Several people have told me that I’m probably the world’s fastest knitter. Although I’m quite sure that’s not true, I must admit I can whip up a sweater rather quickly – especially when one considers the fact that I’m juggling a job and my studies on the side! Lately I’ve been thinking that perhaps I knit a little too fast… That is, faster than I can expand my wardrobe space. But that’s a story for another time.
I’ve heard a lot of people complaining that they can’t find the time to knit and that it takes them ages to complete a project. If that’s you, this post will be really helpful! I’ll share a few of my top tips on how to become a faster and more efficient knitter, so you can get more projects done in a shorter timespan.
1. Learn how to knit Continental style
As a young girl, I learnt to knit English style. It worked fine for me, but when I seriously picked up knitting as a 20-year-old I felt like it was taking way too long. I quickly switched to knitting Continental style, but I kept purling English style for a while – I wasn’t comfortable purling Continental yet. Same for knitting 1×1 rib – I used to do that English as well. However, I felt like my knitting speed had improved a LOT when knitting Continental, so I decided to keep practicing my Continental purling. I fully switched to Continental purling after some practice, and it has been a major game changer for me!
2. One project at a time
Although many knitters have a huge WIP (work in progress) pile, I always feel like working on one project at a time works best for me – my progress is more obvious, which is really motivating, so it feels like I can finish my projects faster. Because of this, I also don’t have any forgotten projects stashed away somewhere, because I kind of force myself to finish my current project before I can start on something new. Sometimes (but not often!) I have to WIPs – an easy one which I can work on while reading or watching movies, and a more complicated one that requires more attention.
3. Work in the round
Working in the round really helped me to speed my knitting up. I think working flat looks gorgeous, and it makes for prettier photographs and flatlays, but it takes a lot longer! The only exception to this are garter stitch projects, where you can knit every row when working flat. Working a stockinette project on straight needles involves a LOT of purling, though… And like most knitters, I prefer knitting to purling – and it’s faster also! By knitting your projects in the round (except the garter stitch ones), you’ll be able to avoid a lot of purling, and work your projects up more quickly.
4. Use circular needles
I honestly use circular needles all the time. Not just for knits that are worked in the round, but also for the ones that are worked flat! I use straight, wooden needles every now and then because they look beautiful, but circular needles allow me to knit a lot faster – probably because of the way I’m holding them. I got myself a set of interchangeable knitting needles when I started knitting, and it has probably been one of my best purchases in the past few years. I highly recommend them!
5. Learn how to knit without looking at your work
This really helped me to get a lot more knitting done. When you knit regularly (and have only 1 WIP!) you will automatically learn the pattern by heart. Knitting regularly will allow you to become a more confident knitter, so you won’t have to look at your work all the time. You can knit the stitches without looking where to insert your needle and how to pick up your yarn, because you kind of “feel” how this should be done. Knitting without looking at your work will allow you to…
6. Multitask!
I honestly do this pretty much all the time! I don’t watch a movie or a tv serie without working on my current project. Also, for my studies I have to read a lot of academic books and texts. I usually knit while reading these texts, so I can get two things done at once. That way, I won’t neglect my homework because of my knitting and vice versa!
7. A few rows a day…
Knit every day, even if it’s just a few rows. Making time for knitting on a daily basis will allow you to become a more confident knitter, and you will be able to finish your projects quite a lot sooner. If you have a busy schedule like I do, I highly recommend bringing you projects with you on the go. I knit whenever I have the chance – while waiting in the car, when I’m on the train, while spending time with my family, while watching a movie, during my breaks..
8. Don’t frog your work when you’ve made a mistake
This may sound weird, but it’s a huge time saver. When I started knitting, I used to rip out a few rows when I spotted a mistake I made a few rows back. This obviously costed a lot of time! Nowadays, whenever I spot a mistake, I fix it in another way. If I made the mistake a few stitches back, I just tink back to the mistake and work that stitch again. However, if I made the mistake a few rows back, I let the stitch column of the faulty stitch unravel, all the way down to the mistake. I usually use a crochet hook to work my way up again by re-“knitting” all of the unraveled stitches – you just need to pull the strand of the next rows through the loop of the stitch that’s on your hook. This is also a great way to fix dropped stitches!
I hope these tips will help you to become a faster and more efficient knitter. Let me know what worked for you when you tried to speed up your knitting!
