How to Knit | Double Pointed Needles
I’m finally back with the next segment in the How to Knit Series! Sorry it took me so long – I don’t know if it’s the same for all of you, but boy oh boy is this time of year crazy! It seems like I wait all year long for winter to arrive so things can slow down….then when it does arrive, everything is just as busy, and there’s ice to drive on to get where you’re going. LOL! Oh well…I’ll get used to the ice soon, and I have spent a fair amount of time snuggled under a blanket drinking coffee 🙂
We’re going to talk about knitting on double pointed needles today (check out the bottom of this post for some pattern suggestions that are good to learn on)! This is something that I really don’t love to do…haha. For me, Double Pointed Needles just aren’t practical because I have a 2 year old son who is determined to make me drop all of my sts EVERY SINGLE TIME I choose to use them. So I seriously haven’t knit with them since he started walking over a year ago. I do think learning how to use double pointed needles is an important step to really understanding knitting in the round though…so here I am, struggling through it so I can help teach you 🙂
I’m starting with a how-to cast on to double pointed needles video. It can seem a little confusing putting the needles together, and knowing where the next stitch should go, etc. So here is a brief overview of casting on, and how to arrange your needles.
Since you’ve probably never knit in the round before, we need to talk about “joining in the round”. This is what you have to do in order to make your knitting work in a circle instead of in rows.
Next, we need to talk about how to actually knit with these needles. PLEASE don’t let double pointed needles intimidate you out of knitting. The actual act of knitting with them is actually quite simple – it’s just getting past the awkward feeling of holding 4 needles that you really need to focus on. Work on making a 2 inch long tube with double pointed needles (maybe 4 if you’re using super bulky yarn). By the time you finish that tube, you’ll have the feel and will already be saying “Well that wasn’t so hard!”
Now all you need to do is practice, practice, practice. You’ll get the hang of it really quickly. If you’re looking for some instant satisfaction though (I know I LOVE to feel like I’m making quick progress) then check out the patterns that I’ve listed here. Each of them is a really simple knit to do on double pointed needles, and you’ll have something to show for your time 🙂
Snow Bunny Pom Hat – This one is super easy, super quick (yay super bulky yarn!) and you can even just leave out the color changes if you feel that’s too much to start with.
Antler Hat – The base of this one is a great way to practice lots of double pointed knitting….and I bet by the time you finish it, you’ll feel ready to take on the world and you’ll bust out some antlers and ears too 😉
Little Dew Drop Pixie Hat – SUPER easy and SUPER cute!
Remember to come on over to the Melody’s Makings’ Facebook Group and share your progress with me. It’s also a great place to get help and questions answered if you need it. As always, I am also available at [email protected] to answer e-mails.
I’ll be back to talk about the “Magic Loop Method” of knitting in the round soon!
Which pattern are you going to start with!?
~ Melody