beginnings

The Left Out Knitter

shows you how to knit left-handed!

Where it all started

A year or so ago, in response to a question from the yahoo left-handed knitting list, I posted several left-handed knitting videos to www.YouTube.com. I was exploring a variety of ways to knit left-handed as well as how to describe them. The following videos only show one method of knitting left-handed. Soon people started emailing me and asking for specific techniques. Sometimes I had time to post a video, sometimes I just emailed back with directions. Because it got time and brain-cell (not to mention knitting time) consuming, I began to think about a way to reach more people.
Knit Stitch (method A)
Purl Stitch (method A)
Cable 4 Right
Cable 4 Left
Crab Stitch crochet (left-handed)

Then at the beach one day, I wrote an essay and published it to my blog as well as the yahoo group for left-handed knitters. It was a "call to needles" for all lefties and a call to acceptance from all right-handed knitters. The response was overwhelming. The emails and comments came in and I started writing a book. The outcome of that book has yet to be published, but I continue to work on it. However the knitters who wanted to understand their knitting, to learn to knit left-handed and be happy about it, continued to ask for help. The DVD was born from their longing for help. I can't sit next to every new or struggling knitter, but I can send a video. Hopefully someday I'll have a chance to visit some knitting groups and knit shops and sit next to other lefties!

My own journey through knitting, while not tangled, has been inadvertently twisted. Using the limited lefty resources available on the web and the few books that show paltry "how to knit left-handed" illustrations, I knit several different styles through the years. Sadly, none of the resources taught me what stitch orientation was or explained how to wrap the yarn in a way that explained why it was so important. One particular lace project didn't look like the pattern. I had invested quite a bit of money in that silk and alpaca yarn and was not about to make a faulty project. I could not figure out why my stitches looked different. I had had problems with an odd slight twisting or leaning of my stockinette knitting before, but no one had been able to help me figure out why. When another knitter told me my stitches were twisted, I was appalled. I was defiant. I was outraged. That lead to endless hours thinking about knitting instead of actually knitting. The result is an almost Zen understanding of sticks, strings and all things possible in left-handed knitting. Now that information can be yours (or at least part of it), thanks to supportive family, friends and contacts, the first DVD is "due" any day now. Pre-order it on the home page using PayPal or Google Check-out and know your transaction is safe.