harder at first. You'll get used to it quickly and it will feel normal. The way you're knitting would probably work out for you're just knitting a dishcloth or scarff, but you may as well start doing it the right way.

Also, there are some good videos online that will show you the right way. I find them so much easier to learn from than the book drawings or pictures.

[flapjack]

Can you post a picture? My guess is that you're wrapping the yarn the wrong way on the purl side and creating twisted stitches: this is OK and there's a few easy ways to fix it. It's just a different variation, with less stretch.

[xanandali]

I taught myself to knit also and later realized that it was in fact the way I wrap my purl stitch. My method is called Eastern Uncrossed knitting. Try a swatch with doing everything exactly the same as you normally do, except on the knit rows, knit through the BACK loop instead of the regular front. Do that a few rows and see if it fixes the problem then you're a knitter like me! Eastern Uncrossed uses less yarn AND usually your guage in the round will match your flat knitting better, the only downside is everyone will always tell you that "you knit funny" LOL

HTH!

[texaspeach]

are you making a fabric? then you aren't doing it WRONG

you're just doing it DIFFERENT.

there are different styles and methods of knitting, each has its own little quirks.
If you don't like the way your fabric is coming out, try a different style.

[MeepyCat]

Originally Posted by texaspeach

are you making a fabric? then you aren't doing it WRONG

you're just doing it DIFFERENT.

there are different styles and methods of knitting, each has its own little quirks.
If you don't like the way your fabric is coming out, try a different style.

Yes this.

The other thing that sprang to my head is that maybe it's the yarn. Not all yarn makes perfect symmetrical Vs. Single-ply bulky yarns tend to make asymetrical Vs, like \|.

You're not WRONG. There is no WRONG. You either like what you're making, or you don't. In the former case, you're doing it RIGHT, and in the latter, you need to change, but it's still not wrong.

[MissRubyandKen]

Originally Posted by flapjack

Can you post a picture? My guess is that you're wrapping the yarn the wrong way on the purl side and creating twisted stitches: this is OK and there's a few easy ways to fix it. It's just a different variation, with less stretch.

pic of knitted mermaid body

I don't think I ever wrap the yarn at all!

thanks everyone! and texaspeach it is definitely fabric, lol. As my first knitted project I made my daughter a mermaid. I was newly pregnant at the time and when the morning sickness set in all projects went into hibernation. Well my lo is now 4 months old and I'm starting to pick things back up again. I think I'll play around some with the different techniques on knittinghelp.com and see what's comfortable, looks better. And probably I'll play around with how I'm already doing it too with different yarns, tension, needle sizes.