Is there any reason to not do a sweater on a circ up too the armholes, vs doing what the pattern says on straight? I am thinking it would go much faster if I did this then each one seperatley, but maybe there is a reason why its done this way. Btw I am wanting to do this on a sleevless tank top.
Rainny
Isn’t a sleeveless tank top basically just a tube? I don’t see any reason why a tube would be easier on straights than circs.
No, people often convert patterns from separate pieces knit on straights to knit in the round on circs. You may need to subtract 2-4 sts from the caston that would have been used up by the seams, but it may not make a difference.
Thank you Rhea and Suzeeq. 
The only thing I could think of changing was possibly the number of stitches because of the seams. Your right Rhea, it is a basic tube with some decreasing at armholes. In fact the pattern I am wanting to do is switched to a circ to add a turtle neck to it. I am going to try it out on circ and see what happens. The pattern is in Better Homes and Gardens, Knitted Sweaters for Her, on page 10.
Rainy :knitting:
There are no knitting police so you can do whatever you want. :teehee:
I prefer circs over straights anyday whether knitting flat or in the round. 
In the round is the best though!
While in theory it seems logical, omitting the side seams with certain yarns, and certain st patterns, might cause the body to twist (has to do with the twist/ply of the yarn and sometimes how you knit). I have two pieces I did recently, a vest in acrylic and a cardi in merc cotton, where I opted to work them on circ w/o side seams, and both twisted. I just completed another wherein I did away with the side seams and this, a cotton blend, worked up great. No twist.
cam
I’ve made 3 knitted suits. Well, 3 cardigans with skirts-to-match because I had enough yarn leftover! The simple skirt pattern said knit the front and back to match, then seam the sides.
Hmmm. I am a follower…therefore, that’s what I did. The skirt turned out very nice!
But, the 2nd and 3rd time I needed a skirt to complement a cardigan…I knit that pattern [U]in the round[/U]…same pattern…just eliminating 4 stitches to the grand cast-on. They turned out just as nice.
My 3 skirts were all bulky yarn, BTW. A sturdy tweed, a Manos del Uruguay and a Rowan Polar.
But, I read someone’s comment over at Ravelry, in a discussion regarding the subject of seaming: To Seam, or Not-To-Seam…quite a hot topic.
Anyhoo, one of the more accomplished knitters said that seams help stabilize the garment for a better fit. She elaborated more, but that is the jist of it.
Well, my skirts couldn’t care less, they’re just tubes wrapped around my hips and legs, & elastic waistbands to boot…but, I would never take a short-cut for a cardigan or pullover if the designer didn’t recommend knitting the fronts and back all-in-one-piece (this eliminates the side seams).
There was quite a crowd of Central Park Hoodie knitters over at Ravelry who were skipping body side seams…[I]to avoid side[/I] [I]seaming[/I]…but that complicates the sleeve insertion even more. Then some were also knitting the sleeves in-the-round, too! Can you visualize this: seaming a sleeve “tube” into an arm “hole”…becuase you do have a “hole” after you seam the shoulders! Gads. Well, maybe they figured out how to pick up stitches around the arm “hole” and knit in-the-round down to the cuff! :teehee: My head hurts.
I think your sleeveless tank top is like my skirt, except for a different section of the body! Being a follower, I would probably do what the pattern says the first time around, for the experience.
ArtLady1981,
Can you visualize this: seaming a sleeve “tube” into an arm “hole”.
I’ve done this a number of times w/o too much difficulty altho I’d prefer to seam the sleeve cap flat. It’s not that different, as a seamstress, from pinning/seaming a sleeve into a woven fabric garment.
cam
i have a question, though i’d like to turn a vest into a sleeved sweater- i’m doing the front and back separately- i can just pick up the stitches on the edge and knit in the round for a ways right? will that cause the sleeves to sit funny on my shoulders?
It depends. If there’s no armhole shaping that works better, but if there’s BOs for the underarm, then decs along the arm edge, then it gets trickier.
eeh, there are both of those. 5 bo’s at the bottom edge, and then 1 dec every RS row 5 times. then it continues straight until the top. well, that’s on the front, i haven’t gotten to the shoulders on the back yet. i suppose the fabric will be bunchy underneath, and stretched at the top. but i think i’ll give it a try. the worst that can happen is that it will have to be a sleeveless sweater.
thanks for the help!
k