Circular Knitting.
Video Tutorial.

Circular knitting or knitting in the round is a good way to create a seamless garment. A classical seamless sweater knitted from a neck line is a good example of knitting in the rounds. When knitting circularly without adding stitches, you create a seamless tube.

Outside of this tube always faces you. This is the "right" side of your knitting. You work in a spiral and don't turn your work at the end of each row.

To produce stockinette fabric, for example, you don't need to work one row of knit stitch, and then one row of purl stitch. Knit stitches have to be worked all the way.

There are two different ways to do circular knitting:

• Using a circular needle which has a flexible link between two pointed metal needles. It allows you to make a continues round after casting on stitches in the usual way.
• Using double pointed needles. There are usually 5 of them in a set. After casting on all stitches are divided among working needles (two, three, or four). One needle is used to knit off.

Very many knitters prefer to use circular needles for flat traditional knitting where at the end of each row you have to turn your work. Unlike traditional needles they distribute weight of your knitted fabric into the lap making it easier to work with. Besides that, they are very handy if you have somewhat restricted space for knitting in a car, chair, etc.

The first movie presented below shows you how to join in the round when doing the first row of the circular knitting using either circular needle or double-pointed needles. The second one demonstrates how to knit a circular tube on double-pointed needles.

There is one more curious observation if you compare the ways both knitters provide proper tension of yarn. First knitter holds yarn in her right hand. Second one creates tension using her left hand. Both of them are right-handed knitters. If you watch them, you will notice that the first one due to her technique is forced to make more movements with higher amplitude to perform the same operation like the second one. It seams to me, that her hands will get tired sooner.

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