i bought 29" circulars to make the “cold weather hat.” is the cable too long,or can it still be done?
It can be done if you have a pattern that is knit flat but if you are knitting in the round you are going to have to knit for someone with a giant head unfortunately 
oooor if you have two pairs of needles that size and length, or longer, you could knit in the round on two circs. there is a video showing how on this site.
thanx for replying so soon! i guess i’ll just have to buy soe needles with a smaller cable
16 inch needles are usually best for hats. I have found they are hard to find in places like Hobby Lobby and Michaels though. I have always had to order my 16 inch online or go to my LYS.
I like 16" for hats too. Remember that you’ll also need DPNs, two circs, or one long circ to do the top because the 16" will be too long when the diameter gets smaller.
what is “my LYS”? i bought my 29" needles at michaels bcuz that was the only size cable they had
sorry…Local Yarn Shop.
Yeah unfortunately 29 and 30+ are about all that the michaels type places usually carry. BUT you can get another one and do two circ knitting. i love knitting in the round on two circs and then you wouldn’t need the DPNs either!
You can still use the longer needles, it’s no harder than learning to use dpns. I do sleeves with 29" using a variation of the Magic Loop method. I pull out the cord on just one side instead of both. Go to http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/advanced_techniques/ and look at the video for knitting small diameter things.
sue
lets say i just have one 29" needle…
what other projects would that be useful for (knitting in the round)
Hats are so much fun, though. Can you return the one you have and get a longer one? I like magic loop for small diameters, but 29" seems a little on the short side, especially for a hat. KP options (you’ll see banner ads for them here on the KH site) aren’t too spendy.
Just had to hop in to say I love knitting in the round! I’m knitting with my circs for the first time and love it 
You can also go to www.joann.com to order needles, they have good specials online all the time. Good luck!
that’s where i found several of my 16 inch circs… i did find the ones i selected seemed to have smaller points than other brands but they still worked well.
sadly most Joann stores don’t have hooey for a selection of needles.
i dont see myself going back to the store or ordering anything anytime soon, so i guess since i just have one 29", magic loop is really my only option(the only option that doesnt involve buying something else)
i do have alot of question about magic loop though, especially since i’ve never knit in the round.
for instance do i use a stitch marker for magic loop?
do i follow the pattern exactly, or do i have to make changes?
a couple more questions i just thought of:
does magic loop make stockinette stitch when doing all knits?
and
do i need DPNs for magic loop?
The whole thing about the ML technique (or single loop, where you just pull the cord out on one side instead of both) is to shorten up a longer circ so you can knit something with a small diameter. Otherwise, it’s no different from regular knitting in the round.
SO…
Yes, use a stitch marker anytime you knit in the round so you know when the next round begins. The pattern is written for circular knitting which is what you’ll be doing, so follow it, knitting every round for stockinette stitch. You can’t do ML with dpns, they don’t have a cord.
sue
what i meant by the DPN question was, when i am finishing the hat, do i need DPNs to do the top (i guess not…)
ML is an alternative to DPNs, so you’d just use it all the way through. I would still caution against using a needle of that length for a hat though. I did a pair of socks on a 32" circ recently and it got very crowded. I suppose you can cast on and see whether you have enough room.
Ahhh, it’ll work fine. I do sleeves with 29" all the time.
sue
so 29" is way to big for regular knitting in the round for a hat, but too small for knitting a hat in ML. oh the irony. what is a 29" good for anyway?
No, it’s perfect for sweaters. Don’t throw it out. And yes, try it for the hat…
sue, being stubborn because it can be done!!!