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Circular knitting or knitting in the round, is a form of knitting that creates a seamless tube. Originally, circular knitting was done using a set of four or five double pointed needles. Later, circular needles were invented, which can also be used to do circular knitting: the circular needle looks like two short knitting needles connected by a cable between them. Machines also do circular knitting; double bed machines can be set up to knit on the front bed in one direction then the back bed on the return, creating a knitted tube. Specialized knitting machines for sock-knitting use individual latch-hook needles to make each stitch in a round frame.

History

Many types of sweaters are traditionally knit in the round; Norwegian ski sweaters are knit this way. Even cardigans--the knitter makes a Norwegian-style pullover and then the knitting is stitched with a machine to prevent unravelling. The sweater is then cut down the front to open the cardigan up. A band for buttons is added by knitting or sewing on a tightly knitted band, often embellished with woven braid. Icelandic sweaters are also done in the round, typically. Socks are the garments most often knit in the round; double-pointed needles, with their ability to hold a smaller circumference of stitches, are still typically used.

Method

When knitting on circular needles or double points, the knitting is cast on and the circle of stitches is joined. Knitting is worked in rounds in a spiral.

Using four or five double pointed needles

1. Cast on stitches on THREE or FOUR needles. Three supports your knitting on a triangle, four makes a square "tube" as you work. The knitting will be round, however, when you are finished.

2. Divide the stitches equally over the needles and knit a round. To close the circle, knit the first stitch with the working yarn from the last stitch--and a nice trick is to use the tail of the cast on, and knit it with the first stitch. This pulls the knittng in tighter to avoid causing a gap. Keep the last and first needle as close together as possible. Make sure the knitted stitch is tight, by keeping it close to the last needle. This also avoids a gap, though any gap can be closed by a discreet stitch after you finish the article. Again, the tail of the cast on is helpful; stitch one or two small stitches with it through the gap and tighten.

3. Continue to work rounds, using the one empty needle to knit off and keeping the stitches evenly divided. Hold the two working needles as usual, and drop the other needles to the back of the work when not in use. Believe it or not, the stitches won't fall off the needles.

*Note* Experienced knitters prefer using 5, rather than 4 DPN's. When using four, three are your project needles, with the fourth being your working needle. This produces a triangular working surface When using five, four are your project needles, with the fifth being your working needle. This produces a square working surface, more similar to a circle.

Using a circular needle

1. Choose a circular length that is appropriate for the project you are knitting. If the needles are too short, the knitting will bunch up. If too long, the ends of the knitting will not meet. Generally, a hat or turtleneck is worked on a 16" circular. A sweater body is normally worked on a 29" long circular, until decreasing for the yoke or neck, when a shorter (22" or 16") needle is required. For some small work, such as cuffs, there are 11" needles but most knitters resort to a set of double points (4 or 5 needles.)

2. Cast on the required number of stitches. Place a marker on the right needle, next to the last cast-on stitch. This is important to mark the beginning of a round. Use a stitch marker, a circle of yarn, a coil-less safety pin or a rubber o-ring for a marker. It should slide easily over the needle.

3. Make sure all the bottoms of the cast-on stitches are facing downwards. If you have a twist, you end up with a real problem. This is the trickiest part of circular knitting, for the cast-on stitches want to rotate around the needle cable. Before you join, run your hand around and orient the stitches so that the loops are up and the knot-like cast-on is downwards. Then carefully knit your first stitch and check again. This cannot be corrected without ripping all the way down later on, so check and check again.

4. Stick the right needle into the first cast-on stitch on the left needle. Knit a stitch. Pull yarn after the first stitch (or two) to tighten the inevitable gap in the join.

5. Continue to knit around (right needle goes into stitch on left needle) until you reach the marker. Now, one round is completed. Slip the marker back to the right needle and continue on to the second round, just as you worked the first. Each round is equivalent to one row in flat knitting.

Knitting Small Circumferences Using a Long Circular Needle

If you hate double-pointed needles, or you don't have a circular needle with a cable short enough for your small round object, it is quite possible to knit in the round using a long circular needle. There are several websites that describe the technique:

TrishKnits.com

How to knit small circumferences using one long circular needle

Of course, Fiber Trends publishes a booklet called, "The Magic Loop," which can be purchased from a variety of local yarn shops and online vendors. It's definitely worth it to get the book. Once you understand the principle, you can apply it to any small-diameter circular knitting.

References

Knitting

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Circular knitting".

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