I still do this as well. I never understood why the little poem was so popular. At that point it’s just coming down to rote memorization, as pretty much any month can be used in any order and it will still sound right.

The thing one does need to remember with the knuckle method is to count the end twice before going back the other way. July and August are both 31. I suppose this isn’t an issue if 2 fists are used, but I was taught to use one, so I could use my finger to track and feel the peaks and valleys.