Knitting round-to-flat?

Hi guys!

Presently I’m working on a miniature, doll-sized sweater to practice expanding my range away from “things shaped like a rectangle” and into real knitting. Because of the size, I’ve been using four double-sided needles (size 4) rather than circular needles, which I’m more comfortable with. This all worked out fine with the body of the piece, but while working on the first sleeve, I came across this instruction:

Row 23: Turn work, begin working in straight stockinette. After 3-4 rows, you should be able to transfer all sts to one needle to make straight knitting easier.

Also, before this line the directions referred to “rounds”, and after this line it switches to “rows”.

I’m not entirely sure how this should work, exactly. It’s a circular piece – how does it suddenly become noncircular? Am I somehow supposed to flatten the piece? I tried just knitting my circle all on one needle, but the sleeve-in-progress isn’t nearly stretchable enough to handle that. Am I supposed to divide the stitches in half and work on the front and back of the sleeve separately? Is there some technique that’s crazily basic that I’m just not seeing?

Thanks for reading through this! :heart:

You might have to knit a few more rows, then try it all on one needle. And I doubt you would work on only half the sleeve.

im not sure without seeing the full directions, but it does sound as if it wants you to start working flat rather than in the round.

This is indicated by the fact that you have to turn your work (thus breaking the circular) an the fact that it starts referring to it as rows rather than rounds.

When it tells you to turn, litterally turn your work and work backl the way you have just come, at the end of that (when you get back to what would have been the start/end of the round) turn and go back again doing another row. You are now working back and forth in flat stockinette so make sure you are now alternating knit and purl rows.

What point are you at in the sleeve? I’m guessing you are at the sleeve cap, above the point of the underarm . It would make sense to begin working back and forth at that point. On a wearable sweater, you are usually instructed to either bind off a few stitches at the underarm or put them on a stitch holder when you begin the back and forth knitting. I hope that makes sense. You are a brave knitter to tackle something miniature!!!

Kaidy

Thanks guys! I figured out my problem was understanding the pattern as a concept – I’m still figuring out what each piece of the sweater is supposed to look like unattached, so it was a big surprise when it turned into a mostly-tube with a bit of a cut running along one side. It makes lots more sense that way, lol. For some reason, the “turn your work” stuff is where I’d been stuck since knitting in the round is a big succession of turning the same piece over and over again. It never occured to me to turn it in the opposite direction and work on a purl row.

I think I just needed it rephrased so I could get over my mental block with it. I tried what you’ve all suggested (after quite a bit of frogging to get rid of the mess I made when I tried to do it on my own) and the first sleeve came out looking proportional, at least! Now I just have to make this work a second time for the other side, haha.

Thanks so much for all your help! :slight_smile: