Two circs and boye needlemaster set

#1

Hi:
I was reading in the general knitting forum that you can use your boye needles as two circs with just one set…here is what amy said (my question is after):1) Use the “2 circular needles” method, with JUST the needles from your one Interchangeable needle set!

(What’s the “2 circular needles” method? See Small Diameter Circular knitting, here.) Obviously you can’t make 2 complete sets of circular needles of the same size, because that would require 4 needle tips of the same size, and you only have two in your kit. But what you can do, and this works JUST as well, is put the size needle you want to work with, on in the right hand side of each pair of circular needles. Mis-match the sets with a smaller needle on the left side. Because you’re knitting ONTO the right size needle, in both cases, you’ll have the correct gauge! The needle your knitting OFF of can be smaller, and it won’t affect your gauge! In fact, if you’re a tight knitter, this is a good idea anyway!

And then Quietheart posted this part (which I would like the answe to too!):

I have a question about this idea for you folks who have done it.
Because there is a smaller needle on one end, and you slide back and forth, won’t you be knitting onto the smaller needles every other time?
Or are you stopping and changing needle ends?
I checked the video and saw that yes, you are working off one needle then the other.
I don’t see that every time you are working off the right needle. It is once working off the right needle and next working off smaller needle.
Where am I confused?

Thanks all!

Katy

#2

Thanks Katy for reposting this :slight_smile:

I’ve been doing this with my Denise’s for a few days now. I put one of each size on each cable. So I mismatched the ends. But the sizes are very close, 7 and 8 and it’s just for some rustic dolls I am currently addicted to. Works fine for this. But we still need the answer for those times that gauge would be much more important like socks etc.

Kath

#3

You mismatch the needles such that every time you turn everything around, your correct needle tip is in your right hand. You never have to knit onto the smaller needle.

#4

Thanks Yvonne, I suppose I will just have to fiddle with this some more…and what if you are a left handed knitter? Do you then put the correct needle in your left hand?

Thanks
Katy

#5

You can also buy extra pairs of tips too for the Needlemaster, they’re pretty inexpensive. I do that whenever knitting stuff goes on sale for half-price at Hobby Lobby, which makes them about a dollar and change so eventually I’ll have almost a duplicate set, except I haven’t been able to find size 5!

But I see you’re in Canada, so you’ll have to check at Lewiscraft or the like.

#6

Thanks for the tip Kristen!

#7

It works because the 2 circular method is for knitting in the round, not knitting flat, therefore you would not be knitting onto the smaller size needle every other row. If you try it you will see that you will always be knitting ONTO the correct sized needle (ie. this will be the one in your right hand).

#8

I can see where buying extra ends would be a great solution. But when you work with two circs you work one way, slide it down ,work on the other side, turn and slide the other side back every other “pass”. You can see that in Amy’s video. That’s what spawned the original question.

I’ve been doing it all week working on some projects. My projects didn’t show any noticeble problem, but the needle sizes were close and gauge didn’t matter. But you do work off the smaller needles,too.

I knit continental just like the video.

I suppose as long as you do you gauge swatch this way, it would be ok too probably.

Kath

#9

Now I know what you mean. In the video demonstration, Amy did use two different size circs, but they weren’t interchangeables. She mentioned that it’s not okay to do for real because one side of the knitting will be an entirely different gauge than the other side, as you actually are using only one needle at a time.
To make it work with interchangeables, put for instance a size 4 and size 5 tip on one cable, and the same two different tips on a second cable. Then cast all stitches onto a size 5 (the bigger one) tip. Transfer half of the stitches onto the other needle onto the size 4 (smaller) tip. Slide everything down to the other ends, turn so that the working yarn is coming from the right side. This way, the correct needle tip size (bigger) is always the one you’ll pick up to begin knitting, on every pass. You don’t knit with the smaller one at all, just off the smaller one.

#10

No lol That’s not what I meant. This is so hard to explain in typing eh? lol

I have the needles mismatched.

Look at the video again, mark in your mind the second “end” of one needle so you watch it.
Every other pass, it gets used.

I know she has two diff needles, that’s not what I mean.

When she turns and slides it back, she is then going to be working with the smaller ones every other time.

So either doing it with mismatched ends I need to change something from the way she is doing it on the video, or I am desperately confused lol
Maybe it’s in the way you explain to cast on, but from doing it this week I couldn’t seem to get the needles to not be the active ones every other pass.

Thanks for trying to help out this poor confused soul! lol

Kath

#11

There IS a way to arrange the tips on the cables so that you are always working ONTO the correct sized needle without having to rearrange the tips each time, obviously this is a difficult thing to explain!! As long as you have the tips on the correct sides of the cables when you start, the only way you will ever actually be knitting onto the SMALLER size needle is if you turn your work and are actually working on the wrong side of you knitting, which you do not do in circular knitting.

#12

LOL yep I know it is really hard to explain in typing. It has to be the way I am casting on and the way I have the needles. As I am always working on the front of the work etc.
I will keep trying, as several of you said it’s possible so I have got to figure it out.
I do appreciate folks trying to explain to this dimwit though!

Kath

#13

You are not a dimwit! It really is difficult to explain in writing. Trust me, I just finished some socks yesterday that I knit with this method and it can be done :slight_smile:
So! We are agreeing on the fact that you will use two sets of points one size apart, with the larger needle size being the “real” one. And you already know you put one of each size on the different ends of each cable. To cast on, cast the entire number of stitches onto one of the “real” ends. Now take your other circular, transfer half of the cast on stitches onto the “wrong” tip. Slide all the stitches down to the other end of the needles. The stitches will be joined at the bottom and open at the top. Turn the whole thing over, front to back, so that your working yarn is hanging off the right side. Now the stitches you will begin to knit for the beginning of round one are ready and waiting on the “wrong” tip. Pick up the other end of that same needle, which is the “real” tip. Knit those stitches. Now turn the whole thing over and slide the stitches you need to knit for the other half of the round onto the “wrong” tip. Pick up the other end of that needle, which is the “real” tip, and knit those. Now do it all over again. This way, you always knit off the wrong tip and onto the right tip, which determines gauge.
I wish I could describe it better!

#14

Thank you for the detailed description of the cast on.
I think that’s where I was going wrong.
I was casting all onto one, then using the “smaller end” to divide them"

I also knit continental so when I turn, the yarn isn’t on the right hand side it’s on the left coming up between the needles .

I also think some of my confusion was coming from not knowing which needle was the “right” one. Going onto or coming off of. If that makes any sense.

I really appreciate you taking time to take me through the steps.
I’ve printed it out so I can go through it and see what I am doing wrong.
I WILL win this battle of wits with a STICK! laugh

Kath

#15

:happydance: :cheering: :thumbsup:

There’s some cheerleading for you! You WILL be able to do it!

Even if knitting continental, with holding the yarn in your left hand, that working yarn will still be originating on the right side when you start; that’s the needle that becomes the “back” needle once you get going.
I agree that the confusion is right from the get-go with casting on. Do it step by step and it will work. Good luck!

#16

The nice thing about the interchangeables is that if you happen to get the tips mixed up at first (I have a really hard time envisioning that if I screw them on such and such a cable, then cast on, divide the stitches, etc., WHERE exactly should the ‘right’ tips be??) you can just unscrew the ends and put them where they SHOULD be before starting.

I hope it works out for you…here’s some more cheerleading for you! :cheering: :cheering: :cheering:

#17

HA! I GOT IT To work!
Ok you did and I copied you laugh

It was exactly what you said, the cast on/splitting stitches onto the smaller needle.
I was keeping large with large and small with small :slight_smile:
So key point for anyone else reading this.
Cast on large
PUT HALF ON SMALL , TADA

Thanks so much to all of you for being so patient with me.
Btw, I checked your web page link Yvonne,and laughed and laughed.
your barrette is sitting on my head as I type :slight_smile: I have 100s of them in different sizes, diff yarns and loop sizes :slight_smile: lol one of my fav patterns :slight_smile:

#18

Whoo hoo!!!
I knew you could do it!
It really can be confusing. That “cast on large, transfer to small” thing you mentioned is the only way I ever got it straight too. I actually wrote it down. There are three things scribbled on my desk calendar, and that’s one of them. The othes are “knit, purl, purl, knit” (for grafting, which I also never remember) and “K2, P1” (scrunchable).
I don’t know; once I turned 40 I kept forgetting things. Next I’ll have to put “L” and “R” on my shoes.

Glad you like the barrette :slight_smile:
My girls love that one too, and also have about ten trillion of them.

#19

LOl I have this knitting book that is a spiral bound small book that I grab for the kitchener stuff , I too can never remember the 'preparation" lol
I’ve now taken to scribbling notes inside this book lol

Thanks again!
Kath