Lesson: Knitting in the Round

Gloves, mittens, and socks have all been traditionally worked on double-pointed needles in Lithuania, although today many knitters are using magic loop or two circular needles.

When working on dpns, cast on then divide the stiches evenly onto 3 or 4 needles. Do this by just slipping the stitches from one needle to another. You can put your work on 4 needles and knit with the fourth (my preference and common in the United States) or you can put your work on 4 needles and knit with the fifth (common in Europe). If you’ve never used double-pointed needles before, try both setups to see which is most comfortable for you.

Traditionally, Lithuanian knitters divided the stitches evenly on four double-pointed needles and knit with a fifth.

I personally prefer to arrange my stitches on three double–pointed needles and knit with a fourth. Rather than dividing the stitches into three equal groups, I put one-half of my total number of stitches on the first needle and one-quarter on each of the other two needles. If I’m following instructions that specifically call for using five needles, I may put a marker in the center of my first needle so my stitches are logically arranged in four sections, even though they are all on three needles.

Place the needles on a flat surface and make sure all of the stitches are lined up on the inside of the triangle or square formed by the needles. With the tail and the working yarn on the right needle, pick up the needles carefully, and knit the first couple of stitches. This joins the knitting into a circle.

Is it better to use four or five double-pointed needles? You’ll have to decide that for yourself. In general, using four needles is more common in English-language patterns, and using five has historically been the European standard. I prefer the stability of the base triangle, so I work with four needles. Many knitters think that working with five needles feels more like working on straight needles.

Try both ways and see which you prefer. Or, if you already know how to work on 2 circulars or with magic loop, that’s fine too.

Tip: If you are new to circular knitting, I suggest you try a project on circular needles first. A hat is a good project, because you have to switch to double pointed needles when you knit the crown. Because you already have the rest of the hat knitted, switching from circular to double-pointeds is easy, and you only have to knit a few rows on the mutliple needles. When you are ready to switch, pick up one dpn and knit 1/4 to 1/3 of the stitches. Pick up another dpn and knit the second batch. Continue until all of the sts have been knitted onto 3 or 4 dpns and the round is complete. To start the next round, take another empty dpn and knit all of the sts off of the first needle. The first needle is now empty. Use this needle to knit the stitches off of the second needle. Keep going in this manner.