This is the last post about the different techniques you can use to knit in the round. Yes, there are probably more out there (spool knitting, looms, and i-cords come to mind), but I wanted to focus on the ones that you would be most likely to come across in your knitting experiences. This method is knitting with two circular needles. Yes, they need to be the same size, but not the same length. Again however, longer is better. While you can get away with 24″ cords for this, I hope you’re come to realize by now that there really is no reason to have ones that short in your kit. If you bought them years ago, keep them, but if you’re a new knitter and just foraying out into the world to buy circular needles, get them at least 32″ in length. I prefer 40″ and up – and yes, I know I said that before.
So, knitting with two circulars is actually an offshoot of the Magic Loop technique discussed in the last post. As a matter of fact. you start off the same way – by casting on all your stitches and finding the halfway point in your knitting. Instead of sliding the nylon through the stitches however, we’re going to place half the stitches on the second circular needle that you have. So what you end up with is two needles side by side with half your stitches on the nylon between the needles of both needles. Let’s call these needles needle A and needle B. Also, let’s arrange them in a way that the first cast on stitches are on needle A, closest to you, and the rest are on B, farthest away from you.
To join the first round and start knitting, slide the stitches on needle A to one of the right tip of the circular needle. Take the other tip of this SAME needle (A) and bring it around to make a loop, and ready for knitting. Pull the yarn from the last cast on stitch to the front so it is in reach for you to use. Now start knitting, joining the first round as you do so. Remember to make the first stitch a little snug so that you don’t end up with a big old gap there. When you finish that “row”, you’ll repeat the same process with the other stitches on the other needle. If it sounds a little confusing, don’t worry -here’s a few pictures from WeebleKnits to show you (along with a link to their website).
Also, Cat Bordhi has put up a fantastic video on YouTube that I have copied here. She also has a very unique way of describing things that makes it easy to remember. Thanks Cat, and enjoy everyone!
Hugzzz 😎