Knitting Styles

I don't know about you, but I'm a proud knitter. The only places I feel reserved about my knitting are in meetings with clients and on first dates (sometimes second and third dates too, depends on the boy). Otherwise, I'll pull out the knitting. I knit on the bus, on the subway, outside waiting for someone, inside waiting for someone, in staff meetings, anytime I have time to kill. I generally always carry knitting with me. You never know when the elevator will break down and you'll get trapped (which makes me think I should start carrying around some food too, just in case, maybe some water as well).



Now, I know I'm not that unusual. Knitting in public has become a lot more acceptable these days. I come across someone else knitting out in public about once a month. It helps that I use public transportation so am exposed to alot more knitters. Well, yesterday, my bus arrives, I board and sit down behind this lady who is knitting two socks at the same time, toe up. It was interesting to watch as this is something I've been wanting to try, using the magic loop approach. She made it look quite simple. I pull out my knitting, something basic that I've got completely memorzied and am even starting to get bored with. Well, I start to knit, while watching the woman in front of me knit.



Long story short, this doesn't really work well for me. The whole time, I don't think the lady knew there was someone knitting behind her. My problem was that she knit at a completely different pace which threw my plodding knitting style off kilter. What I realized is that I really do have a slow knitting style. I know I do. But I'm most often aware of my actual knitting when I'm teaching it to friends who are learning, and are much much slower. They're beginners after all. Thinking of my more experience knitting friends, they use a similar style. You see, I use my right hand to knit. This person (and others), use their right finger. Sometimes the pointer. This lady was using her middle finger to move the yarn. I've tried doing this before, but it's really hard to break old habits and I never really got the hang of it.



Which leaves me with the question? Should I spend more time and really commit to learning the more professional, efficient style of knitting? Or I'm just find with the style I'm using now? I'm more a process knitter than a product knitter. But it'd be great to whip things out faster. More knitting can be done. And sometimes, if I knit for really long stretches, my hand cramps up (although usually my left), would this help? I don't know, will have to sleep on it.