How to knit a flat pattern in the round?

[tigersagg]

I finally received my Denise Interchangeables today, and I have a bunch of sweater patterns that I've been dying to try out.

The problem is they're all knit on two needles, and my seaming skills suck.

So I need to figure out how to knit flat patterns in the round.

The patterns I have are all bottom to top, and I think I'd be okay until I got to the armholes.

Most have ribbing at the bottom, which I can do. Then a basic pattern for the body, which I can do.

But it's when I get to the armholes, and the pattern says to "bind off" so many stitches for the next two rows...how do I convert that while working in the round?

And then the shoulders are a whole different problem.

The sleeves I'll knit separately and those I'll sew on. I think trying to do it all at once would really overwhelm me.
I'll learn that after I master the sweater part first.

Can anyone help?
Thanks!

[Ingrid]

The easiest way is to knit in the round until you get to the armholes. Then divide the stitches into front and back and slip half onto another circular needle or piece of yarn.
Then work either the back or front back and forth, following the regular instructions and binding off half of the underarm stitches for the front and half for the back.
Then you can do a 3-needle bind off for the shoulders (the best, best seam!) and sew in the sleeves.
OR, you can pick up stitches around the armholes and knit down to the cuff, reversing the increases to decreases. This works especially well if there's not a lot of shaping of the armhole.

[KnitTogether]

If you are going bottom up, in the round, when you get to the armholes you can put the front and back stitches on separate needles and then work them one at a time.

[Ingrid]

Great minds think alike!

[KnitTogether]

Great minds think alike!

One minute apart!