Knitting & Crochet for Lefties - International Left-Handers Day!

It’s International Left-Handers Day, an international day observed annually on 13th August to celebrate the uniqueness of left-handers.

This event is now celebrated worldwide, and in the UK in recent years there has been more than 20 regional events to mark the day – including left-v-right sports matches, a left-handed tea party and pubs using left-handed corkscrews where patrons drank and played pub games with the left hand only (Left-Handers Day).

But what about left-handed knitting or crochet? Being left-handed can sometimes be frustrating in everyday life and it can be difficult for lefties to learn to knit or crochet and read patterns. However, where there is a will, there is way. Many left-handers have learned to knit, some decide to knit or crochet the ‘right-handed way’ and others choose to use their left hand as the dominant hand. There is no right or wrong way! Remember that both hands are required for knitting and crochet. You’ll need one hand as your dominant hand and the other to work the yarn.

Here are a few tips that we’d recommend if you’re learning to knit or crochet the left-handed way:

There are plenty of resources available that you might find useful if you’re left-handed and are learning to knit or crochet.

Here's a tip from Erin in our Customer Care team: “I’m left-handed and I’m learning to knit and crochet, my top tip would be to be patient and remember it’s not easy for anyone regardless of their dominant hand to learn to knit or crochet”.

A blog by Karen Lynn dedicated to the left-handed knitter here

Learn how to cast on, knit rows, and bind off/cast off to complete a simple project here

Learn left-handed thumb method cast, knitting stitches (both knit and purl), cast off, and continental knitting here

Learn left-handed crochet here