Life is good, and it is worth remembering. Do something worthwhile: learn to knit.
One of the first things to work out when you start is how to hold the needles.
Everyone knits the same way
Knitters everywhere make the same stitches. The only real difference is how you hold the yarn, and in which hand.
That is worth saying plainly, because beginners often worry they have been taught the wrong method. There is no wrong method.
The two ways
English. The working yarn is held in the right hand and thrown around the needle for each stitch. The movements are large and distinct, which is why many people find it easier to learn – you can see exactly what is happening at each stage.
Continental. The yarn is held in the left hand and picked with the needle tip. Fewer movements, so it is generally faster once learned.
It also feels immediately familiar if you crochet, because the left hand does much the same job of tensioning the yarn.
Which to choose
Learn whichever is being demonstrated to you. If you are learning from a person, use their method – watching hands is worth far more than reading a description.
If you find after a few weeks that it never becomes comfortable, try the other. Plenty of people switch, and some use both depending on the project.
What matters far more than the method is not stopping while it still feels awkward. It feels awkward for everyone at first.
Tension is the actual skill
Holding the needles is the part beginners worry about. Tension is the part that decides how the fabric looks.
The yarn needs to run through your fingers with a consistent light resistance – gripped, it comes out tight and the stitches are hard to work; loose, and the fabric is uneven.
Most people wind the yarn around a finger or two to create that resistance. Exactly how is personal, and you will find your own arrangement within a week or two.
What to expect
Your hands will feel clumsy and your tension will be uneven. This is universal and it settles quickly.
The difference between people who knit and people who once tried is almost never dexterity. It is whether they kept going past the first uneven scarf.
Start with something flat and forgiving, finish it however it looks, and start another.
