How To: Knit On Circular Needles Or Knit In The Round

Knitting on circular needles is called Knitting in the Round.  You cast on to your circular needle in exactly the same way that you cast onto straight needles. The first row where you make your join will be the hardest.  After that, it's easy.

Tip

• You MUST be sure that when you join the yarn that it doesn't twist around the needle!  

Knit in the round

1. After you have cast on the stitches turn your cast on stitches so they are all facing the same way as in the FIRST photo above LEFT.
2. Make a circle with the needle and join the yarn from the LAST stitch you cast on into the FIRST stitch of the cast on row.
3.  Hold your needle so that the yarn is coming from the right. Pull the yarn on the first few stitches tight so there won't be a hole, or gap, where you have joined the work.  
4. Use a stitch marker to know where your row began so you will know where the row ends and the next one begins. 
5. As you continue to knit you'll see that the right, or knit side is on the outside and the wrong, or purl side in on the inside. 
6. Continue knitting in the round until your pattern tells you to do something else like decrease or bind off.  Those techniques will be discussed in later articles.