Maybe try three needles on the main body and knit with the 4th.

And what if you you still continue practicing knitting with the belt and with adapting your technique? I am used to supported knitting on one point straight knitting neeles, and when I take circulars it is better with this belt used as cushion when I knit, I had to find a way. I wanted to be equally comfortable with circular knitting needles. I had sewn this knitting belt for myself. I should say that it is not right when people say it is the same process^ straight knitting needles or circular needles. The mechanics seems a little different and different body parts work or a trained or strained, especially in comparison to supported knitting.

Thank you so much for posting an honest review of your experience with a Shetland knitting belt.

I struggled a bit with the long needles you also have. It worked much better for me with 10” needles.

I think you gave it a good try! Sometimes you try a technique and it doesn't work well either for your body, or the way you knit. I like working with circulars, especially magic loop, but the first few times I did magic loop I was all fingers and thumbs and I kept pulling the needles out of the stitches and so I didn't do it for almost a year, then it finally clicked.

With my knitting belt, I like that the belt bears the weight of the knitting and the needles, especially after I broke my elbow a couple of years ago, however I agree with you that it isn't as easy to use if you are around other people, or in a small space, I often knit with DPNs, or a circular on the train, or on holiday, but the long needles stay at home.

Thankyou for such an informative video. I was thinking of purchasing a knitting belt but now I can see the way it works I think it would be too much of a faff, and a very slow process. I have been knitting with circulars for some time now and I am very comfortable with those. My problem is I broke my left arm about five months ago and the bone wasn't healing due to them discovering cancer inside. The surgeon consequently fitted a metal pin in my upper arm and ever since the op I find it becomes really painful to knit due to the movement in my arm, shoulder, and hand. If you have any suggestions as to how I can knit just by using my right arm and keeping the left arm still I would be most grateful. Thankyou x

Glad for the honest video. I have a belt and just received the needles in the mail. I have pain in my left shoulder and I am not seeing this method will help. It seems you have to hold your work more in the air (needles are sooo long) and just as slow as throwing. I will review the recommended video. Thanks!

I think your biggest issue is your stitch making style isn't going to be compatible with speed. A long time ago I taught myself what I call a modified cottage tension  for colorwork where I keep the yarn tensioned in my right hand and can do the same with a second color in my right. But watching your hands you still knit full English style (I'm not knocking it if that's what works for you.)
But if you look at the history of knitting belts and production knitting in the Shetland, you'll see them holding the yarn differently which is where the speed with this technique comes from. You've got the left hand great.
But I think it is really important to know what works best for you and your ingrained techniques for your enjoyment of knitting.

You are comparing your chapter 20 with circular needles to your chapter 1 with the knitting belt 😊

One week, for me, was the time to get relatively comfortable with the belt. But becoming fast - that's a whole different story. I'm knitting with a belt for over ten years now, and I would say I am approaching Hazel speed now 😉 not that I'm already there yet - but to become speedy, this takes time, when you're learning a completely new technique.

Plus, your are throwing? I find flicking much speedier with the belt. The thread was quite a long way from the needle tips as well, from what I've seen - keeping the distance between fingers and needle tips as short as possible is one of the key elements of speed with the belt.

I always see that people who knit with circulars move their wrists a great deal more than me with the belt. In the long run, this could mean CTS or other problems with the right arm, which might cause having to stop knitting altogether with age.

It's also important to have the arms in a 90 degree angle - because someone here in the comments wrote that the needles are so long and the knitting is in the air - when you have to reach out to get to your needle tips, it's not right. You have to position the belt so that you can touch the needle tips comfortably without reaching.

First time visitor to your channel – came here as your  video was recommended by YouTube after I saw one by Hazel Tindall. Now I’m a continental knitter, so apologies in advance if I’m misunderstanding something here, but as far as I can see, you aren’t actually knitting the way she showcased. Looks like you are throwing the yarn, and I don’t now what her method is called, but it’s definitely different – and I’m guessing faster than throwing, even for less experienced knitter than she is. Given that, I’m not sure if you actually have tried that method.
    You say that you quickly took to circular needles, but that’s a relatively speaking much smaller step to take – from throwing jumper needles to throwing circular needles (or continental jumper to continental circular, for that matter) compared to switching from throwing circular, to the way she’s adding the working yarn and the knitting belt technique. So you shouldn’t be discouraged by the knitting belt technique didn’t feel comfortable as quickly as circular needles did. You are obviously a skilled knitter in your preferred technique, but adapting a new way of knitting that is so different than the one you’ve got “in your fingers” is difficult for anyone, and usually takes much more time than a week. If you really want to give the knitting belt an honest try, perhaps you should find a workshop, with a good instructor, give it more time than a week of practicing, and also give it more uninterrupted time, as it sounds like you were often having to set the knitting aside during this week’s test. I know how inept I, as a continental knitter, become when I sometimes for fun try throwing, and I just end up giggling at myself. I’m sure I could learn it well with some instruction and tenaciously keeping at it, but for me, there’s no real point making that switch. For a method that could potentially keep me from injury and knitting to an older age, the initial awkwardness and slower pace might be worth it. (My English is good, but I’m not a native speaker, so I please bear with me if something’s awkward in my comment.)