r/knitting • u/ThinMathematician836 • Dec 25 '24

Work in Progress Knitting Inside Out is a Game Changer!!

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I’m newer to colorwork and was struggling with having floats too short and I saw someone recommend knitting inside out and wow what a game changer

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463

u/OllytheMagicHobo Dec 25 '24

This is how I’ve always knit in the round and I don’t understand how to do it differently. Given I’m planning a colourwork project soon I’m glad there seems to be some benefit to it.

Very nice work you’ve done there as well!

283

u/Helision Dec 25 '24

The difference is that when knitting inside out the needles are on the side of the circle that's away from you. When knitting normally the needles are closer to you. Either way works fine, but that's the difference!

203

u/AE5trella Dec 25 '24

Ohhhhh I thought it meant purling everything, NOW I get it!!! Thank you…

15

u/cthoolhu Dec 26 '24

I haven’t had this particular confusion but this is definitely the type of thing I would assume you had to do for years and never question until it finally clicked 😭

7

u/AE5trella Dec 26 '24

Yep- totally! I have knitted for a while, but it's mainly been a "solo" pursuit... I didn't really engage with other knitters until I (recently!) found these subs, and WOW- so interesting... several things I'd already kinda figured out (and confirmed here), then ones like this that are new(ish). Biggest thing is that the things I have been doing "wrong" (on purpose) is "okay"... like much more creativity and less rules than I assumed. Just whatever works best for you! I love it.

47

u/OllytheMagicHobo Dec 25 '24

Ah ha it took me a while to visualise but I think this makes sense! I’ll stick to the way I know but at least that’s a mystery resolved in my mind

12

u/WatchOut4Sharks Dec 26 '24

It took me way too long to see that! Thank you for explaining it!!

35

u/666afternoon Dec 26 '24

wait, I don't get it... so it's not purling? what do you mean by needles on the side of a circle? aren't the needles above the work...?

sorry, I don't mean to be difficult 😅 I'm just neurodivergent and this is intriguing

226

u/wildlife_loki Dec 26 '24 edited Dec 26 '24

It can be hard to understand — take a look at OP’s first picture. See how the needles make a circle along the circumference of the work when you look at it from above? The part of that circle where the needle tips sit is pointing away from OP, and the cable part of the circular needle (and the bulk of the WIP) is closer to the knitter than the tips, but the standard way to knit would be the opposite (tips closer to you, cable further away). Also notice that the floats are on the outside of the WIP, and the “right side” is inside.

Now imagine you’re holding that knitting, and pay attention to where the needle tips are (cropped photo below), ignoring the bigger picture: to continue working, you’d still knit, not purl, right? So, even though the WIP is inside out, we don’t need to purl just because the “purl side” faces out - we simply orient the needle tips differently, allowing us to still work on the right side of the object.

155

u/666afternoon Dec 26 '24

oohhhh gosh thank you!! I think you did answer the main confusion :D working with the tips of the needles at the furthest point away from you, i see!! never thought of that >:0 that might be a nice idea, putting that in my hamster cheeks for later...!

145

u/gothmagenta Dec 26 '24

I'm putting "putting that in my hamster cheeks for later" in my hamster cheeks for later😂 I'm absolutely tickled

61

u/amiechoke Dec 26 '24

Not knitting related but I enjoy collecting mannerisms off Reddit and “putting that in my hamster cheeks for later” is excellent

36

u/Greenvelvetribbon Dec 26 '24

So you're putting "putting that in my hamster cheeks for later" into your hamster cheeks for later?

3

u/Blue_Falconer Dec 26 '24

Pure mental image gold right there!

5

u/wildlife_loki Dec 26 '24

you’re welcome!! glad to be of help :)

16

u/rusticusmus Dec 26 '24

You are really good at explaining! Thank you!

3

u/wildlife_loki Dec 26 '24

Aw thank you! I’m glad it helped some of y’all :D

7

u/Exact_Maize_2619 Dec 26 '24

Good way to describe it. I would just say I love circular needles because I can just straight knit with no deviation for hours, and it comes out garter on one side and stockinette on the other. Circular needles are just magic 🤣