I am new to the forum and new to knitting. I’ve completed one project and have moved on to my next which is leaving me a bit complexed.
It’s an afghan and the pattern is written for any skill level but it’s on circular needles. So here’s where I run into problems. When using regular needles you have to switch the working needles around to continue working, do you do the same with circular needles or do you just keep working continuously around and around?
If you keep working continuously around and around how do you descern where the edges of the work are?
I have watched the circular knitting video on knitting help but I’m still a bit lost on it. Any tips to circular knitting would be greatly appreciated!
When something large, like an afghan, calls for circular needles, it’s only to accommodate the number of stitches. You use the tips as if they are two separate needles–finish the row and turn and work back the other way.
If you were knitting, say, a sweater, in the round, you’d join the stitches and work round and round in a tube.
I am having the same problem trying to knit 64 sts on #8, 16" circulars. I am constantly tugging the stitches around the cable. I read somewhere (?) that you can add a few stitches to the 64 cast-ons to make it work. I don’t recall how you figure how many you can add. Any comments? I’m knitting a baby cap.
I use magic loop on hats and mittens, but run into problems with adult hats. My cable just isn’t long enough. In such a case, you use a single loop method. Tighten the circle. Pull the right needle out. Make a rabbit ear loop. Knit with the rabbit loop out until it gets difficult to knit, then pull the right needle out again and just keep going around. You’ll need to mark the beginning of the round.
I don’t think I’d try the single loop method for a 16" cable myself. I use at least a 32" inch for magic loop hats and prefer a 40".
If you are using worsted weight you might be able to get them around a 16", but any lighter weight is going to tough IMO. How many extra you cast on depends on the size you’re making and the pattern design.
The 16" would work with the single loop, you’d probably only need to do it for the first few rounds. The CO and first round or 2 can be a little hard to fit around without stretching, but once there’s a little length to it, the sts should fit okay.
