For many women, knitting is a relaxing process, something akin to meditation. Knitting gives us the opportunity to step back from the chaos of the world around us and focus on a process that just makes sense.

That said, even if relaxation is your primary goal when it comes to knitting, you may still wonder how to improve the speed and efficiency of your knitting. After all, one of the joys of knitting is that it becomes a subconscious process over time.

There is no natural “speed limit” that we need to obey. Once we get used to a new technique, it can be just as smooth and relaxing, even if it is faster and more efficient.

Since so many women in our community love knitting, I went on a search for videos that may help you to knit faster and with more confidence. Here’s what I found.

Knit Faster with Continental Knitting

While searching for online courses to improve my own knitting, I came across a fascinating online course by Lorilee Beltman. In it, she teaches the basics of Continental knitting, from cables to colorwork.

Lorilee begins by demonstrating the basics of the knit stich and the purl stitch. Then, she shows how to tell if your knitting is too loose or too tight.

Since we all want to knit efficiently, even if we aren’t watching the clock, Lorilee continues her online video lessons with some time-saving tips. For example, she points out that “Getting the working yarn to the front or back of your knitting is simply a matter of shifting your right hand.”

This is followed by a discussion of how to use increases, decreases and other maneuvers to take on more sophisticated patterns.

Finally, she closes with a demonstration of how to use Continental knitting with different fabrics and gives some troubleshooting tips.

All of these topics are covered in almost 2.5 hours of HD video. You can find out more about these videos here.

It’s Not Just About Speed!

By now, you may be thinking, “That’s all well and good, but, I don’t particularly want to knit faster.” I completely respect that. That said, one of the other benefits of trying out Continental knitting, according to Lorilee, is that it can help to remove some of the strain on your hand.

Simply put, this means that you will have more stamina to complete the projects on your list. If you’re ready to let go of stiffness, while you knit, I encourage you to check out Lorilee’s videos.

If you do check them out, please take a moment to let the other women in our community know what you think. And, don’t forget that there are thousands of other Craftsy classes to choose from.

Do you like knitting? Have you ever tried Continental knitting? What tips have you learned that have helped you to improve the speed and efficiency of your knitting? Have you tried any other Craftsy courses? Which ones? Please join the conversation!

This article is a part of a series that is focused on helping women over 60 to explore their passions. Sixty and Me has affiliate relationships and may get a share of the revenue for any items you purchase.