direction to wrap yarn in knit stitch

[apinchofhope]

I have been knitting for a few years off and on, and I'm currently half-way through a super long harry potter scarf (red and gold stripes) on circular needles (which are so cool to use!). I was sitting with a friend who also knits, and we noticed that we knit differently. when I do the knit stitch, I wrap my yarn clockwise around the needle, while she wraps hers counter-clockwise. I have "knitting for dummies" and it shows wrapping the yarn counter-clockwise, but I don't remember what my book said (that I learned from)... is there any detriment to my knitting because I wrap it the other way? the finished stockinette stitch looks normal and neat, no twisted yarn or anything... any thoughts? :??

[Ingrid]

I wrap counter-clockwise. Wrapping the other way will produce a twisted stitch, but if they're all twisted, it's not necessarily noticeable.

[Jax3303]

as long as you always wrap the same direction for all stitches, there's nothing to worry about. I wrap counter-clockwise for everything and never have problems, my best friend wraps everything clockwise for every stitch with the same results. I have another friend who insists on wrapping counter-clockwise for K's and clockwise for P's and no matter how many times I explain it to her, she still does it and every piece of flat stockinette that she does is all twisted stitches.

[GiddyKnitter]

Clockwise for me too..I suppose once you have learned to knit a certain way it's very hard to change. When using straights I rest my right needle over my arm! No one else in our knitting group holds theirs like that but it's how I was shown and it's comfortable for me.

[cftwo]

I wrap counter clockwise for everything, but I don't suppose it really matters - unless you aren't consistent, as Jax says.

[MMario]

It depends on how you look at the needles whether I wrap closckwise or counter-clockwise. I wrap FORWARD between the needles then up and BACK over the needle for knits. For purls I wrap BACK, OVER the needle then FORWARD between the needles. Same direction for both but starting on oppisete sides of the needle.

[gargoylelib]

as long as you always wrap the same direction for all stitches, there's nothing to worry about. I wrap counter-clockwise for everything and never have problems, my best friend wraps everything clockwise for every stitch with the same results. I have another friend who insists on wrapping counter-clockwise for K's and clockwise for P's and no matter how many times I explain it to her, she still does it and every piece of flat stockinette that she does is all twisted stitches.
You should point your friend over to this (http://anniemodesitt.com/) site to learn about
combination knitting. It is basically what she is doing but to
keep from having twisted stitches she needs to knit through
the back loop. I knit this way and love it!
Libbie :)

[MellieThePooh]

I'm having a hard time thinking of my needle as a clock. I found that it was easy to pull the yarn through if I wrapped it one way, and that it got stuck if I wrapped it the other way. I chose the way that worked.

[cusebassman]

In the knit-stitch, I wrap clockwise myself, now that I think about it... perhaps that's why my stockinette pieces always have a pronounced difference between knit and perl rows... its not bad-looking, but you can tell, especially with thick, fuzzy yarns (like velvetspun), that alternating rows are done somehow different. Well, I'm halfway through a blanket, better not worry about it now :think: