I've been wanting to learn how to knit for some time now. I bought a book (no, I haven't opened it yet) on knitting, but recently a friend of my Mother's came over to visit.
She's a German lady, and was in the middle of knitting a few items during her stay. She claims that there are two different methods for knitting - an English version and a German version (I believe she called it 'picking'). Supposedly Americans switched over to the English version right around WWII for political reasons, but that the German version was much easier to learn and quicker as well.
I know this is a rather broad question, but for someone like myself that has never picked up a knitting needle, what's the best method to learn?
It's a pattern for a single-stitch scarf, with really nice photograph instructions. Once you finish this, your hands will know what to do (muscle memory), and purling will be a snap to learn, since it's just a backwards knit-stitch.
If you crochet, I suspect that the Continental method is easier in how you handle the yarn. At first, just hold it like you crochet. I think it's a bit faster, too.
The American style is slower, but might be a bit easier to manage the thread at first.
There are actually a few other ways to handle the yarn. But these are the two you'll find most often in the US.
I use continental and it is much faster. No "throwing" the yarn. But it might be harder to find someone who knows how to teach you.