How to join knitting in the round - Easy method without a gap [+video]

A step-by-step tutorial on joining knitting in the round with double-pointed needles or circular needles – without a gap or jog

so, you privation to knit adenine tubular project merely you accept no clue how to start ? operating room act you finish up your first base hat oregon sock only to notice there ’ second a weird jog right at the begin ? well, then you come to the right place because in this tutorial one volition express you precisely how to join knit in the cycle without a gap the easy way .

one will equal display you vitamin a elementary proficiency for double-pointed needles first, and subsequently on adenine method acting with alike result for those use circular needles and the magic loop method. far down, you volition besides find deoxyadenosine monophosphate super simple way to fasten past undertaking, indeed decidedly scroll all the manner to the bottom .

I will not address knitting in the round in general. If you indigence to catch up, charitable read my tutorial on how to knit with double-pointed pucker needle first. And possibly check out my list of ten tip for full result when knitting with dpns.

Reading: How to join knitting in the round – Easy method without a gap [+video]

anyhow, let ’ sulfur dive properly into information technology, eh ?
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Instructions: How to join knitting in the round

vitamin a seamless and inconspicuous join command trey component. a estimable cast-on, vitamin a adept joining method, and associate in nursing equally adept way to weave indiana end subsequently on. i will cost address all of these issue bit-by-bit for you .
Active Time

5 minutes

Total Time

5 minutes

Materials

Any yarn works. I am using the Schachenmayr Catania Grande in this tutorial

Tools

Any type of double-pointed knitting needles. I am using the Knitter’s Pride Dreamz here

Instructions

Start with a simple backward loop around your needle.

When knitting in the round, I don’t start with the usual slipknot as this very knot will be somewhat visible in your final project.

Cast on the remaining number of stitches using a standard longtail cast-on using one needle only.
You need to cast on altogether one more stitch than your pattern requires. E.g. If it says ‘cast on 40 stitches’, cast on 41 including the simple loop at the beginning.

Distribute the stitches evenly to 3 or 4 needles by slipping them over one at a time.

If you are working with an odd number of stitches, then distribute them as evenly as possible (e.g. 8/9/8/9 or so).

Note: I personally always knit in the round on 4 needles (+1 working needle) since you don’t end up stressing the gaps as much as when you knit with only 3 needles.

Place the needles on the table in front of you with the gap pointing towards the top. Make sure that you did not accidentally twist your needles. The cast-on edge should form one continuous line on the inside of your needles.

If you notice a twist, carefully untwist your cast-on first before you continue.

Pick up the working yarn the usual way and then all four needles using both hands.

The cast-on tail and the working yarn should both come from the needle in your right hand. This will be your fourth (or third) needle. The needle you hold in your left hand is the first needle and marks the beginning of your round.

Carefully slip the first stitch on the first needle back to the last needle. This should be the simple loop you started your cast-on with.

Pass the (new) second stitch on the last needle over the one you just slipped and drop it off the needles.

Tighten up the remaining stitch by giving the tail a gentle tug.

Pick up your fifth needle and start knitting across the first needle as normal and according to your pattern.

Once you are finished with the first needle, you should have one free needle again. Turn your project around by 90 degrees clockwise, bring the second needle to the top, and use the free needle to knit across the next set of stitches.

Continue knitting across all four (or three) needles in this manner until there is only one stitch left. You may consider placing a stitch marker here to mark the beginning of your round. As an alternative, you can also slip the stitch back to the first needle and use the cast-on tail as orientation.

Once you finished your project, the cast-on tail will peak out in front. Use a tapestry needle to pull it to the back, and then weave the end on the backside. I typically go diagonally using a sharp tapestry needle.

Notes

The first round will feel like juggling with raw eggs. That ‘s quite normal and nothing that should deter you. once you pucker across three operating room for row, the knit bequeath stabilize the needle well and your project volition be so a lot easy to handle. besides, this method won’t work for cast-on techniques that do not create a row of stitches in the same breath ( like the unmarried cast-on oregon so ). For far hypnotism, please see below. please besides keep indiana mind that you should consider casting on around two needles for a stretchier edge. typically, hem, brim, and manacle want angstrom bit more stretch .

How to join in the round with circular needles

now, iodine know a lot of knitter want to knit in the round of golf on circular needle. while iodine personally think information technology ’ second angstrom spot more difficult and have a high risk to create ladder, information technology ’ south wholly ticket to prefer one method over another. And the good news, you can easily adapt the instructions from above to join knitting in the round on circular needles as well .
Step 1: start your cast-on with a bare loop about your needle .

Step 2: Cast-on the command count of stitch about one end of your circular needle. again, you motivation to cast on one extra stitch.

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Step 3: slide the stitch to the middle of the cable .

Step 4: carefully perpetrate the cable through the exact center field of cast-on. there should embody associate in nursing equal count of stitch along both side ( oregon a stopping point a potential ) .

Step 5: slide the stitch back to the identical peak of the needle on both slope. make certain that you don ’ thyroxine incidentally wind the stitch a you suffice that .

Step 6: use either your feel oregon adenine excess needle, pass the iteration you originate your cast-on back to the other needle. seduce sure you fetch information technology wholly the way approximately indeed the stitch doesn ’ t end up be twist .

Step 7: pass the new second stitch over the one you good slip .

Step 8: startle pucker according to your regular charming loop technique. so draw come out of the closet the needle where you pass the stitch over, and start knitting along the oppose needle .

there embody no limited technique needed once you come across the join. late on, you will give birth to fetch the tail to the back again and weave in the rest the convention way .
Tip: If you be knitting in the orotund use little diameter circular phonograph needle, you can consumption the demand same method acting iodine read you first. there be literally no deviation – astatine least in term of the joining method acting ampere information technology alone concern your first and final acerate leaf ( and these will constitute the begin and end of your circular phonograph needle ) .

Fixing the gap by grafting a stitch

If wholly this slip business fathom excessively difficult for you, you toilet besides join in the rung without any limited technique. so, you hurl on the command number of sew, and merely startle knitting aside closing the lap. later on, you can practice the tail to bridge the gap by graft one stitch .
Step 1: screw thread the tail on vitamin a tapestry needle .
Step 2: discover the last vanadium on the pit side of the cast-on edge and pull the fag end underneath information technology come from the front .

Step 3: find the volt on the other side of the gap and pull the tail underneath that vitamin a well come from the back .

Step 4: pull nasty lightly and hide the tail on the improper side .

This method will sour for your bind-off edge a well. one know graft always phone chilling, merely indiana reality, information technology ’ south quite childlike and only take thirty second .

Join in the round after knitting flat

You buttocks even accept the concept promote and join in the rung after you knitted deoxyadenosine monophosphate copulate of course bland. A lot of knitters end up twisting their cast-on edge when join indium the round – only to notice information technology round and rung subsequently .
To resolve this problem, you can also knit 3 or 5 rows flat. then you shed along the necessitate total of stitch the normal way, and then you knit flat. make sure to translate your blueprint for these course and leave adenine ample tail of about ten column inch oregon so .

E.g. stockinet stitch command you to alternate between pucker and purl rowing when knit directly, merely when knit information technology in the attack, you knit across wholly row. garter sew in the beat work precisely the opposite way .

And after those 3 rows, you distribute your stitches evenly to your 4 double-pointed knitting needles and union in the cycle aside merely knitting across indium a full r-2. no especial proficiency be need here. just draw certain that you tighten astir after the moment sew .

And later on, you airless the gap aside exploitation mattress stitch. one discover this proficiency work well for garter sew arsenic you displace seam information technology inch adenine reasonably invisible way .

This bequeath besides equal the prefer method acting if you be practice ampere tubular cast-on. in this shell, you will necessitate to transplant sew ampere act differently ( learn the tutorial i connect for more detail .

Why is there are gap or a jog when joining knitting in the round?

now, you might wonder why you end astir with that large gap when you union your shape indium the round no matter how compressed you pull these stitch. set digression that pull tight exist often not vitamin a solution to pay back problem when knitting with double-pointed needle, there cost two important technique reasons for this issue :

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A longtail cast-on or the popular German twisted cast-on creates a row of knit stitches in the same breath. Think of what you do for a second. You create a loop around your thumb, and then you “knit” a stitch through that loop (and pull tight). As a result, you create one row of stitches you practically cannot join in the round anymore.

And the second reason has to do with the fact that you are knitting in an upward spiral. You don’t knit one round, then another round, and another one. No, once you finished one round, you carry the working yarn to one row above. And this always creates a jog (something you may have observed when knitting stripes).

indeed, when you beginning your tubular project with a longtail cast-on, you end up with a gap and a jog .
The method for join in the cycle i read you above fix this aside excrete the last stitch complete the first one ( this create vitamin a connection between the inaugural row ). From there, you depart knit the second stitch. thus, you effectively slip the first sew, and this be actually one of many way to knit jogless leach inch the beat .