How to Connect Stitches When Knitting a Beanie
Beanies are quick, versatile knitting projects. A single basic pattern can be the starting point for animal costume hats, protective warmers for premature infants and chemotherapy patients, simple fashion accessories or colorful cold weather gear. To avoid having a bulky or inelegant seam marring your finished product, knit your beanies on circular needles. Connecting the stitches at the start of each row is easy, and your completed beanie will be one solid piece, without any obvious joins in the pattern.
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Instructions
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Cast the desired number of stitches onto a pair of circular knitting needles. Use needles that are an inch or two smaller than the brim of the beanie will be, so you don't stretch your hat out of shape as you knit it.
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Lay your needles on a flat surface, with the working needle on the right. Straighten the row of cast-on stitches so that they are all on the same side of the needles. This ensures that there is no twist in the fabric when you join the stitches.
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Press the last few stitches on each end toward the tips of the needles, so you can work with them easily. Slide a stitch marker onto the right needle tip to mark the start of the new row. With the needles still flat on the work surface, insert the right needle into the first stitch on the left needle.
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Knit the stitch quite tightly. The first several stitches of the new row should all be tight, so you don't have a loose area where you connected the stitches. Continue knitting the round until you return to your stitch marker.
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Follow the pattern to knit the rest of the beanie. You complete a round each time you return to the stitch marker.
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Tips & Warnings
When knitting in the round, the right side of the work is always on the outside. Knitting every row creates stockinette stitch.
If your stitches are twisted when you connect them, the only way to fix the error is to tear out all your work and begin again. Check carefully for twists in your cast-on stitches before you join the round.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
