Mysterious Ways

I’ve been teaching a friend to knit. I’ve never tried to count how many people I’ve taught to knit, but I do know that the majority of them have been children (I find 4 to be the perfect age). But I have taught adults, and in these days of free, online, instructional videos, I find teaching to be more of a coaching or mentoring gig.

But this time was different. For one thing, he wasn’t sure which craft he wanted to learn, so we started with crochet. After a little while it wasn’t going well: the yarn was dark and fuzzy, making it difficult to see the loops. I switched him out to a different yarn, and while I was at it, to knitting. I cast on, knit a few rows, then showed him the basic moves and handed it over. He caught on, and after a few rows I taught him to purl, and the difference between garter stitch and stockinette, and sent him home to practice. Today he was back to learn casting on and ribbing. Next time, increases and decreases.

So what’s different? When he took the knitting from me the first time, despite my demonstrating throwing, he started right in picking. He held the working yarn in his left hand, instinctively tensioned it, and went to town. A few rows in, out of curiosity, I explained the difference between continental knitting and whatever we call throwing, and had him try knitting with the yarn in his right hand.

It was like someone trying to teach me to write with my right hand. I could *see* it hurting his brain. So I switched him back, and he went on his merry way.

I’m left to wonder how many people who just don’t take to knitting would have caught on if we tried switching which hand they hold the yarn in.