There seem to be two main camps when it comes to knitting, English knitting and Continental (German) Knitting. And within the two camps, there are many modifications and variations to each knitting technique.

What is great about the knitting community, is there is no one set in stone way to knit. The basic tools and the basic method is the same, but it is the finished project that is the goal, and how you get it done really doesn’t matter. What works for one knitter may or may not work for another.

As each knitter learns a method, and they then become more advanced in experience, they tweak things just a bit to make knitting more efficient for themselves. The more giving knitters share their knowledge and experience for others to try for themselves

I knit Continental, but do not use the Traditional Continental Purl method for purling. I use the Norwegian Purl. It is the Purl that works the best for me, but it can stretch the stitch a bit and cause the knitting to be uneven.

Perusing the forums on Ravelry I found these videos and wanted to try the different methods to see how much I can improve my knitting.

This first video is by a lady who describes this as the “Normal German” way to purl.
If you notice, the lady wraps her yarn over her index finger opposite of what is normally taught. She says that it really doesn’t matter how you wrap the yarn around your fingers, coming off the front or the back, and many knitters use both ways.

With the German Purl there is less finger movement, and less needle movement, so this stitch is more time efficient.

I know it is hard to describe, but hopefully watching will bring better understanding to this. 🙂

This next two are showing “Finish” purling. It requires more movement of the needle, but does not stretch the stitch open. I am not familiar with it, so can’t really describe it to you.

And this next Continental Purl method uses the thumb. I am not sure how efficient it would be if it was in a ribbing pattern, but I might try it anyway.

And one more variation on Thumb Purl, and in french for those of you who need to brush up on your french since high school.

Enjoy, and happy knitting!