Circular needles

[Anne]

I am going to make a throw that calls for 11" needles, 32-inch circular. I would like to use bamboo, however, i can only find 34. Will the 34-inch circular make that much difference?

This will be my first time using circular.

[Hildegard_von_Knittin]

Since this is for a throw, and not a piece of clothing, it probablly won't make a huge difference. Just keep in mind that with a cable that is 2 inches shorter, you might not be able to get all the stitches on w/o them falling off, and therefore you might have to adjust the pattern. However, I'm a pretty go-with-the-flow knitter, so I might have the minority opinion on this!

[Peg]

Hmmmmm, perhaps I'm confused here but I thought you meant the pattern called for 32" length circs and all you could find were 34"? If I read that right then imho you've no problems with the longer length cable. Also an fyi, Addi makes a beautiful bamboo circular, known as Addi Natura, and they do come in a 32" length. They're pricey but beautiful needles and come with a lifetime warranty. Another fyi here, the Natura's in sizes 11 and up have a different cable which I'm not real fond of, very similar to a Clover or Crystal Palace. Everything below size 11 have the same cable as the Turbo's. hth! Happy Knitting!

[Hildegard_von_Knittin]

Oooooops, no *I* read it wrong, not you Peg! My bad! (I still agree that it won't matter though!)

[Anne]

Hmmmmm, perhaps I'm confused here but I thought you meant the pattern called for 32" length circs and all you could find were 34"?


Thats correct Peg. I can find the 32" circs but they are aluminum and from what i understand they can be slippery. Since i have only used the bamboo that is what i would like to use.

What size cable is the best to stitch on? My throw when finished measures 40x60". Casting on 150. All knit,using a new yarn for each row.

Total yardage is approx 1,800 yards.

[Peg]

Anne I agree with Hildegard, it won't matter much if you use 32" or 34" as either will give you enough room for your throw. And imho, it's better to have a bit more room on your cable than too little.
Regarding bamboo vs alum....I often prefer one over the other depending upon the yarn I'm knitting. Sometimes I want that bit of drag bamboo gives while other times the drag is too much so I prefer alum. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, I've just found what works best for me through trial and error.

[Carie]

Hi! I'm making a sweater that has a triangle pattern (below). I got the pattern from Knit n Style.

Anyway, I've looked at the instructions for changing colors on this Web site, and it's great, but for straight needles. I can't figure out how to make a bobbin and work with it on circular needles because when you use the bobbin, you end up on the other side of the triangle. So I've been cutting and tying the two colors of yarn every time I get to the end of the triangle. Is there another way??? The back of my sweater is a mess, and I expect that it, with all those knots, it will be uncomfortable to wear.

Maybe I should have done this one on straight needles, but I was told you can do anything on circulars that you can do on straight (this is my first time using circulars).

Any help really appreciated!

Thx,

Carie

[amy]

Welcome Carie!

Intarsia is circular knitting's weak point. The easiest thing to do if doing intarsia, is to knit it flat, and seam it.

It is possible to do intarsia "in the round," but it's not truly in the round. It's sort of a combination between working in the round and working flat. You basically work a round, and turn the work and purl back, but you do it in a way that joins the piece as you go. You will have a sort of seam at this turning point.

I described the technique in an old thread, which I just dug up. I'll cut and paste the instructions here, in case you're interested....
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The idea is, you knit your way through one round, and then purl your way back (unusual for circular knitting!). You choose the point where you will be turning the work, a place where a seam-line will be least noticed. You will increase an extra stitch here before you begin the first round of intarsia. This stitch will be the "seam", and will be slightly different looking than the other stitches. So, you create this seam stitch, and knit all the way around, doing intarsia, ending by knitting this seam stitch. Turn the work, and slip the seam stitch. Purl your way back around to the seam stitch and purl the seam stitch. Turn the work. Slip seam stitch, and work the round, ending by knitting seam stitch. Continue this way, always beginning a round by slipping the seam stitch, and ending the round by knitting or purling it.

Amy

[Carie]

Thanks so much! It's great to hear from you personally, and I want to tell you that I think your web site is amazing! You help a LOT of people and obviously put soooo much work into it.

I think I figured out that circulars wasn't the way to do this. I'm a born-again knitter (I haven't knitted since I was a kid and I don't remember ever hearing about circulars back then). I thought I'd give circulars a whirl but it obviously wasn't the right project to try them. I'd switch to straight needles, but I'm almost finished with the triangle.

Knit and learn.....

Thanks!

Carie