Knitting in the round on double pointed needles seems daunting at first, but it’s really not too tough. The trickiest part is figuring out the best way to hold your work and your needles (and everyone is different). A little practice is all you need to wrestle the porcupine!
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How to Knit in the Round on Double Pointed Needles (DPNs)
- Once you’ve got all of your stitches cast on, (for more information about how to cast on stitches to DPNs check out our tutorial here), distribute your knitting onto 3 DPNs. You can also distribute your stitches over 4 needles and work with your fifth needle, but for this tutorial I’ll be working with my stitches on 3 needles and knitting with the fourth.
- Pick up your fourth needle
- Starting at the first stitch of the round, knit with needle 4 in your right hand and needle 1 in your left hand. (Note: make sure you pull the first and second stitches on a needle a little extra tight, if you are too loose you will get ‘ladders’, loose points in the knit fabric between needles). Even though you are using 4 needles, you are really only ever working with 2 at a time. If you put your knitting down or just plain forget where you are at, remember that your yarn will always come from the right.
- Work all the stitches on needle 1, keeping in pattern (follow your pattern directions to see how you should be working these stitches). Now you will have one empty needle (formerly needle 1) and your 4th needle will be full.
- Next you will be knitting with needle 1 (recently emptied) and needle 2.
- Take your empty needle and begin working with your empty needle and needle 2. Starting to see a pattern? You are always using the empty needle to knit the next needle in the series. The trick is never to put your needle down. You are always working with 4 needles, but only using 2 at a time.
Your stitches are on 3 needles, and you’ve got your 4th (empty) needle in your right hand. With needle 1 in your left hand and needle 4 in your right hand, work all the stitches on needle 1. Now you will have one empty needle (formerly needle 1) and your 4th needle will be full.
Next you will be knitting with needle 1 (recently emptied) and needle 2.
Each time you work all of the stitches on one needle, you will have an empty needle in your left hand. Move that empty needle to your right hand and begin working with your empty needle and the next set of stitches.
Starting to see a pattern? You are always using the empty needle to knit the next needle in the series. The trick is never to put your needle down, if you do, there’s a small chance all your stitches will end up on only 2 needles. If this happens don’t worry, just slip 1/2 of those stitches onto another DPN and keep going. You are always working with 4 needles, but only using 2 at a time. Round and round you go, always using the empty needle to knit the next!
More great Tin Can Knits patterns worked in the round
Embers Hat Pattern
Hush
Sunshine hat
Icefall Sweater
Westerly
Mountain Mist
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Let’s Knit a Northward Hat | Tin Can Knits
November 5, 2020 @ 1:32 pm
[…] nine rounds. When there are too few stitches to work comfortably on your circular needle, you must switch to double pointed needles or a long circular for the magic loop […]
Let’s Knit a Hat | Tin Can Knits
August 18, 2020 @ 3:22 pm
[…] For more details on how to knit with DPNs see our knitting with DPNs tutorial here. […]
Love Note Sweater: Body and Sleeves (4/6) | Tin Can Knits
June 18, 2020 @ 6:03 am
[…] For smaller sizes you’ll knit in the round using a longer circular and the magic loop method or double pointed needles […]
March 4, 2020 @ 2:35 pm
Pleased to find your tutorial on DPN’s. Especially like the reminder that we are only knitting with 2 needles at a time. Am having a terrible time figuring out how to process a YO at the junction between needles. YO is the end of the repeat and I’m just not having any luck guessing at what might work. This is what swatches are for – right!? Thank you
March 5, 2020 @ 12:57 pm
Hi Joanna – YOs at the end of a needle are notoriously easy to drop. The key is really just vigilance, knowing that it’s there and making sure it didn’t disappear as you went around!
February 24, 2020 @ 2:40 pm
Hello, I am knitting the Flax Light sweater, 4yrs-6yrs and about to start the sleeves. I have never used dpns (tried once) and need some guidance for starting the sleeves with magic loop. What length is necessary to magic loop the whole sleeve? 24″ or 32″?. Are there any other concerns I might be missing?
Still consider myself a novice even though I’ve fumbled through 2 flax sweaters and one harvest cardigan. I keep forgetting the rules!
Thanks for all your support,
Penny
February 25, 2020 @ 1:28 pm
Hi Penny – Either length is fine. I prefer 32″ or longer myself, but others prefer less cord getting in their way. No other concerns, I personally like to pull the cord out at the sides of the sleeves, rather than in the garter panel.
February 29, 2020 @ 11:24 am
Hmm… Where exactly should I pull out the cord? Just after the garter or before? It won’t be even close to half and half. Won’t I run into a problem decreasing?( I cannot remember how I did it on my other Flax.) Maybe I should learn to use dpns.
March 2, 2020 @ 1:00 pm
Hi – You can pull the cord out wherever you like. I personally like to have it at the side of the sleeve. If you try one way and find you don’t like it, you can always pull them out a different spot.
October 25, 2019 @ 4:28 pm
How do you change colors when knitting with DPNs?
October 29, 2019 @ 3:09 pm
Hi Bonnie – the same way I do any other colour change, I put my needle in ready to knit and throw a loop of the new yarn over the needle, then I work a few sts then give the tail a little tug.
Rye Light – Online rich life tips
January 3, 2019 @ 5:30 pm
[…] type of knitter! They always have a pair of socks on the needles, whether they’re using double points, magic loop, working their socks two-at-a-time, cuff-down, or toe-up. Sock knitters have this whole […]
Rye Light | Tin Can Knits
January 1, 2019 @ 6:01 am
[…] type of knitter! They always have a pair of socks on the needles, whether they’re using double points, magic loop, working their socks two-at-a-time, cuff-down, or toe-up. Sock knitters have this whole […]
February 12, 2018 @ 4:05 am
Going to try and make a big chunky mitten for my grandson to use to hide his tiny animals in , per his request, like the animals that go in his book called
“Mitten” that he is fascinated with. Hate using double pointed needles but love your explanation and will try it.
Thanks.
November 19, 2017 @ 8:35 am
Hi! I am knitting the barley hat and am up to the decreases. After I place my 6 markers, on round 1, it says purl to the 2nd marker. Is this to the 2nd marker of the 6, or to the one that is at the end of the purl section placed previously? It’s turning out lovely and I don’t want to mess up now! Thanks!
November 22, 2017 @ 9:32 am
Hi Pam – you only need one marker at the end of the purl section. If you place 6 markers as well as the one you already placed for the garter section you should have 2 makrers in the same place. The second marker of the 6 is the same as the one that previously marked your garter st.
November 15, 2017 @ 6:09 am
Thank you.
Wee Cardi Post 3A | Cream City Yarn
March 3, 2017 @ 11:35 am
[…] Pick the sleeve you’re going to work on and pick up your larger double pointed needles (DPNs from here on out). I’m using size 8 bamboo Addi DPNs, I’m only going to use 4 total DPNs (3 to hold my stitches and 1 to work with) of my DPNs in my pack. The reason I’m only going to use 4 is because by splitting my stitches over 3 needles I will only have 3 points of potential weakness while I knit, and I will have less needles to keep track of while I work. You may choose to use 5 DPNs instead of 4 (4 to hold the stitches and 1 to work with ), which is fine, but thats why I do it. If you haven’t worked with DPNs before, here is a nice tutorial from from Tin Can Knits for working with DPNs. […]
January 4, 2017 @ 1:53 pm
The pattern says Using the pinhole method cast on 8 sts. What is the pinhole method?
January 5, 2017 @ 10:16 am
Hi Arlene – all the info on the pinhole cast on can be found here: https://blog.tincanknits.com/2012/05/25/pinhole-cast-on-tutorial/
August 1, 2016 @ 6:25 pm
Great site, good offers. Good instructions
May 22, 2016 @ 7:13 pm
Beautifully explained and demonstrated. Good on you. I’m going to make a start on the trash of yarn I have in a bag.
March 7, 2016 @ 4:31 pm
How difficult is it switching from the circular needle to dpns when knitting the barley hat?
March 8, 2015 @ 10:27 am
I accidentally knit one set of stitches on one of my 3 needles with the needle beside it instead of using my 4th working needle. What should I do now???
March 9, 2015 @ 3:29 pm
Just slip your sts back onto 3 needles.
December 14, 2014 @ 12:07 pm
Thanks, just what I needed when I needed it!
October 23, 2014 @ 7:27 pm
Thank you for the step by step instructions! I have been extremely hesitant (and all around avoiding!) using DPN’s. I promised a friend I would knit a hat for Xmas, and these helped me to overcome my DPN fear! :D
May 18, 2014 @ 7:35 am
Wow, I have yet to use don’s.. I’m just getting used to using circular needles, but these tutorials are AWESOME! They really helped and I ADORE THIS patterns and the Harvest Sweater.. just wished I knitted a little faster ahahahahah
May 22, 2014 @ 7:25 am
Practice, practice, and more practice will make your knitting quicker! You could also try to learn to knit continental style… most folk think it’s faster than english style (but I just knit slowly!).
April 25, 2014 @ 1:14 am
Thanks for the tutorial! I’m learning to knit with DPN’s.
What brand of DPN do you use here and in this tutorial http://blog.tincanknits.com/2013/10/25/lets-knit-a-sweater/? They look nice and pointy!
April 25, 2014 @ 3:03 pm
I can’t remember for the life of me what the brand is but they are rosewood (which I love) and I got them at Unwind Knit and Fiber Lounge!
April 25, 2014 @ 4:00 pm
Thanks! It seems they are Lantern Moon.
August 18, 2013 @ 9:06 am
Beautifully illustrated. I am trying to change over to wood only. It is so pleasant to work with and your stitches don’t usually fall off unless they are very loose. The metal aggravates my arthritis too :P