Any left handed knitters about?

[AdmiralCLingus]

My friend really wants to learn to knit but says when she asked her nan to teach her she couldn't do it because her nan was right handed.

I want to get her a "starter kit" for christmas... so needles/wool/darning needles, but would also like to get her a book that would show her how to do it left handed!!!

Any tips/advice I can pass on and any suggestions what book will be useful for her?

YouTube could be useful...I don't know any books I'm afraid. Do you have a local fabric/wool shop you where you could ask for recommendations?

I'm left handed and knit a lot (my mum and my aunt taught me), but not sure whether I do it right or left handed.

On a start row I have the needle with all the stitches on in my left hand and then knit them over to my right needle.....

My mum taught me to knit. I'm right handed, she is left handed and we both knit with all the stitches starting on the left hand needles ans as they are knitted they move onto the right hand needle. So I'm not sure that handedness particularly comes into it. Both hands have to learn to do something, and if your friends reverses the hands she'll have to reverse all the instructions she reads (patterns can mention left or right needles). I have never seen any mention of working with the needles the other way round.

She may find another method of knitting more helpful, but every method I've seen moves the knitting from left to right. I'm thinking of the continental method - in that the left hand moves the yarn around the needle. Videos/real life help may be more useful there, perhaps a voucher for an hours tuition with a local expert to go with the needles? Again, a local yarn shop may be able to help.

Another option may be an offer of an evening or two for you both, a bottle of wine (or 2) and some needles, yarn and You Tube access and you both figure it out together? Or the materials and a promise to go along with her to a knitting group for more advice.

I'm very left handed. I knit from left needle to right just like a right handed knitter, it's just practice, and better than swapping over and then having to reverse pattern instructions sometimes etc. ("english" throwing style with yarn in right hand)

maybe continental knitting would suit her better as the yarn is in the left hand? I feel that would be easier if I were learning from new.

Slightly smug comment- I can now knit English and continental to do 2 handed colour work but it takes concentration!

You tube is your friend

My Mum is very left handed but still knits right handed. She said it's easier than trying to reverse knitting patterns. She taught me to knit and I'm right handed - sewing wasnt so easy and still get confused as to which direstion I should be going!!

I teach crochet and honestly - it doesn't matter. Left handed people may find it a little more tricky (perhaps because of how they think about left and right), but as with any new skill, once the technique is learned , that is just the way you do it. it doesn't need to be taught in a special way.

With knitting a left hander might want to wrap the wool with their left hand rather than their right, but still go from left needle to right.

Im left handed but knit like righthanders, however you could try sitting facing a righthander and copy them. Ive used that technique for teaching little ones to cut, sew etc so it might work.

I am left handed but knit as per a right handed person. To be honest, as stainless says above, both hands need to learn to do something so I would go with the 'standard' right handed way and practice.

I knit left handed even though I am really right handed. Go from right to left but the only thing I found truly difficult was learning how to purl managed to teach myself plain off of you-tube because GM said she couldn't teach me because of this, but did need to find somebody to show me purl left handed as my brain just couldn't figure how to do it. Still never found a book or magazine that will help.

Just reading the rest of the reply's and I don't think it is always the case of knitting from left to right that is the problem. It is how to deal with the yarn in your weaker hand and even if you go left > right you cannot always figure out the hand movements without help of a left hander.
Sorry if that is not clear