wizdmzchyld message #2
Re: Just saying "hello"
January 8, 2010 at 9:26:51 AM
 
Hi, I'm Charlene co-moderator and left hander who knits right handed.  I'll be as much help as I can be as well.  By the way, does anyone know the Latin word for left handed?  I was highly amused to find it comes from the Latin word for sinister.  Humph! 

Charlene

Stitchboard Admin message #3
Re: Just saying "hello"
January 8, 2010 at 5:14:30 PM
 
Charlene,

I'm sorry to say that the French word, "gauche," isn't much kinder...e.g., "clumsy."  And "tactless" is our official meaning of "gauche," where our word originates from the French one, obviously. 

Oddly (not that I know, anyway), "Rive Gauche" (meaning the Left Bank of the Seine) doesn't appear to have a negative connotation.  Go figure!

Melanie  (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

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Wheat message #4
Useless fact about Left Handedness
January 8, 2010 at 7:07:20 PM
 


Not to start a religious discussion, but I do many things left handed, including Knitting.

The left hand is considered "the devil's hand" and it was one of the things that the Inquisition used as "proof"

I "know" that the reason I am almost completely ambidextrous is because the Nuns did their flat out level best and beyond to change all who were "naturally" left handed, to use the hand of God/Right Hand.

It was annoyingly painful (think metal ruler across knuckles) at the time, but I am glad for it now for many reasons not the least of which was when I broke my right arm, it did not really slow me down A cast can be a very effective holder of either Hook or Needle, but weaving was still difficult.

Wheat

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Its All Just String:
  http://www.ItsAllJustString.com

wizdmzchyld message #5
Re: Useless fact about Left Handedness
January 8, 2010 at 8:20:28 PM
 
Fortunately, I had my father who intervened.  He didn't let any teacher interfere with what came naturally.  Four of the 8 of us were left handed.

Being ambidextrous seems much easier for left handed people in the first place.  This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone considering the left hand the devils hand.  Fortunately, I was never subjected to that superstition either. I was never smacked by any teacher, not even the nuns.

Charlene


Not to start a religious discussion, but I do many things left handed, including Knitting.

The left hand is considered "the devil's hand" and it was one of the things that the Inquisition used as "proof"

I "know" that the reason I am almost completely ambidextrous is because the Nuns did their flat out level best and beyond to change all who were "naturally" left handed, to use the hand of God/Right Hand.

It was annoyingly painful (think metal ruler across knuckles) at the time, but I am glad for it now for many reasons not the least of which was when I broke my right arm, it did not really slow me down A cast can be a very effective holder of either Hook or Needle, but weaving was still difficult.

Wheat

Stitchboard Admin message #6
Re: Useless fact about Left Handedness
January 9, 2010 at 9:46:46 AM
 
Wheat,



Argh!  I never knew that.  Does man's inhumanity to man know no bounds?  Geeze.



That's awful, though not surprising.  One of my teachers in grade school had the most horrendous handwriting.  He confided that back when he was learning to write, when they found out he was left-handed, he was severely punished for it, and forced to use his right hand.  He must have been in his 40s or 50s when he taught my class, and he was still writing with his right hand.  (I'm not sure he went to Catholic school, though, as he may have been Jewish.  For him it may have related to the time in which this happened; this is just a guess, but I believe this occurred in the 1920s or '30s, '40s at the latest.)



I'm glad it didn't slow you down (and that it was somewhat advantageous!), but still, how unnecessarily cruel for them to punish you so severely, and over something that has nothing whatsoever to do with "evil."    Human beings can be amazingly rotten to each other.

Melanie  (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

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Stitchboard Admin message #7
Re: Useless fact about Left Handedness
January 9, 2010 at 9:51:28 AM
 
Charlene,



Good for your father...what a great thing for him to do!



I'm glad you weren't punished by teachers/nuns, particularly for something you couldn't help.  IMO, it's like punishing someone for breathing. 

Melanie  (known to the cat as "Rowr" or "Rowr Rowr") =^.^=

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wizdmzchyld message #8
Re: Just saying "hello"
January 9, 2010 at 1:15:28 PM
 
Just thought I'd comment on the Latin factor.  At the moment, I happen to be studying Latin.  There is a small but growing community throughout the world who speak Latin as a living language.  My nephew, who excels in both Latin and Greek encouraged me to do this since I do speak both French and English.  I began just to please him but find it fascinating.  With the program he showed me online, one learns first to speak and then to read and write just as one learned one's own language.  I'm hooked now and plan on studying until I speak Latin fluently.

Charlene

monymark72 message #9
Re: Just saying "hello"
November 14, 2015 at 9:52:21 AM  (in response to wizdmzchyld message #2)
 
Hi wizdmzchld,

The latin word for left-handled is "siniestra", if you translate the word to the english, yes, it means sinister.

Diestra (right side), Siniestra (left side).

Siniestra was considered the evil side, that's why until some years ago the left handed children were forced to use and write with the right hand, specially in catholic schools.  And more years ago a left handed person was considered possesed by the demon.

This days we are considered regular people some times and some other kinda handicap person.

For some activities a left handed item will be helpful, but we are used to live in a right word and ussually we find our way.

Learn how to knit from a right handed teacher is not so hard, just change the front side for behind side and viceversa. But learn how to crochet is a different thing and much, much more easy fron a left handed techer.  

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Stitchboard Admin message #10
Re: Just saying "hello"
November 15, 2015 at 2:39:04 AM  (in response to monymark72 message #9)
 
Monica,

I'm not left-handed, but I totally get what you're saying!  I taught a crochet class and one of the women turned out to be left handed.  I offered to stand in front of a mirror, but she said she was fine with the class just as she was...I would have been completely confused!

I've taught knitting, though I don't recall anyone saying they were left handed, so maybe I was just lucky that if there was a left handed person in the class, they figured it out on their own.

I did try to learn left handed crochet, but it was soooo difficult trying to figure out how to hold the hook and yarn.  Finally had to stop, because nothing was getting accomplished.    Now I tell left handed potential crocheters they're welcome to watch a mirror, and if not, they'll need to find a left handed teacher, unless they can figure it out on their own, like the one woman did.  And she did pretty well, so that was really cool! 

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