Continental Knitting: Virtual Workshop with Lorilee Beltman

Date:  Friday June 27, 2025

Time: Noon-3:00 p.m. Eastern time

Location: Zoom—this is a virtual event, and it will be recorded for participants to watch and re-watch.

Your order confirmation email will include a PDF with the link to the Zoom session, plus Lorilee’s class handout with (minimal) homework for the class.

Why Learn Continental Knitting?

While there are as many ways to knit as there are knitters, knitters in North America and Western Europe tend to fall into one of two major knitting styles, the English or American style (also referred to as “throwing”) or the continental style (also referred to as “picking”).

 If (like Ann and Kay and many knitters in North America), you are a thrower, you may find the continental style a bit mystifying or even intimidating.

So why should you learn it?

When you knit in the continental style with the yarn held by the left hand, your hand motions are minimized; there is less stop and start. Many find this to be a more comfortable, faster way to knit.

Once you learn continental knitting, you might find that some knitted fabrics become more fun to execute, like brioche, lace, linen stitch, and mosaic. 

If you know both picking and throwing, two-handed colorwork is a breeze. 

The best reason of all: curiosity! Learning a new way to make knits and purls will expand our minds and our muscle memory, and give us a deeper understanding of the architecture of knitting.

What We’ll Learn

In continental knitting, each finger has a job to do. We will learn exactly which motions have a bearing on stitch size, how to even out our knitting by sizing knits and purls equally, and how choice of tools affects the outcome.

We’ll practice the knit stitch, purl stitch, and ribbing—where efficiency really pays off. 

We will have some time for basic increases and decreases.

We’ll have a little fun looking at variations of both throwing and picking, including a demonstration of the Norwegian purl and combination knitting. There are lots of ways to get the job done!

Supplies Needed

• 50 grams of smooth, light-colored, worsted-weight, multi-ply wool yarn. Avoid cotton, acrylic, or yarns that easily split.

• A smooth circular needle, size US 5/3.75mm to US 7/4.5mm, preferably a steel needle.  Note: If you only have a wooden needle this size, you may use it instead, but it’s not recommended. No straight needles, however, as they will hinder the learning process.

Required skills

All are welcome, whether a brand new knitter or someone with decades of experience knitting by another method. We’ll all be in kindergarten together!

If you are a new knitter, you will have to learn how to cast on prior to class in order to get the minimal homework requirement accomplished.

Our Workshop Leader

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A born teacher, Lorilee Beltman sees no end to where knitting curiosity can lead, and she loves to help knitters make new discoveries. We are lucky to have had her teach several live and virtual workshops for MDK over the past few years, to rave reviews.

Feedback from Lorilee’s virtual classes is universally over the top.  Her patient, organized, and upbeat style conveys an amazing amount of new information, even to experienced knitters—you will definitely want to re-watch the recording of this class, just to reinforce the genius tidbits you’ll pick up.

Lorilee’s articles and designs have been published in books, magazines, and online. She has been a yarn shop owner, a Knit Stars masterclass teacher, a techniques columnist at Knitty.com, and an online instructor at Interweave and at Craftsy, where her classes are bestsellers.

Lorilee grew up in Pittsburgh, spent thirty years in west Michigan, and now calls the Seattle area home. When not knitting or growing veggies, she can be found on the pickleball court playing for fun or teaching beginners as a certified pickleball coach.

Find out more about Lorilee at lorileebeltman.com.. External Link. Opens in new window.

Our Most Frequently asked question

Will the class be recorded? Yes! After the live session concludes and usually on the same day, we will email a link to the video recording out to everyone enrolled in the class. The recording will remain available indefinitely to watch and re-watch.