By themselves, circular knitting needles are ordinary metal knitting needles, connected to each other using a fishing line or a tube made of synthetic material. They differ from each other in thickness (just like ordinary knitting needles) and the length of the fishing line on which the loops are shifted and on which the circumference of the product depends. On a very long tube or fishing line, the loops will stretch too much, but on a short one, on the contrary, they will begin to pile up. The convenience of circular knitting needles is that all the weight knitted goods will concentrate in the center of the line and lie on your lap.
In addition, you can knit in a circle on ordinary sock knitting needles, of which there are usually five pieces in a set. Their length is short, so they can only help you when knitting small items.

Knitting with circular knitting needles is just as easy as knitting with regular knitting needles. With a little practice, you will master this science.

So how do you knit on circular knitting needles? Procedure:

1. You should start with a set of a certain number of loops. This should be done on a regular knitting needle (the number of a regular knitting needle must correspond to the number of a circular one, which will then be used for knitting). All dialed loops must be transferred from a regular knitting needle to a circular one.

2. Further, all loops must be evenly distributed along the length of the line. The needles themselves must remain free. Before continuing to knit, you need to check if the loops have turned over (they should all be turned in the same direction).

3. In your right hand you need to take the end of the knitting needle on which the last loop was typed, in left hand, respectively, the end of the other knitting needle (the beginning of the set). In order to keep track of the number of rows, after the last loop, you need to set a mark. It can be a dark colored thread or a small plastic ring.

4. Knit in a circle to the place where the mark is. After that, the mark should be transferred to the end of the other knitting needle and continue knitting.

The fishing line on circular knitting needles often tends to curl, and this sometimes greatly interferes with knitting. In order for it to straighten, it needs to be dipped in hot water for a few minutes.

The first few loops belonging to the first row must be knitted not only with the working thread, but also with its free end. This must be done so that when the first row is joined, a hole does not appear in it. This can also be done in another way, by typing one extra loop in the initial row. Then, without knitting, you need to transfer it to the other (first) knitting needle and, closing the circle, knit together with the first loop.

Circular knitting needles are two needles that are slightly shorter in size than regular straight knitting needles, and each pair is interconnected. The selection of the length of the synthetic tube should depend on the number of stitches with which you plan to work. The advantage of using circular knitting needles in work makes it possible to create bags, sweaters, socks and hats without single seam and also distribute the hinges evenly.

Varieties of circular knitting needles

Circular knitting needles are made from most materials: bamboo, metal, plastic, or resin. Some models provide for the replacement of the cord itself or a set of needles of different diameters for different knitting patterns. Choosing the right knitting needles is very important to your success.

How to knit with circular needles - stitch set

Cast on the loops along the line so that they are evenly distributed along the length of the line. Be careful not to let them slide off the end of the needle. To avoid an uneven edge, be careful not to twist the eyelets.

How to knit with circular needles - working thread on the right side

Adjust the sewing so that the sewing thread is on the right side... Bring the tips of the needles together to form a circle.

How to knit with circular knitting needles - knitting pattern

Hold the job in your left hand while supporting the tabs of the needles. The left tip of the knitting needle should be on top of the right. The working thread should not go through the center of the circle.

How to knit with circular knitting needles - form the second row

Insert the tip of the right needle into the first stitch on the left side and grasp the working thread and pull it out. Be sure to make the first stitch as tight as possible.

How to knit with circular knitting needles - reach the end of the piece

Continue knitting with the left needle, moving along the line as needed. Work all the stitches until you reach the end of the row. The tail of the thread will show you. You can place a certain mark at the beginning of work (a different color of thread, pin or ring) so as not to get confused with the beginning and end of the work.

How to knit with circular knitting needles - new row

Continue to knit in a spiral pattern, moving the stitches along the tube as needed. Make sure you knit around the outside of the joint. The way of working on circular knitting needles can be direct (in a circle) and reverse, by analogy with conventional knitting needles.

Cast on the required number of rows for the desired length of the product. The convenience of using circular knitting needles allows you to put the finished knitted fabric on your knees, and not hold it on the weight, as when knitting with ordinary knitting needles.

Everyone, even a novice knitter, sooner or later comes across the fact that the conceived product or some part of it needs to be knitted in a circle. This can be a sweater collar, a hat, a scarf, or regular socks. Many knitters use circular knitting for even more intricate pieces. For example, a vest.

Circular knitting needles

However, it is quite common that having once got used to working with ordinary long knitting needles, and even having successfully mastered knitting in a circle using a set of five double-edged knitting needles, the knitter no longer tries to work with circular needles, considering it difficult.

Many of those who tried to knit with circular knitting needles, then even knit with them those things in which knitting in a circle will not be applied and do not return to ordinary long ones.

Differences between circular knitting needles and ordinary

We propose to consider the main differences between circular knitting needles and ordinary ones and find out if circular knitting is really more difficult with them. Or is it worth a try.

The first thing that distinguishes circular knitting needles is their compactness. It is much more convenient to take them with you on the road, to a picnic, to the country house - and anywhere. Long straight knitting needles always make knitting more cumbersome. A set of double-edged knitting needles is generally quite difficult to pack so as to reliably hide both ends.

Second: if you knit a large thing with them (a sweater, dress or even a coat), the hands are not overstrained when knitting. Indeed, in fact, they only work with the number of loops that is directly on the short knitting needles. The main weight of the knitted fabric hangs on a cable or fishing line and partially rests on the knees, without burdening the hands and not restricting movements.

The third follows from the first. The fact that such knitting needles are much shorter than straight ones significantly reduces the chances of hitting someone nearby when working.

Fourth: circular knitted products do not have seams, which is important, for example, for hats or the neck of a children's sweater, and if they have, then there are very few of them.

Fifth: versatility. With the help of circular knitting needles, you can really knit almost everything, including hats, socks and mittens, knitting of which the vast majority of craftswomen associate with a set of double-edged knitting needles. Although, in fact, both processes are not very different from each other.

In addition, today you should not be afraid that the elastic part will bend and break off. The times when round knitting was accompanied by periodic cutting of a broken elastic tube and putting the rest of it on the knitting needle are a thing of the past. Even the knitting needles that came to the aid of knitters with a thick fishing line fixed on them today can easily replace reliable circular knitting needles with an elastic, durable metal cable.

In a word, manufacturers of accessories for needlework today only delight both beginners and fairly experienced knitters. We just have to consider the question of how to knit a circle with knitting needles.

Features of circular knitting

The main nuance of round knitting is that with this method only front side products. This should be borne in mind from the outset. The set of loops for the product must already be carried out taking into account this specificity. After all, edge loops are not needed here.

Openwork patterns are much more difficult to knit round. Hinges that, when working with seamy side need to be knitted in the usual way, when knitting round, it will be necessary to knit in the so-called grandmother's way or give preference relief patterns without openwork.

A set of loops on circular knitting needles is made in exactly the same way as for regular straight ones. In this case, the extreme dialed loop will always be the last loop of the circle. For convenience, it should be additionally marked with a contrasting thread or pin. You can use a special plastic marker that can be transferred from one needle to another.

There are circular knitting needles of different diameters and different lengths... Ideally, when knitting, you should use knitting needles of exactly the length indicated in the instructions. However, not everyone today can afford to purchase separate circular knitting needles for almost every product. If you have knitting needles of a suitable diameter in your bins, but the cable between them is too long, it will be more convenient to immediately divide the dialed loops into two parts and work, leaving the groups of loops closer to the ends of the needles, and between these groups - the free part of the cable. When running, it looks something like this:

Remaining circular, our work will, as it were, consist of two parts, which must be knitted alternately until we reach the desired length. We are working with one half of the loops, and the second at this time hangs on the flexible part of the knitting needles, waiting for its turn. Then we move the untied part to the end of the left knitting needle, and move the just knitted part to its place approximately in the middle of our cable, freeing the right working knitting needle. Etc.
There is no need to constantly make sure that all knitting loops move in a circle. In this case, the hinges will not stretch or deform.

So, the set of the required number of loops is completed, you can start knitting.

In the right hand we take a knitting needle from the last of the dialed loops and a working thread, and in the left hand - from the first of the dialed loops.

We start to knit

When knitting the very first row, you should pay special attention to the fact that the loops do not twist. Otherwise, the edge of the product will be uneven. However, this is much easier to follow than when knitting the first and even the second row using a set of double-edged needles.

To avoid the formation of a too noticeable hole at the junction of the first row of the circle, it is advised to start knitting loops with a working thread together with its free end. However, this method can make the beginning of knitting noticeably thicker and denser.

You can carefully close the loops around by typing an extra loop on the knitting needles, and at the beginning of the first row remove it without knitting. Then, at the end of the circle, this extra loop should be knit along with the first loop.
More often it is more convenient to start knitting as usual, just pulling the thread harder so that a step does not form when the circle closes.

We decrease the loops

The process of decreasing loops at circular knitting we propose to consider it using the example of a regular hat.
Those who already know how to decrease loops know that the more so-called decrease lines, the more rounded the crown of the product will be. You can knit a higher hat, close the loops with one line and get two kind of "ears" at the same time. And you can decrease the loops at regular intervals.
One more plus of circular knitting needles should be noted here. When knitting, say, with double-edged knitting needles, you can reduce the loops, for example, by knitting them two at the end of each knitting needle. Decreasing them more than four times in one circle is no longer very convenient.

On circular ones, you can knit two loops together every, say, 8-10 loops. The next round should be knit without decreasing the loops. In the third row from the beginning of decreasing the loops, two loops each after 7-9 loops. Next, we decrease the loops in each odd row until 2-3 of them remain from each group of loops.
Through the remaining loops, you can use a crochet hook to pull the doubled thread, pull it tight into a ring, and then fasten the free end of the thread from the wrong side. The result is a neat, rounded crown.

Circular knitting needles? This question is increasingly being asked by novice masters. And all because recently it has become common to knit clothes without seams. It began when oversized sweaters (that is, several sizes larger than necessary) came into fashion with loose, with voluminous braids and dropped shoulders. For such a style, there is no need to fit the model, calculate the armholes and neckline. The simpler and more casual a thing looks, the better. And it is most convenient to knit it on circular knitting needles.

Of course, such devices are suitable not only for but also for large shawls, stoles, snoods, blankets, hats and even socks. Let's take a closer look at knitting with circular knitting needles for beginners (and not only).

How to choose a tool

The materials from which the circular knitting needles are made:

• Metal.
• Aluminum.
• Wood.
• Bamboo.
• Plastic.

In the process of work, each craftswoman chooses the material that is more convenient for her, fits better in her hand and allows the hinges to easily slide over the surface of the instrument.

The circular knitting needles are connected to each other by a fishing line or a nylon cable. When choosing, pay attention to the fact that the joint between the cable and the spoke is tight, there are no cracks or sharp cuts. For such "burrs" the yarn will cling, which can damage its quality. If you work with thick knitting needles, 4.5 mm or more, it is important that the transition from the thickness of the tool to the cable is smooth. Otherwise, it will become difficult to transfer the loops from the cable to the knitting needle.

Choose the size of the knitting needles based on the thickness of the yarn from which the product will be. As a rule, the recommended size is written on the packages. But if suddenly there is no such information, or the label is lost, take a tool twice as thick as the working thread.

The length of the fishing line or cable is different, so be guided by the size of the future product. If it is a blanket, then the length may be maximum, but for knitting small clothes, it may interfere.

Features of working on circular knitting needles

Knitting with circular needles for beginners consists of several stages. First, we collect the loops. Do this If the product does not go in a circle, then the work is done as when knitting with straight knitting needles, that is, the working cloth must be turned over after each knitted row.

If the working fabric closes in a circle, then the last knitted loop of the first row becomes the first loop of the second. At this point, it is better to attach a plastic marker or tie a thread of a contrasting color so that you know exactly where one row ends and another begins. Be sure to check that the row is not twisted and that all the loops are facing up.

In order to prevent “steps” from forming in the place where the product closes in a circle, pull the thread tighter.

Magic loop

Magic Loop, or "magic loop", is a European knitting technique on circular knitting needles, in which the diameter of the product is absolutely not important. It can be a mitten or a cuff - those things that we are used to knitting on four or five stocking needles.

How to knit things with a small diameter on circular knitting needles?

• We start with a set of loops in the usual way.
• We divide the number of loops by two, thread a loop from a cable in the middle and distribute the loops on two knitting needles.
• Next, pull the knitting needle in the right hand so that you can start knitting the loops from the left knitting needle.
• Having tied the left knitting needle to the end, pull the right knitting needle again and continue working in the same spirit.

This method will appeal to those who do not like to work with stocking needles.

Knitted hat

We knit a hat on circular knitting needles. This is the most simple model, which even novice needlewomen can handle. In the future, it can be associated with the use of volumetric braids or arans. For winter hat choose woolen yarn with the addition of acrylic, then the product will be warm, soft and will not irritate the skin on the forehead.

We start by calculating the loops. Work in a small pattern, such as 20 stitches wide by 20 rows high. Ideally, the sample should be washed and dried, then you will know for sure if the hat will change in size after washing. Measure the sample so you know how many stitches are in one centimeter.

Measure the circumference of your head. Now let's make a simple calculation: multiply the number of loops in the sample by the number of centimeters of the head circumference and divide by the data indicated in the sample. That's how many loops we collect.

How to knit a hat on circular knitting needles? We distribute the loops on two knitting needles by pulling the loop. We begin to work with the "magic loop" method. We knit an elastic band 2 * 2 about 20 cm in height in a circle, it can be more or less depending on whether you will make a lapel and what size. After the elastic, you need to make a constriction. We reduce about a quarter of the existing loops by knitting two together, evenly distributing them. For example, by knitting every seventh and eighth stitch together.

We continue to work only with the front loops. After knitting about 10 cm, we make another decrease, cutting off one third of the existing loops. Choose any length of the hat: it can wrap your head tightly, or it can be a long beanie hat. Close another half of the loops closer to the edge of the product. At the end, knit all the loops in two, use a hook to thread the working thread through them and tighten. The finished hat can be decorated with a pom-pom.

How to adapt patterns for circular knitting needles

Often in the patterns of patterns, both the front and the purl rows are shown. But when knitting in a circle, there are no purl rows. This makes the job very easy. So how to knit on circular knitting patterns?

• In circular knitting, they are not, but on many patterns they are indicated, so take this into account when making calculations.
• If you are a beginner needlewoman, then it is better to choose those patterns where odd rows need to be knitted according to a pattern. Then over each front knit the front, over the purl - the purl.
• Keep in mind that there are patterns that are not designed to be knitted in a circle. Just replace them with others, no less beautiful and interesting.