Meaning & use
English knitting
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablespecialist
A way of hand knitting in which the yarn is held in the right hand and wrapped around the needle to form each stitch.
Grammar: No article: she prefers English knitting.
Patterns
- learn English knitting
- knit in the English style
My grandmother taught me English knitting when I was seven.
English knitting is often easier for beginners to learn.
She switched from English knitting to Continental knitting to work faster.
Common combinations
- English knitting style
- The English knitting style uses the right hand for yarn.
- learn English knitting
- I want to learn English knitting this winter.
- English knitting technique
- A common English knitting technique is throwing the yarn.
- switch to English knitting
- She switched to English knitting for colorwork.
Synonyms and how they differ
- throwing
- Throwing is the craft term for the same method, focusing on the motion of throwing yarn around the needle.
- American knitting
- American knitting is another name for the same method, used mainly in the US.
- right-hand knitting
- Right-hand knitting describes which hand holds the yarn rather than the tradition.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: English knitting or Continental knitting?
English knitting vs Continental knitting
Continental knitting holds the yarn in the left hand and is often called picking; English knitting uses the right.
Practice
In English knitting, which hand usually holds the working yarn?
Choose one answer.
English knitting holds the yarn in the right hand and throws it around the needle. Continental knitting uses the left hand.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “English knitting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.