Converting a straight needle pattern to circular knitting

#1

The sweater pattern is written for straight needles. I would like to knit it as a tube. What do I have to do? Its a sweater for my best friend’s birthday so she picked the pattern and yarn (so I know that she will like it.) Do I just :

  1. mark the beginning.
  2. omit the 4 selvedge stitiches?
  3. when I get to armhole shaping do I go on to straights or can I keep them on circulars and use 2 balls of yarn (1 for front and back?)

Is this correct? or there other secrets that I need to know?

I don’t think I could possbily convert it to a “knit from the top” sweater. I am a novice knitter and a math idiot. Hopefully someday in the future.

Carol

#2

Sounds like you’ve got the right idea. Eliminate the selvedge stitches and knit in the round up to the armholes. At this point you can divide front and back and knit them straight–on circs if you want–one for the front and one for the back. At this point you’d have to work back and forth.

Or if you’re feeling daring, you can do steeks–you add extra stitches for the armholes and then sew and cut them when they’re the right height. But since you say you’re a novice knitter you might want to save steeks for later. :wink:

If you want to do them, here is a thread where I showed a sweater using steeks.

#3

thanks, I would like to try steeks but I try to learn to work one new thing at a time. Otherwise I just get confused and mess up and end up frogging so much I get frustrated and hate to work on the project. so I am first going to conquer knitting in the round then on to another new thing.

I have read about steeks and it makes so much sense as does knitting from the top down. Future goals in knitting.

Thanks again. I always appreciate your help. And it is always posted very soon after I ask my question. I imagine you knitting at your computer 24/7.

Carol

#4

No, I knit on the couch and take breaks at the computer. My house is a mess. :rofling:

#5

I am doing pretty well with the sweater. Have about 4 inches on the needles. Now I am beginning to wonder about the how to do the armholes.

The pattern calls for 2 selvedge stitches on each side which I am not using because I am knitting the body as a tube. So if the armhole says decrease 5 stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rows do I decrease for 3 or 5? will I have to continue making adjustments at any other place in the armhole?

And will I have to make adjustments when knitting the sleeves?

And do I sew the sleeves on as tubes or flat?

I am so thankful for this site. We don’t have any 24 hour yarn stores here in Orlando so at 10:20 PM I would not have anyplace to go for help without this site.

#6

[color=red]
:roflhard: :roflhard: :roflhard: Ditto on all of the above, 'cept I have “my chair”. :roflhard: :roflhard: :roflhard: [/color]

#7

:smiley:

I think I’d go with the 3 stitches for the armholes. At this point, follow the pattern as if you were knitting flat. You eliminated the selvedge on the body since there will be no seam to take them up. You will sew the sleeves on, so you’ll need those stiches.

Sleeves are up to you. You’ll need at the narrowest points to use dpns for them. If you decide to do the sleeves in the round, you should eliminate two stitches from the total count.

#8

Is there a way to do the sweater part in the round, dividing for front and back once getting to the armholes, and then pick up stitches for the sleeves and work them from the top down and do the sleeves in the round as well, rather than knitting them flat from the cuff up?? I just can’t picture how this would be possible if the sleeves had sleeve caps.

#9

Actually, I’ve done that a few times. You can pick up the stitches at the armhole and knit them down from the body, but as Knitqueen says, you get basically a drop sleeve. If the sleeve is set in or the armhole is angled, I don’t know enough to say how to do it so it would look good.

#10

Say you knit the body in the round, up to the armhole shaping then divide for front and back, also knit the sleeves in the round rather than flat, up until the sleeve shaping when you start knitting flat again for the sleeve cap yada yada yada…how difficult is it to sew a sleeve in that way??? I know usually when patterns are all knit flat and in seperate pieces, you always sew the sleeve cap in first, then seam the side of the sweater and length of the sleeve after.

#11

Whenever I’ve done sleeves like that they haven’t been shaped–just straight across the top. I guess you could sew it in if it was in the round, but it probably is easier if you do it flat if the sleeve is shaped.

#12

But if the body portion has been converted to working in the round, the side seam will also be closed already so I think it would be a little trickier to sew in the sleeve in this case whether or not the sleeve was worked flat or in the round.

I’m revisiting this thread because I’ve started on a top down sweater that I’m converting to working in the round. It is a brain challenge, that’s for sure!!!

Just so I’m sure…because it’s top down, instead of casting stitches OFF when you divide for front and back, I have to cast stitches ON in order to joing it all in the round and start the lower body portion. I’m supposed to cast on 8 stitches on each side of the front and back, according to the pattern, so since I’m doing it in the round should I only cast on 7 stitches each side??

#13

Right. Take off one stitch for each edge that’s no longer there.

As for the sleeves–whatever works.

#14

The Ann Budd Sweater knitting pattern book has detailed patterns for knitting basic sweaters in the round. Raglan, Drop shoulder, saddle shoulders and round yoke. It’s a fabulous book! If you get it make sure you check the Interweave site for corrections (right Ingrid?!).

#15

:thumbsup:

#16

No, I knit on the couch and take breaks at the computer. My house is a mess.

:roflhard:

I am not alone!

On the sleeve question - sewing in a flat knit sleeve into a sweater knit in the round shouldnt be too difficult. Im not an expert knitter but I am a very good sewer :slight_smile: The main thing would be to divide off both sleeve and sweater into quarters. Mark the spots with yarn or pins. Match the marks
and away you go.
The trouble you might run into would be either the sleeves or sweater being bigger than the other and thus not an exact match. In that case just divide those quarter sections again in half (in other words your sweater and sleeves are now marked out to 1/8th sections) you can then ease the extra stiches evenly around the armhole.
I hope that makes sense.

#17

Thank you! :thumbsup: