picking up stitches on circular needles

cdjack · 10-21-2007, 03:09 PM

I'm making a bag on circular needles. I'm finished with the base of the bag (60 sts and 30 rows) and now I'm supposed to pick up stitches from the sides and the bottom and join in the round. My problem is that the base of the bag takes up all of the nylon cord and I'm having trouble squishing the base over to the right side in order to pick up stitches with my left needle. Has anyone ever used a straight needle to pick up stitches and then transfered the new stitches onto the circular needles?
Sorry this was sooo long...

suzeeq · 10-21-2007, 08:13 PM

It may be easier to tranfer the new sts to the straight one and pick up with the circular, but I think you're going to need a longer circ. Sounds like you're going to end up with about 180 sts to knit on (if you're going to pick up along the side, the CO and the other side, plus your 60 sts), and if 60 takes up all the cord.....

cdjack · 10-21-2007, 08:24 PM

I thought the cord seemed to short as well.
The pattern called for size 10 circular needles with a 24 inch length (which is not an easy length to find). Yeah, I'm supposed to pick up 24 stitches on each side and 60 ,of course, on the cast on edge.
Oh, the base of the bag is knit with double strands of Paton's merino and the bag itself is knit with just one.

suzeeq · 10-21-2007, 11:37 PM

24" should be okay, I thought maybe you were trying to do it on a 16". Instead of pushing the 60 sts all over to the other side, keep them spread out along the needle, as in normal knitting and pick up the first few at the corner. After that it should be easier until the next corner. The corners are the toughest part on the pickup row, and it's better to just kind of ease them in rather than try to free up the cord unless you've got a really long one.