Star News
Close the loops in a circle on the knitting needles. How to knit on circular needles
Noskov, there was a question - how to close knitting in a circle? To whom I did not turn, the answers were extremely vague - “divide the loops into 4 knitting needles and knit”, and even when they seemed to explain it to me on my fingers, I did not understand. For example, why is the fifth needle needed? How do you make a circle continuous? All the time I got just a wide open canvas, I was tormented, thinking where to adapt the working thread, and until I “cut” myself, I was very tired. And now for those who, like me, are once looking for an answer to the question - how to knit on five knitting needles - the first part of my lesson!
Dear needlewomen! I want to warn you that in this master class I knitted loops in the “grandmother's way” - behind the back wall of the loop. This method is not classical, and in many sources the products are knitted in the "classical way". When knitting in the "grandmother's" way in a circle, the fabric can twist! Read more about how to knit loops.
We collect loops on 2 knitting needles. I will knit socks for a woman with a 38 foot size, I dial 15 by 4 = 60 loops. For different yarns, and for different leg widths, the number of loops will be different. I can only say that with woolen yarn for a man I collect 15-16 (for 4) loops, for a woman 14-15, for a child 1-2 years old - 8, 3-4 years old - 10.
Take the knitting needles in your hands so that in your left hand there is a knitting needle on the right side not connected to the others, and put the working thread on your index finger. A knitting needle with a working thread under the left knitting needle.
And knit it. In knitting in a circle, there are no edge loops and therefore no loops are removed - everything is knitted.
Following clockwise, finishing knitting on one knitting needle, we pass to another. For the first loop of each knitting needle, we take the working thread from the previous knitting needle.
And all subsequent rows of gum. The height of the gum is a matter of taste. For example, my husband asks to knit him a small elastic band - 10 rows, and for myself and my daughter I generally knit knee-high socks (if you want to knit knee-high socks, you need to cast on more loops by 4-16, depending on the calf circumference, and then either in an elastic band, or make narrowing in the front loops). Here I knitted 25 rows of elastic.
Then I turn to the front surface - all the loops are front and also knit in a circle. In knitting in a circle, there are no purl rows - all rows are front, since we essentially do not knit in front and behind the fabric, but only on one side - the outer one.
Each, even a beginner knitter, sooner or later faces the fact that the intended product or some part of it needs to be knitted in a circle. It can be a sweater collar, a hat, a scarf-collar or ordinary socks. Many knitters use circular knitting even for more complex items. For example, a vest.
circular needles
However, it is quite common that once accustomed to working with ordinary long knitting needles, and even having successfully mastered knitting in a circle with a set of five double-edged knitting needles, the knitter no longer tries to work in circles, considering it difficult.
Many of those who have tried knitting with circular knitting needles, then knit with them even those things in which knitting in a circle will not be used and will no longer return to ordinary long ones.
Differences between circular knitting needles and regular knitting needles
We propose to consider the main differences between circular knitting needles and ordinary knitting needles and find out if circular knitting is really more difficult with them. Or is it still worth a try.
The first thing that distinguishes circular knitting needles is their compactness. They are much more convenient to take with you on the road, on a picnic, to the country house - and anywhere. Long straight needles always make knitting more cumbersome. A set of double-edged knitting needles is generally quite difficult to pack in such a way that both ends are securely hidden.
Second: if you knit a big thing with them (a sweater, a dress or even a coat), the hands do not overstrain when knitting. After all, in fact, they work only with the number of loops that are directly on short knitting needles. The main weight of the knitted fabric hangs on a cable or fishing line and partially rests on the knees, without weighing down the hands and without restricting movements.
The third follows from the first. The fact that such spokes are much shorter than straight ones significantly reduces the chances of hitting someone nearby when working with them.
Fourth: products knitted in a circle do not have seams, which is important, for example, for hats or the neck of a children's sweater, and if they do, 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, the knitting of which the vast majority of craftswomen associate with a set of double-edged knitting needles. Although, in fact, both processes are not too different from each other.
In addition, today you should not be afraid that the elastic part will bend and break off. The times when knitting in the round was accompanied by periodic cutting of a broken elastic tube and putting its rest on a knitting needle have sunk into the past. Even the knitting needles that came to the aid of knitters with a thick fishing line attached to them today may well replace reliable circular ones with an elastic, durable metal cable.
In a word, manufacturers of needlework accessories 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 knitting in the round is that with this method only the front side of the product is knitted. This should be kept in mind from the very beginning. A set of loops for the product should 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 in the round. The loops that, when working with the wrong side, need to be knitted in the usual way, when knitting in the round, it will be necessary to knit in the so-called grandmother's way or give preference to embossed patterns without openwork.
The set of loops on circular knitting needles is made exactly the same as on ordinary straight lines. In this case, the extreme typed loop will always be the last loop of the circle. For convenience, it should be additionally noted with a contrasting thread or pin. You can use a special plastic marker that can be transferred from one knitting 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 cast-on loops into two parts and work, leaving groups of loops closer to the ends of the knitting needles, and between these groups - the free part of the cable. At runtime, it looks 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 work with one half of the loops, while the second one 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 we move the just knitted part to its place approximately in the middle of our cable, freeing the right working knitting needle. And so on.
There is no need to constantly take care that all knitting loops move in a circle. The loops 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 the knitting needle with the last of the loops cast on and the working thread, and in the left hand - with the first of the loops cast on.
We start knitting
When knitting the very first row, special attention should be paid to ensure 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 with a set of double-edged knitting 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 along with its free end. However, this method can make the beginning of knitting noticeably thicker and tighter.
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 knitted together with the first loop.
More often, it is more convenient to start knitting as usual, just pulling the thread harder so that when the circle closes, a step does not form.
Decreasing loops
We propose to consider the process of decreasing loops in circular knitting 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 top of the product will turn out. You can knit a higher hat, close the loops with one line and at the same time get two kind of "ears". And you can reduce the loops at regular intervals.
Here it should be noted another plus of circular knitting needles. When knitting, say, with double-edged knitting needles, you can decrease the loops, for example, by knitting them two at the end of each knitting needle. More than four times in one circle to reduce them is no longer very convenient.
On circular ones, you can knit two loops together every, say, 8-10 loops. The next round should be knitted without decreasing loops. In the third row from the beginning of the decrease in loops, two loops already after 7-9 loops. Then we decrease the loops in each odd row, until there are 2-3 of them from each group of loops.
Through the remaining loops, you can use a crochet hook to stretch the thread folded in half, pull it tightly into a ring, and then fasten the free end of the thread from the inside out. The result is a neat rounded crown.
Knitting in the round produces a seamless tubular piece—this type of knitting is commonly used for hats, socks, and sleeves. There are two ways to knit in the round: the first method involves the use of circular needles, and the second - a set of stocking needles. When knitting the models of hats and socks presented in the book, both methods are used.
Circular knitting needles, in essence, are the upper ends of straight knitting needles connected by a thin flexible plastic cable (fishing line). The loops are knitted at the ends of the needles as usual, and then go down to the plastic ring and form a circle. Circular needles are available in different sizes and lengths: 30, 40, 50, 60, 81 and 102 cm long. Always use the circular needles of the length indicated in the instructions. When knitting the product on longer knitting needles, the loops will stretch and the product will deform.
1. On circular needles 40 cm long, cast on the required number of loops using the rope method in the same way as you cast on straight knitting needles. The loops will slide down from the needles and form a ring. Try not to pull or stretch the loops.
2. Place a plastic marker on the end of the right needle so you know where the round starts and ends.
3. Holding the needle with the first cast on in your left hand, insert the needle into the first stitch.
4. Knit the first loop. Before removing the loop, make sure that it is tightened sufficiently tight and fits snugly on the knitting needle.
5. Continue knitting in the same way, lowering the loops down so that they form a circle.
6. Having reached the end of the row ...
Remove the marker from the end of the left needle.
At the end of the right needle.
One completed row in the round
Unlike knitting on straight needles, where you have to turn the work from the right side to the wrong side, when knitting on circular needles, the work is always turned right side up to you. Therefore, when knitting in stocking stitch on circular needles, you knit all the circular rows of the front, while when knitting with straight knitting needles, the front rows should be knitted with front loops, and the purl rows should be purl.
Circular knitting, or knitting in a circle, is increasingly used. If earlier hats were mostly knitted on flexible knitting needles with fishing line, now craftswomen even knit sweaters without a single seam. How this is done, we will consider later, in the master classes on seamless knitting, and in this lesson we will consider the basics of circular knitting. Knitting in a circle, as already mentioned, can be done either on knitting needles with fishing line, or on five double-edged knitting needles. At the same time, knitting is on four knitting needles, and the fifth is working. In more detail, how to knit on five knitting needles, we will look at the knitting socks master class. It is important to understand that when knitting in a circle, knitting is always turned with one side to the knitter and the loops are always knitted like that. what they look like from the front. It is very convenient to knit the front surface in a circle, while only the front loops are used, and they always fit in the upper lobule (front wall). In addition, it is very convenient to knit Japanese openwork in a circle, since the schemes of these patterns are always presented as they look from the front side, as well as jacquards and many, many other patterns. However, there are patterns that cannot be knitted in the round, which simply require turning rows to be made.
So, we need knitting needles on a fishing line and straight knitting needles of the same size for a typesetting row.
Each, even a beginner knitter, sooner or later faces the fact that the intended product or some part of it needs to be knitted in a circle. It can be a sweater collar, a hat, a scarf-collar or ordinary socks. Many knitters use circular knitting even for more complex items. For example, a vest.
circular needles
However, it is quite common that once accustomed to working with ordinary long knitting needles, and even having successfully mastered knitting in a circle with a set of five double-edged knitting needles, the knitter no longer tries to work in circles, considering it difficult.
Many of those who have tried knitting with circular knitting needles, then knit with them even those things in which knitting in a circle will not be used and will no longer return to ordinary long ones.
Differences between circular knitting needles and regular knitting needles
We propose to consider the main differences between circular knitting needles and ordinary knitting needles and find out if circular knitting is really more difficult with them. Or is it still worth a try.
The first thing that distinguishes circular knitting needles is their compactness. They are much more convenient to take with you on the road, on a picnic, to the country house - and anywhere. Long straight needles always make knitting more cumbersome. A set of double-edged knitting needles is generally quite difficult to pack in such a way that both ends are securely hidden.
Second: if you knit a big thing with them (a sweater, a dress or even a coat), the hands do not overstrain when knitting. After all, in fact, they work only with the number of loops that are directly on short knitting needles. The main weight of the knitted fabric hangs on a cable or fishing line and partially rests on the knees, without weighing down the hands and without restricting movements.
The third follows from the first. The fact that such spokes are much shorter than straight ones significantly reduces the chances of hitting someone nearby when working with them.
Fourth: products knitted in a circle do not have seams, which is important, for example, for hats or the neck of a children's sweater, and if they do, 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, the knitting of which the vast majority of craftswomen associate with a set of double-edged knitting needles. Although, in fact, both processes are not too different from each other.
In addition, today you should not be afraid that the elastic part will bend and break off. The times when knitting in the round was accompanied by periodic cutting of a broken elastic tube and putting its rest on a knitting needle have sunk into the past. Even the knitting needles that came to the aid of knitters with a thick fishing line attached to them today may well replace reliable circular ones with an elastic, durable metal cable.
In a word, manufacturers of needlework accessories 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 knitting in the round is that with this method only the front side of the product is knitted. This should be kept in mind from the very beginning. A set of loops for the product should 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 in the round. The loops that, when working with the wrong side, need to be knitted in the usual way, when knitting in the round, it will be necessary to knit in the so-called grandmother's way or give preference to embossed patterns without openwork.
The set of loops on circular knitting needles is made exactly the same as on ordinary straight lines. In this case, the extreme typed loop will always be the last loop of the circle. For convenience, it should be additionally noted with a contrasting thread or pin. You can use a special plastic marker that can be transferred from one knitting 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 cast-on loops into two parts and work, leaving groups of loops closer to the ends of the knitting needles, and between these groups - the free part of the cable. At runtime, it looks 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 work with one half of the loops, while the second one 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 we move the just knitted part to its place approximately in the middle of our cable, freeing the right working knitting needle. And so on.
There is no need to constantly take care that all knitting loops move in a circle. The loops 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 the knitting needle with the last of the loops cast on and the working thread, and in the left hand - with the first of the loops cast on.
We start knitting
When knitting the very first row, special attention should be paid to ensure 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 with a set of double-edged knitting 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 along with its free end. However, this method can make the beginning of knitting noticeably thicker and tighter.
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 knitted together with the first loop.
More often, it is more convenient to start knitting as usual, just pulling the thread harder so that when the circle closes, a step does not form.
Decreasing loops
We propose to consider the process of decreasing loops in circular knitting 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 top of the product will turn out. You can knit a higher hat, close the loops with one line and at the same time get two kind of "ears". And you can reduce the loops at regular intervals.
Here it should be noted another plus of circular knitting needles. When knitting, say, with double-edged knitting needles, you can decrease the loops, for example, by knitting them two at the end of each knitting needle. More than four times in one circle to reduce them is no longer very convenient.
On circular ones, you can knit two loops together every, say, 8-10 loops. The next round should be knitted without decreasing loops. In the third row from the beginning of the decrease in loops, two loops already after 7-9 loops. Then we decrease the loops in each odd row, until there are 2-3 of them from each group of loops.
Through the remaining loops, you can use a crochet hook to stretch the thread folded in half, pull it tightly into a ring, and then fasten the free end of the thread from the inside out. The result is a neat rounded crown.
On circular needles? This question is increasingly being asked by beginners. And all because recently it has become common to knit clothes without seams. It began when loose, oversized sweaters with voluminous braids and dropped shoulders came into fashion (that is, several sizes more than necessary). For such a style, there is no need to fit the model, calculate the armholes and the neck. The simpler and more careless the 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
Materials from which circular knitting needles are made:
- Metal.
- Aluminum.
- Tree.
- Bamboo.
- Plastic.
In the process of work, each craftswoman chooses the material that is more convenient for her, lies better in her hand and allows the loops to easily slide over the surface of the tool.
Between themselves, the circular knitting needles are connected 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 gaps or sharp cuts. Yarn will cling to such “burrs”, which can damage its quality. If you work with thick knitting needles, from 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 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 the tool twice as thick as the working thread.
The length of the fishing line or cable is different, so focus on the size of the future product. If this is a plaid, then the length can be maximum, but for knitting clothes of a small size, it can interfere.
Features of working on circular knitting needles
Knitting with circular knitting needles for beginners consists of several stages. First we collect loops. To do this If the product does not go in a circle, then the work is performed, as when knitting with straight knitting needles, that is, the working fabric must be turned over after each knitted row.
If the working canvas 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 in a contrasting color in order to know exactly where one row ends and the next begins. Be sure to check that the row is not twisted and that all loops look up.
In order to prevent “steps” in the place where the product closes in a circle, pull the thread harder.
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 needles?
- We start with a set of loops in the usual way.
- We divide the number of loops by two, we pass a loop from the cable into the middle and distribute the loops over two knitting needles.
- Next, the knitting needle, which is in the right hand, is pulled out so that you can start knitting loops from the left knitting needle.
- Having knitted to the end of the left knitting needle, we again stretch the right one and continue to work in the same vein.
This method will appeal to those who do not like to work with stocking knitting needles.
Knitted hat
We knit a hat on circular needles. This is the simplest model that even beginner needlewomen can handle. In the future, it can be associated with the use of volumetric braids or arans. For a winter hat, choose woolen yarn with the addition of acrylic, then the product will turn out warm, soft and will not irritate the skin on the forehead.
We start by calculating the loops. Work a small swatch, eg 20 sts wide x 20 rows high. Ideally, the sample should be washed and dried, then you will know for sure whether the hat will change in size after washing. Measure the sample, so you will know how many loops are in one centimeter.
Measure the circumference of your head. And now let's make a simple calculation: multiply the number of loops in the sample by the number of centimeters of 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 needles? We distribute the loops on two knitting needles by pulling the loop. Using the "magic loop" method, we begin work. We knit in a circle an elastic band 2 * 2 about 20 cm in height, it can be more or less, depending on whether you will make a lapel, and what size. After the gum, you need to make a narrowing. We decrease about a quarter of the existing loops by knitting two together, evenly distributing them. For example, knitting together every seventh and eighth loop.
We continue to work only with facial loops. Having knitted about 10 cm, we make another decrease, reducing one third of the existing loops. Choose any length of the cap: it can tightly wrap around your head, or it can be a long beanie hat. Close off half of the loops closer to the edge of the product. At the end, knit all the loops in two, use the hook to thread the working thread through them and tighten. The finished hat can be decorated with a pompom.
How to adapt schemes for circular knitting needles
Often in the patterns of patterns, both front and back 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 needles according to patterns?
- There are none in circular knitting, but they are indicated on many diagrams, 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 the pattern. Then over each front knit the front, over the purl - the purl.
- Keep in mind that there are patterns that are not designed for knitting in a circle. Just replace them with others, no less beautiful and interesting.
