
I taught myself how to knit over 25 years ago with a couple good books on the subject. I prefer to knit English Style, but I am also fairly competent at Continental Style. Unfortunately, either way, after hours and hours of knitting, my hands get incredibly sore, especially when I am using very fine yarn. So, I did a little research and discovered Portuguese Style knitting.
In Portuguese Style knitting, your yarn is draped around your neck and is tensioned by weaving the yarn over a single finger. Stitches are then made with a small flick of the thumb. Less motion throughout your hands means a lot less stress and pain.