Tutorial: How to Join in the Round

Tutorial: How to Join in the Round

What is Being Made

This tutorial provides instructions for joining knitting in the round, a fundamental technique used to create seamless circular knitted projects such as hats, cowls, socks, and other tubular garments. Rather than knitting flat and seaming pieces together, joining in the round allows crafters to work continuously in a spiral, eliminating the need for finishing seams.

Techniques Used

The primary technique covered in this tutorial is the method for joining stitches in the round using circular needles or double-pointed needles. The instructions walk through the specific steps of transferring stitches and creating the join that connects the first and last stitches of the cast-on row, allowing seamless circular knitting to begin.

Equipment and Needles

This tutorial demonstrates joining in the round using two primary needle options:

• Circular needles: A single needle with two pointed tips connected by a flexible cable, ideal for holding larger numbers of stitches
• Double-pointed needles: A set of short needles with points on both ends, distributed evenly across the needles (the tutorial shows an example using 3 needles, though 4 needles can also be used depending on preference)

Step-by-Step Process

The joining technique involves the following steps:

• Cast on all stitches and distribute them evenly across your chosen needles
• Transfer the first stitch from the right needle onto the left needle (labeled as Stitch A)
• Pull the first stitch from the left needle (labeled as Stitch B) over Stitch A onto the right needle, completing the join
• Begin knitting normally in the round, with Stitch A serving as the first stitch of the row and Stitch B as the last stitch

Materials

This tutorial requires yarn appropriate for your intended project and either circular needles or double-pointed needles in the size specified by your chosen knitting pattern.