DPN's - first row(s) very loose

How-to Questions
1

I just recently learned to knit in the round (on DPN’s) :cheering: :cheering:

However, for the 3 projects I’ve done (started a glove for DH, fingerless mitts for myself which got frogged, and a sock for DS which I finished) the very top (first row or two) of my project is very very loose, there are huge loops of stitches sticking out.

It got better on my 3rd dpn project, but still kind of loose.

Will this get better on its own? Or is there something I can do to help this? Once I get down a few rows, the knitting actually looks pretty OK.

TIA for any advice. :slight_smile:

2

Lucky you… mine is always too tight unless I cast on REALLY loose. It sounds like you just need a little adjustment to tighten the stitches after you’ve done a few rounds, not too tight, just enough to pull the loops in.
It will get better with practice, don’t give up.

3

Lately I’ve been starting all my “in the round” projects on a straight needle. I cast on, and then knit the first row off using the dpns. It makes it easy to divide up and I find that my stitches are a lot more even. The little gap that’s created from knitting my first row flat is easy to sew up with your yarn tail.

4

You might try casting on a bit more snugly–the long-tail cast-on helps quite a lot in that regard. And, try working the first few rows with the dpns on a table or something, that way you’re not fighting yarn tension and all those flopping needles.

5

Thanks for the great tips!

You know, I’m examining my projects and :?? it looks like the cast on row itself is part of the problem.

Most of the stuff I’m knitting calls for a VERY loose cast-on in the instructions.

I wonder if maybe I’m just making my cast-on just TOO darn loose.

:??

6

You probably are casting on too loosely. It’s really an easy thing to do, actually. Are you using the long-tail cast on? It’s naturally tighter since it creates a knit row during the cast-on process.Here it is. It’s the first video on the page. I use it for everything!

7

i wish i could cast on that loose… mine’s the other way around, too tight, and fighting the tension the first few rows until there’s enough ‘give’ in the stitches that things even out… but, i want them all to be perfect, crisp, all-in-a-row and that’s when i have to take my “OCD-be-gone”…

8

X, try casting on with needles a size or 2 larger than you’ll need for the project. I like cable cast on, video in free videos I’m sure. It seems to have a bit of stretch built in IME. I used to go up several needle sizes for the the long tail cast on until I realized I could gently snug up the tail yarn and make my stitches more uniform. I sometimes still will use larger needles, it depends on what I’m casting on for. HTH