Hey everyone! Hope all your knitting is going well…I have a massive question about needles. I’m [I]trying[/I] ever so hard to knit a pair of socks. These ones, to be exact. http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=3012 Now, I know it says, you know, size 3 double ended needles, but I just can’t get the dividing part to work! I suck. I was wondering if it would be possible to substitue the needles for a 4.0mm circular knitting needle? Would I still get the same result? If not, could someone [I][U]please[/U][/I] for the love of knitting tell me how on earth to divide the stitches??? I’ve googled it at least 20 times and I have yet to come across a [B]simple, easy to follow[/B] guide. I really am the kind of person who needs to know every detail before I can understand something. Thankfully, once I do understand it, I remember it for like, almost ever.
So, yea. Any help would sooo be loved Thanks a million!
It won’t matter if you use larger needles, the dividing is the same, but your sts will be bigger and probably the socks will be too. What doesn’t work about the dividing sts? You don’t have to get the exact number per needle to start. Cast on your sts half of them on another needle, and use a 3rd needle to join and knit the sts that should be on the first needle. Then take the empty needle and knit the sts for the 2nd needle onto it. There should be another empty one by this time that you can knit the last sts on it. Then they’ll be divided the way they should to continue knitting.
Cast on, then knit one row flat, then join, that might be easier. Or maybe knit 2 or 3 rows. Once you have a little length to it, it’s easier to knit with. You do know that joining is just knitting the first st on the first needle? Some people think it’s a special stitch, but it doesn’t have to be.
Why don’t you practice with some other yarn for a bit, will save your sock yarn. CO about 42 sts, knit a couple rows and then join them together, don’t worry about how many sts on each needle. If you have some circulars, cast on some sts and knit with them, then dec the sts and use your dpns.
I can’t get to that pattern without signing up, so let’s just pretend they tell you to cast on 54 sts.
So do that, cast on 54 sts, onto size 3 straight needles, and be sure to leave a tail of about a foot. It looks like it starts with a 1 x 1 ribbing. If so, then K1 P1 across on each row, for 4 rows. Now:
Take 1 DPN. Keep doing your K1 P1 ribbing, and work the first 18 sts onto that first DPN. Now, take the next DPN and work the next 18 sts onto it. Now take a 3rd DPN and work the last 18 sts onto that one. You will now have all of your sts on the DPNS, divided evenly. If they have you cast on a number not divisible by 3, say 52 sts, then just do 18, 18 and 16. They should be as evenly divided as possible, but sometimes you can’t because of the number.
Next step: Here’s what you’re doing: as someone once described it to me, it’s like you had all your sts on a circular needle, but it’s been broken up into 3 pieces. You are now going to be knitting around and around in a circle, creating a tube. You just finished putting the last set of 18 sts on your 3rd needle, and now you’re going to join it to the 1st needle. So take your 4th DPN and start knitting the sts on the first needle. When you do this, pull tightly on the yarn so that there isn’t a gap between the end sts on the 3rd and 1st needle. The reason you knit flat for a few rows, first, is because when you join the sts into a circle, sometimes you can twist the row. But if you have a few rows done, you’re unlikely to do that. You left the tail so that you can stitch that little gap when you’re done.
Now take the empty needle from when you knit the sts from the 1st needle, and use that to knit the sts from the 2nd needle. Etc., just keep going and going. Also, check out the DPN video under “advanced techniques” in the video section of this site. That may help a lot, too.
Joining succes!!! :cheering: :cheering: One little bitsy thing though I’m still a little unsure of. When actually knitting, how do you keep three needles going? I tried with my test yarn and ended up with two needles and sort of an open rectangle shape. Was that supposed to happen? o_O
EDIT: Sorry! Dumb question; I hadn’t watched the video yet. I have now, and I think I can get it from here. Thanks everyone for your help, and for putting up with me :LOL: