frustrated with gaps in knitting with dpns, help??

[mehlhouse]

Is there a trick to preventing gaps when knitting with dpns or even with two circular needles to knit in small rounds??
Hopefully somebody has an idea!

Thanks =]

[suzeeq]

You can move the needles over by one or two stitches so they're not in the same place all the time. When you knit all the sts off a needle, continue on and do a couple more on the next needle, then switch for your empty one. It's not so bad that way, and blocking or washing will help even out the ladders, as they're called.

[boyforpele13]

i use sue's trick and another one i saw on one of the Knitty Gritty's with Annie Modesitt. She recommends on the second stitch of each needle placing the needle in, either to K or P, whichever the pattern calls for, but before working that stitch, giving the working yarn a really good tug. That has worked REALLY well for me.

[cheley]

You can move the needles over by one or two stitches so they're not in the same place all the time. When you knit all the sts off a needle, continue on and do a couple more on the next needle, then switch for your empty one. It's not so bad that way, and blocking or washing will help even out the ladders, as they're called.

Hi SuzeeqI have tried this technique, but, I watched a tut by Vickie Howell and she always does the first st thru the back loop...I tried that and it seems to work, also I always tug the second st too...
but I don't know (not smart enough) to figure out if this (back loop thing) is only o.k for ribbing...what do you think???

[Yarnlady]

I tug and rotate. Knit the next two sts off the next needle and then start with the empty needle. If you have a marker at the beginning of the round you'll always be able to rearrange your sts on the needles if you need to.

When I start knitting with the empty needle, I knit the first st, insert the needle into the second st and give a tug to tighten up the last couple sts, and then finish that st. Knit to the end and repeat.

[Arielluria]

Is there a trick to preventing gaps when knitting with dpns or even with two circular needles to knit in small rounds??
Hopefully somebody has an idea!

Thanks =]

Make the FIRST stitch of the FIRST row with the tail of your C.O., then you can just pull on the tail to tighten it later. It stays put after a couple of rows.

As far as for other rows, I just do the first 2 stitches of the next needle extra tight, the tension evens out by itself.

[suzeeq]

Hi SuzeeqI have tried this technique, but, I watched a tut by Vickie Howell and she always does the first st thru the back loop...I tried that and it seems to work, also I always tug the second st too...

On every needle, or just the first one when you join? If you do that on every needle, every row, you're going to have a line of twisted sts. My advice was for after you've joined when the yarn can be loose between the needles on every round. Which is what I thought mehlhouse was asking about, not the first join.

[cheley]

On every needle, or just the first one when you join? If you do that on every needle, every row, you're going to have a line of twisted sts. My advice was for after you've joined when the yarn can be loose between the needles on every round. Which is what I thought mehlhouse was asking about, not the first join.

Yep I was doing that on every needle, every one!!! So I thought the "line of twisted stock st was O.k. ( to be expected) So when Is the b/loop join used? I must have really misunderstood that tut....

[suzeeq]

Backward loop join? Huh? I don't know anything about that....

[cheley]

Backward loop join? Huh? I don't know anything about that....

not b/loop join...sorry Inserting needle thru the back of the stitch to join the first stitch....