TGIF TekTalk
After Wednesday’s entry, I got some requests for some Demo Action of the fab Two-Circular Method of knitting in the round. Our KIP group was at the Mercury Cafe last night and the lovely Rachel from Sweet Figs was kind enough to take these shots that show how the technique looks in practice.
I am using two – 32″ circular needles to make the tube. The stitches are divided evenly between the two needles. I chose to go from mid-sleeve to mid-sleeve while knitting the complete circular yoke of a sweater. (See the flat tube with divided stitches in a picture in this entry)
Because I am knitting this inside out to keep it clean, the resting needle lies in my lap nearest to my body and the Working Needle is on top, a little further away from the body. The distance in this picture is exaggerated to illustrate the difference. I like the fact that the bulk and weight of the sweater is mainly supported by the body and not the wrists.
When you form the circle made with the Working Needle to start knitting, the resting work will naturally fall below and be out of the way. You knit across all the stitches on the Working Needle. Then you drop that needle, flip the work and pick up what was the Resting Needle and that becomes the working side.
So, using one ball of yarn you knit around the tube, one-half of the stitches per needle at a time. It’s the same concept of using multiple needles to knit in the round as when you use Double Pointed Needles but the flexibility and length of the circulars means you only need 2 needles instead of 4 or more.
Here’s about half-way through knitting the stitches on the Working Needle. You can see how the Resting Needle just will position itself below it. Once you get through a few rounds like this, the pace and rhythm will become really fast and friendly!
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Yesterday, my poor email addie was the victim of BackScatter Spam – I got almost 10,000 emails to my new DSL mailbox. Ten Thousand. They were mingled in with my regular email.
I think the problem is under control (not much you can do but wait it out and clean out the box). BUT. If you emailed me in the past two days, Please email me again because it might’ve been purged by accident…
There should be a special place in Hell for these people who casually steal our time by causing this VANDALISM.
So let me understand this. You are knitting the front and back (yoke, shoulders) on two circulars, but are not knitting back and forth. When you finish one side, the front let’s say, you drop that circular, and pick up the circular with the back and knit that, then resume with the front. Do I understand that correctly? I assume this means you need two balls of yarn, as if knitting two socks.
Thanks!
You use one ball of yarn but only knit half of the stitches per needle.
What brand glasses are those, because I believe I have them in blue :) haha!
OohLaLA! Those are pink/burgundy LaFont *Naomi* frames ;p
Oh, I’ve just had the LIGHTBULB moment! As someone who taught herself DPNs and cried mightily because she couldn’t figure out why all her stitches were ending up on the same needle, I’ve long been baffled by this two-circ thing. Now I realize that the needles never trade stitches with each other… they stay segregated, each to their own side… Ta da! It all makes sense! Thank you.
But I suppose you’d need two of the same type/brand of needle to make sure the gauge stays the same! My Denises and my Addis would not play nice with each other. (Runs off to buy more circular needles)
What a wonderful way to knit in the round! It makes me wonder why I never thought of it. A lot less stress on the arms for sure. Now you’ve got me thinking about those awful spammers. Is there any way to protect your blog from being attacked? I do see some blogs that spell out their email address, as in “tukatsatcoxdotnet,” but it seems like an inconvenience to anyone who wants to email you. 10,000 huh.
You only need one ball of yarn, you continue to knit with the same end as you go between needles. And you can do this with one set of Denise needles, you simply put the 2 tips in the size you’re using on the “working” end of the each needle (the end you hold in your right hand, this is the one whose size really matters, it forms the size of the stitches), and a smaller tip on the other end.
Dear Bonne Marie,
I am a recent convert to the socks on two circulars method, but I’m wondering: what’s the advantage of making something like a sweater on two circulars instead of just one?
Thanks as always for your interesting and informative entries!!!!
Thanks for the tutorial! For some insane reason, this never made sense to me, even though I knit socks with dpns, with essentially the same method. It’s fascinating to me how we can have a mental block about something so easy.
Nice sweater you’re wearing, by the way.
ah-ha!! *thank you* for the fabulous tutorial! it has clicked! the key, i think, is the turning of the work (i just couldn’t figure out why all the stiches wouldn’t end up on the same needle… did the 2 have to be glued together? magic?) as i’ve recently discovered that i have 5 pairs of #7 circs, this might be a very good time to try this. thanks again!
p.s. love the glasses. i have some with a similar effect (brown outside, gold inside with hints of turquoise in the light) from prodesign.
I just this past week finally took the 2 circ method plunge myself. Socks! It’s amazingly simple and I’m hooked. BM love the pink spectacles! Luv ’em luv ’em.
P.S. Thanx a bunch for the blog advice.
I recently got a second set of Denise needles specifically for this! I have always done my sleeves with 2 circs, but have never thought to do the body – thanks!
I think people who spam in this lifetime will come back in the next to work as microsoft call center customer service reps.
Do I spy…a CeCe? In the same color as mine (by the way just finished joining the pieces together – looking good so far!) Good taste!
I’m a total believer in the 2 circs method! It takes a bit of thought to re-work most patterns that call for one (or 5), but once you’re over the hurdle, it’s a no-brainer.
p.s. Luv the CeCe, B.
YIKES. That sucks about the spam. :(
Anne wrote: “what’s the advantage…?”
The number one reason, for me, is the managability factor. It just makes it much easier to keep the stitches moving quickly around, instead of smooshing all together on a smaller needle. There can be quite a few stitches in a yoke – and around the area where the sleeves join the body, it can get really distorted. This method keeps it SMOOOOOth all the way around with no wrestling.
The other, equally compelling reason, is it distributes the load of the sweater. It takes the majority of the weight off of the wrist and hands – very important for all of us Knit Geeks who Want to Knit All Day, Every Day… :)
I love the idea of doing the sweater on two circulars. That’s my favorite way to knit socks, and anything that spares my wrists and elbows from stress is good.
I also love seeing the CeCe on you, but from different angles than those normally modeled – nice to see how it’s lived-in in real life. I think I’ll have to get one now!
Maybe it’s because I’ve had a cocktail, (a BIG one) but this makes no sense…..
I love my Ribby Cardi. Do you have a pattern available for the Ribby Pulli?
I love your CeCe! The color is great.
Wonderful tutorial! I’ve got to try that out. I need a combo of seeing the technique and trying it out with my own hands to fully understand it.
I hate spammers too. If Dante had been writing today, I’m sure he would have written a special ring of hell just for them.