28.4.12

THE CHALLENGE



THE CHALLENGE OF CIRCULAR KNITTING NEEDLES
EL DESAFÍO DE LAS AGUJAS CIRCULARES



I am almost ashamed to admit it, but after all these years I have been knitting (20 +), I have not used circular knitting needles.  But there is a reason why... I use the English method of knitting, but with a twist:  I place the right needle under my arm. 

Me da pena admitir que, después de años de estar tejiendo (más de 20), no he usado agujas circulares.  Pero hay una razón...Yo uso el método inglés de tejer, con una variante: Coloco la aguja derecha debajo del brazo.




The advantage is that, since I hold the needle between my arm and my side, I don’t need to hold it with my hands.  This is the way I was taught, and it has worked for me...until now. 

La ventaja es que la aguja queda firme, sin necesidad de usar las manos.  Esta es la forma en que me enseñaron, y ha sido perfecta...hasta ahora.

But there are two big disadvantages: 
a.  After knitting for a while, my neck hurts from holding that position.
b.  It is basically impossible to hold the circular needles with this technique.

Pero tiene dos grandes desventajas:
a.  Luego de tejer por un largo tiempo, me duele el cuello por mantener esa posición.
b.  Es básicamente imposible sostener las agujas circulars con esta técnica.


The solution?  I will have to learn knitting with another technique all over again. 
¿La solución?  Tendré que aprender a tejer con otra técnica.




  
I am already experimenting with the “Continental method”, and I am liking it.  The frustrating thing is that I am going sooo much slooower.  And the result is not as sleek and neat as I was used to.  It will take some practice, but I guess it will be worth it. 

Ya comencé a experimentar con el “método continental”, y me está gustando.  Lo que me frustra es que estoy tejiendo taaaan despacio.  Y el resultado no es tan nítido como me salía con el otro.  Requerirá de práctica, pero creo que valdrá la pena. 


Now you know why I do more crocheting than knitting...  And having said that, I will skip tomorrow’s topic (“Balancing Crochet and Knitting”), and jump to the Wild Card for the last day of the Challenge.  It is going to be fun!!!

...Y ahora ya saben por qué razón hago más crochet que tricot.   Y habiendo dicho esto, ya no tender necesidad de tocar el tema de mañana (“Balance entre el Ganchillo y las Dos Agujas”), y me iré directamente al tema extra para el último día del reto.  ¡Será divertido!




14 comments:

  1. Stick with it! I use circulars for everything, I like the way the weight is distributed evenly rather than on one side or the other. And you can just stuff it into your bag! I taught myself the continental method a year or so ago, at first it was a real effort, as I was so much slower and just wanted to get on and finish things, but now I find sometimes I just get going that way without thinking about it. It's nice to be able to do continental and English - it means you'll be able to do two handed fairisle later on! :)

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  2. It can be difficult to learn a new technique, but I agree - stick with it and over time it'll come naturally and before you know it it'll feel like you've been doing it forever!

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  3. Ana me da risa porque y estoy igual que tu... no he tocado unas agujas circulares todavia, pero pronto lo hare ya estoy neciando a mi mami para que me regale unas, jajaja pero yo apenas reciente estoy aprendiendo asi que supongo que al igual que tu es cuestion de adaptarse, eso si yo estoy aprendiendo de una vez con la tecnica continental, esta se me hizo mas facil que la otra XD
    muchos besitos y exitos

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  4. Ana I hope you don't mind me commenting in English but my Spanish is extremely rudimentary and certainly not up to talking about crochet or knitting. I am sorry though as I would like to if I could. Thinking about what you write about the way you learnt to knit makes me realise that the way we learn a skill can be really difficult to unlearn! I think you are very brave to give this new way a go and look forward to seeing the results as you get motoring! Hope you are having a nice weekend. E x

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  5. Circulars really are nice. They are so much lighter and easier to travel with.

    Changing knitting style is hard! I learned English years ago, and I am really struggling to master the faster continental style.

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  6. I knit like you Ana with the needle tucked under my arm, it's the only way I can keep my tension neat. I have tried circulars many times and I am just too slow with them, the most I will do now is a neckline. Good luck I hope that you have more success than me :)

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  7. You're brave to learn new methods !
    I'm starting on circular needles, and I'm liking them, but I learnt the continental method from the start.
    But from times to times I try the english method, and it seems so slow and messy, so I can really relate !

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  8. Querida Ana, tu manera de tejer con el palilo bajo el brazo es muy de estilo Argentino XD yo cómo buena chilena, entiendo pero no Comprendo. Tejer con los palillos circulares es un agrado, espero que aprendas mucho XD.

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  9. Wow! I've never tried this needle under the arm method! Now I'm definitely more of a crocheter, but I learnt continental method of knitting fairly recently and I love it. It took a while to get it going smoothly but it's worth it. And norwegian purling too! Brilliant! And circulars? Oh I love them too! Not as boring as straight needles :)

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  10. I tried using circular needles for knitting a few times. Oh my, they had me all tangled up in a hurry. And those long knitting needles, after being such an avid crocheter, through me for a bit of a loop too. Perhaps that's why my balance scales are weighted down much more with crochet than knitting. Or maybe we tend to stay in our comfort zones. I'm not altogether sure.

    I haven't figured out my post for tomorrow yet, still mulling it over. I'm sure your wildcard post will be lots of fun to read:)

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  11. I feel for you! I switched from english to continental 2 yrs ago, cause I was having wrist pain from knitting too much (how is too much possible!). It took a while to get used to it, but I can knit so much faster now! And circulars are great, I use them for everything. Enjoy :-)

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  12. Hay Anita, cuando leo tu descripcion del tejido a 2 agujas,me identifico plenamente, tejo igual que vos.! y si es verdad quedo dolorida tambièn y yo hace como 22 años que tejo asì y recièn este año aprendì a tejer a aguja circular, tejo lento y siento que no me queda igual, es cuentiòn de pràctica y paciencia,yo utilicè los videos de "guia para tejer bien" me ayudaron bastante, prefiero crochet y aguja recta,si me dàs a elegir, crochet 100%.
    Aprovecho DIVINO todo pero TODO lo que hàces incluìda tu mami tambièn.
    Dime, que utilizas para editar fotos varias juntas.?
    un abrazo y nos leemos.!

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  13. Estoy teniendo el placer de pasear por tu blog, que no lo conocía.
    Yo hace un tiempo empecé a tejer con las agujas circulares, no sé cuál es el método que utilizo, pero calculo que todo es cuestión de práctica.
    Igual, creo que se pueden utilizar los dos métodos también con las circulares, aunque es cierto que uno no mantiene la aguja derecha al no tenerla bajo el brazo.
    Sigo mi paseo.
    Flavia
    http://puntoperdido.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Estoy teniendo el placer de pasear por tu blog, que no lo conocía.
    Yo hace un tiempo empecé a tejer con las agujas circulares, no sé cuál es el método que utilizo, pero calculo que todo es cuestión de práctica.
    Igual, creo que se pueden utilizar los dos métodos también con las circulares, aunque es cierto que uno no mantiene la aguja derecha al no tenerla bajo el brazo.
    Sigo mi paseo.
    Flavia
    http://puntoperdido.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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