How to Circular Knit on Double Pointed Needles

A lot of beginning knitters are afraid of knitting on double-pointed knitting needles, but once you learn how, you'll discover it's really not that difficult at all. Double-pointed needles (DPNs), come in a wide variety of sizes and materials, so you can knit just about any circular project on DPNs. They are usually used to knit items you don't want to seam up later, like hats, socks and mittens.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Set of double-pointed knitting needles (4 or 5 to a set)
• Yarn
• Knitting pattern

1. Cast on stitches onto the needles. You can use any cast-on method you like, such as the cable cast-on, or the long tail cast-on. Remember that you have to divide the stitches between each needle. For example, if your pattern calls for you to cast on 60 stitches, and you are using three DPNs, you would cast on 20 stitches on each needle.
2. Join your work, and this may be the most daunting part of circular knitting. Bring the needles together to form a triangle, making sure you don't twist the stitches on any of the needles. Instead of knitting back and forth, as you would on straight needles, you join the last stitch you cast on with the first stitch on the first needle.
3. Use the empty needle in the set to take the yarn from the last cast-on stitch and knit the first cast-on stitch. Again, make sure your stitches aren't twisted on the needles. I find that it makes a better join if I use the tail of the yarn hanging down, and then working the yarn together to knit the first stitch and the next stitch. This helps make the join neater and stronger.
4. Remember to pull the yarn tight when you knit the first stitch, and to get the stitch as close as possible to the last stitch on the previous needle. This way, your join will be neat, and you won't be able to see it as you continue knitting.
5. Continue knitting the stitches on the first needle, just like you would on any other needle. Remember that because you never turn your work, you don't have to alternate between a knit and purl row for a stockinette stitch. The work automatically becomes a stockinette stitch if you knit every row. It's magic!
6. Continue with the next needle when you get to the end of one needle, using the empty needle to knit with. Remember, when you make the shift from one needle to another, you need to pull the stitches especially tight. Otherwise, you'll end up with "ladders" in your knitting, little tell-tale rows up the garment that show clearly where the needles joined.

Tips & Warnings

• Always place a stitch marker at the beginning of your first round of knitting so you know where the round begins and ends.