Left-Hander's Day

There are four general categories of handedness.

• Right handed is the most common. Surveys have suggested that 70 to 90% of people world-wide are right handed.
  
• Left handedness is less common with about 10% being reported as left handed.
• Mixed-handedness, or cross-dominance is doing different tasks with different hands. For instance, I do most things right handed, but I've been known to do some sports with my left hand. Although I fit into the mixed handedness category, most people would say I'm right handed.
• Ambidexterity is doing a task equally well with either hand. It is extremely rare, some say 1%, but it can be learned.

I always knew that scissors were right and left handed. I had tried to use a friend's left handed scissors and got a taste of what if feels like when they don't work.

I didn't understand why knives would be different. After all, the handle is the same on both sides, right? I learned that it has to do with the way the blade is sharpened. If bread is cut with the blade on the wrong side, the pressure causes more crumbs to fall.

According to "The Left-Hander Syndrome by Stanley Coren, cats, mice and rats show an equal split between right and left pawedness.

It is commonly believed by trainers and handlers that dogs also will have a preference for one side. Sheepdogs often prefer to circle the sheep in one direction over the other and must be trained to take both directions comfortably. It is also a widespread belief that when a dog retrieves a dumbbell, the direction he most commonly turns to return to the handler, is a sign of the dog’s side preference.

A friend of mine, who happened to be left handed, asked me to teach her to knit. I did some research and found that most sources did not recommend knitters to learn a left handed technique unless absolutely necessary. A small number of people reported actually becoming dizzy or experiencing vertigo when trying to knit right handed. Fortunately, most people can easily learn to knit from right handed knitters. It is a skill that involves both hands equally. If someone learned to knit left handed, most knitting patterns would have to be altered. There are very few patterns written with the left-handed knitter in mind. My friend had no trouble learning to knit the same way I do and avoided any difficulties with patterns.

Musicians sometimes do have difficulty with a right handed instrument. Some guitar players restring the guitar reversing the order. Some guitar players actually just turn the instrument around and learned to play by making the chords in reverse. It does create a unique sound. The well-known folk singer and writer, Bill Staines, has this style of playing. Today you can buy a left handed instrument.

Left Handed

Left Handers Day Web Site

Left Hander's Day Quiz