Knitting in the round may sound scary to a new knitter, but it’s easier than you think. When you knit in the round there’s no need to turn and work across the back. Instead, you are creating a tube of knitted fabric by working around in a circle. The right, or “public,” side of the project will always face you. So, there’s no “If I purl on this side, it will look like a knit stitch on the other…right?” figuring going on.

There are two different styles of needles designed to help you knit tubular objects such as hats or socks: circular needles and double point needles. And there are three different techniques for just the circular needles. All have their pros and cons, so we’ll take a look at each in turn, to help you decide which technique will work best for your project.

The Originals: Double Point Needles (DPNs)

Double point needles, needles with a point at each end, are the oldest tools for knitting in the round. They started cropping up in paintings in the late 1300’s and haven’t yet left the scene.

Knitting Madonna by Bertram c1390

Pros:

• The ability to knit small tubes

  DPNs allow you to make small tubes, such as socks or wrist warmers. When working with a circular needle in the traditional manner you can not knit a tube that is too small to stretch around the whole circumference of the needle. No need to worry about that with DPNs.

• Historical Significance

  Circular needles are a fairly new phenomenon in the knitting time frame. Double points are what our ancestors worked with to make amazingly beautiful sweaters, socks, mittens, hats, and much more. If you are interested in recreating historical garments, these needles can give you a sense of what it was really like for the original knitter. And they give you great street cred at your local renaissance festival.

• Easy to Store and Transport

  Circular needles can be a bit awkward to store due to the long wire that connects them. DPNs are easy to throw into a pencil case and into your knitting bag.

Cons:

• Can Be Awkward for Beginners

  “This is like knitting with an octopus!” That’s an actual quote from a first time double point knitter. Casting on and knitting the first few rounds on DPNs is a bit cumbersome, but once you get past them, the rest is pretty much smooth sailing.

• Dropped Stitches

  If you have too many stitches to easily fit on your DPNs, then they can start to slip off the ends. This is not fun, but can be remedied by adding another needle into the round. So, instead of distributing your stitches over three needles, distribute them over four. (This is the reason why many manufacturers sell double points in packs of five.)

• The Dreaded Ladder

  It’s very easy for the space in between the needles to become stretched out, giving you a “ladder” down your knitting. It looks a bit like you have dropped a stitch, but it can be prevented by giving a little tug when knitting the first stitch of each needle.

A Knitting Revolution: The Circular Needle

Made famous by Elizabeth Zimmerman’s book, Knitting Without Tears, circular needles are two double point needles connected by a plastic wire. They vary in length, allowing you to knit everything from a hat to a sweater in the round.

Pros:

• Easy Peasy

  Because there are only two needles, instead of the traditional four DPNs, it feels just like knitting on straight needles. You can go around and around for days. It’s great TV knitting!

• Fewer Dropped Stitches

  When working with circulars, there’s less of a need to worry about stitches dropping off the tips of your needles. Just grab a set of point protectors from your LYS (local yarn shop) to put on the tips when you’re not actually knitting, and you’re good to go.

Cons:

• Size Restrictions

  When working with a circular needle, you can’t knit anything smaller than the circumference of the needle. Say you want to knit a sock. You can’t get a tube that small to stretch around even the smallest circular needle, which is twelve inches.

• Twisted Wires

  Many circular needles have plastic wires that retain the shape in which they were packaged, a coil. This twisted wire can be annoying and make working with the needle awkward. But, for the most part it can be remedied with mild heat. I know one knitter who just straightens the wire out and sits on it for a while. Her body heat does the trick. Strange, but true.

• Gettin’ Fancy: Knitting Small Tubes on Two Circulars

  
  
  Ok, so you’re determined to use circulars. And you want to make socks. No need to fret, it can be done. Just use two circulars. Gaining in popularity, using two circulars involves distributing your stitches evenly over two needles, which are then held back to back. You work across one needle, then turn the whole thing around and work across the other. (Just watch the video, it’ll make more sense after that.)

Pros:

• Size Doesn’t Matter

  You can knit tubes of any size by using two circulars. Use shorter circulars for socks, or two long ones for a sweater. The possibilities are endless!

• Fewer Ladders than DPNs

  Because there are only two gaps between needles, rather than the three or four you get with DPNs, there are fewer opportunities to create the dreaded ladder (the stretching of the bar between end stitches.)

• Get Both Your Socks (or Sleeves) Done at Once

  Get to the end of your first sock and just can’t bring yourself to knit the second one? This common ailment is called “second sock syndrome” and can be easily treated. When you get the hang of knitting on two circulars, you can actually knit both of your socks at once. Check out the book Knitting Circles Around Socks: Knit Two at a Time on Circular Needles to find out how.

Cons:

• Needle Spaghetti

  DPNs may remind some knitter of marine animals, but knitting on two circulars reminds me a bit of spaghetti. That’s because the needle that you are not currently knitting with hangs down in back. If you are working with two identical needles, it’s very easy to pick up the wrong end to knit with and transfer your stitches to the other side. It’s a mess when that happens, trust me.

• Cost

  Let’s face it. If you are going to knit on two circular needles, then you have to buy two circular needles. A set of DPNs usually cost less than one circular, let alone two of them. But, some people love this technique so much that they happily grab the circulars off the shelf in pairs.

The New Kid on the Block: The Magic Loop

No, this does not involve prestidigitation, hallucinogenic yarn, or even boy bands from the 90’s. It’s a way of knitting small tubes on one reeeeeealy long needle, usually a forty inch circular for a sock. It’s a bit similar to knitting on two circulars in that you divide the stitches in half. The back half of your stitches hang out on the wire while the front half are being worked by the needles. The extra wire pokes out on either side of the work in two big loops.

Pros:

• Fairly Easy to Learn

  The magic loop looks scarier than it actually is. Once you get the rhythm of “knit, slide, knit, slide” you’re golden.

• No Octopi in Sight

  There’s no need to deal with four individual needles, as you would if you were working with DPNs or even two circulars. (Think about it…circular needles are just two double points connected with a wire. Two circulars actually equals four individual needles.) When using the Magic Loop, you’ve only got the two needles to worry about.

Cons:

• Again With the Size Issue

  Because this method requires a needle much longer than the circumference of your project, you are restricted to smaller objects. Mostly, the Magic Loop is used for socks. There’s even a book about just that: Cat Bordhi’s Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles: a Manual of Elegant Knitting Techniques and Patterns.

Ok, so now that you have an idea of the circular knitting techniques out there, go have some fun! Knit socks, hats, sleeves, or even whole sweaters without ever picking up a traditional knitting needle. I’m sure you’ll become addicted…er, um, enjoy working in the round as much as I do.