Knitting on dpns

#1

OK, i have watched Amy’s videos and they are extremely helpful. And I am not trying to make this harder than it is. But when I knit on dpns it seems I am knitting inside out or something.

Say I am knitting on 4 needles. I cast on and then I join the work. I do this by slipping a stitch from my left needle onto the right (the one with the working yarn). Then i take the 2nd stitch from the right and lsip it onto the left. Is that where I am screwing up? :doh:

It seems when I knit on dpns my work is coming towards me instead of away from me. It is coming from the top of the needles.

I have been told to work the needle closest to me, blah, blah, blah…

I just am not getting it!! Someone please help this newbie (eyes tearing up). :crying:

ANy help would be appreciated. I am trying to make little Cadbury easter chick and bunny cozies for my family.

Thanks, ali

#2

When knitting on DPN’s, take your free needle, and insert it into the first stitch of the needle in your left hand, then work across all the stiches from your left hand and knit them onto your free needle.

By free needle, I mean the one that doesn’t have any stitches on it. Then, when you have knit all the stitches from the needle in your left hand onto the free needle, the one in your left hand becomes the free needle and the needle to the left becomes the new one that you knit from.

I hope I haven’t confused you more. If you are still having issues, I suggest trying to find a local yarn shop and getting them to show you there.

HTH!!

Trish

#3

Dear Trish,

Thank you so much for answering. I do take my free needle and knit into the 1st stitch on my left needle.

Maybe I am not holding the needles correctly. Say I have 4 needles. Needel in right hand with working yarn is at the top of the circle along with the left hand needle. The working yarn is coming from behind the needle. I wrap it around my point from behind the right needle as well. Is this correct.

Also, my WY needle and left hand needle are at the top. Should they be at the bottom of the circle. Everyone keeps saying work the needles closest to you. Should I spin the circle or something. I swear I am not trying to make this hard. :??

Sincerely, Alison

#4

Ok, let me see if I can help without making things more confusing…

I’m not quite sure what you mean here, but I don’t think you need to be slipping stitches to join anything, you just take the working yarn from the right and start knitting on the left needle. Watch amy’s video carefullly again to see how she joins the work–I got confused on that at first and had to really watch where everything was in the video. In the continental dpn video anyway, she’s not slipping stitches anywhere…are you watching that one or english?

Once you join, keep knitting the stitches on the left needle until they are all moved over to the right needle, then turn your work a bit and move to the needle to the left of the one you just worked. Take your newly emptied needle and make that your right needle, and knit from left to right again.

When I knit in the round my needles are at the “top” and I don’t think that’s a problem.

Hmm, does that make sense? Someone correct me if I’m wrong! :thinking:

#5

oops, actually there is only one version of the dpn video anyway, so disregard my comment about that…

#6

thanks so much for taking the time to help me with this.

I learned the joining of the yarns through a sock book I got for my birthday. Can’t recall the name of it just now, but the book is in the shape of a sock.

After reading the helpful comments I am starting to think I am knitting on the dpns correctly. Someone on another site told me I was knitting inside out. If I was knitting inside out what would be the cause of that. What move or techniques does one have that creates that to happen.

Anyway, I hope I haven’t watsed anyone’s time. But, I sure woudl like to resolve this so that I can start knitting socks.

THANKS A BUNCH!!! :inlove: ALison

#7

Ali, yes, it’s strange at first. But I love it now. That slipping the first stitch to initially join the circle is called ‘Trading Places’. In the sock book, I learned from that book too. I think she feels it makes for a tighter join. So you’re not screwing up there, as long as you only do that ONCE in the beginning.

Have you progressed any further?

#8

I only do it once and it does seem to make for a very tight join. Unfortunatley, no, I have not progressed much further. I started knitting a sock a couple weeks ago but it seems when I got to the gusset I was knitting inside out. I’m only guessing on this.

So, to get used to dpns I started knitting the Cadbury chick and/or bunny. Anyway, I questioned myself the whole time and frogged everything I started. I think I am just going to blindly finish an item and see what turns out. Maybe then I can figure out if I am knitting wrong.

I will say this, my work does seem to grow from the top coming towards me instead of growing from the bottom of the circle. That seems to be my tipoff that I am doing something wrong. (Deep sigh)

Thanks so much for your response. I shall perservere, this will not beat me!!!

Ali :XX: