Tuesday’s Knitting Tip – Converting your Flat Pattern to In the Round
Thanks to our Purchasing Coordinator and part-time knitwear designer, Emma Welford for this week’s tip!
If you hate purling and dread seaming or just want to challenge yourself with a different construction, try converting your flat pattern to knitting in the round! I’m currently doing this with my Holla Back Tank pattern since I’ve already knit the pattern once and want to keep myself on my toes this time around.
– Remove any selvage stitches when calculating how many stitches to cast on and where any shaping takes place.For example, if the front of your sweater says to CO 102 stitches (100 body stitches and 2 selvage stitches) and the back of your sweater says to CO 112 stitches (110 body stitches and 2 selvage stitches), you would CO 210 stitches when knitting in the round.
– Remember that any WS rows will be worked opposite to what they originally state. Purls will be knit, knits will be purled, and lace or cable patterns will be worked backwards. If you have a chart, read the WS rows from right to left.
– Remove any ‘balancing’ stitches outside of the repeats for a lace or cable pattern.
– If your pattern calls for sleeves, you could knit them flat and seam them as originally called for. Another option is to pick up stitches from the armhole and work a short row sleeve cap, then knit the sleeve downwards from there and reverse shaping by decreasing at the intervals where the pattern says to increase. Choose the method you’re most comfortable with!
- Tuesday’s Tip – Keeping Track of Alternate Increase Rounds - March 25, 2014
- Tuesday’s Crochet Tip – Finger Crochet - March 18, 2014
- Tuesday’s Crochet Tip – Turn a Doily Pattern into a Rug - March 11, 2014
Tags: circular knitting, how to, knitting in the round, knitting tips, Tuesday's Tip
September 18th, 2012 at 9:37 am
You state that for charts, WS rows should be read left to right. This is true for knitting flat, but if you convert to knitting in the round all WS rows should be knit right to left just as though they were RS rows, shouldn’t they?
September 18th, 2012 at 10:20 am
Thanks for catching my typo, Ginni! You would think I know my right from my left by now by apparently not. 😉 Post is being edited, you are correct in stating all rows would be knit right to left.
September 18th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
what are balancing stitches?
September 18th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Anita, balancing stitches are stitches outside your repeat in a lace or cable pattern that ‘balance’ the design. For example, you might have a lace pattern that reads k2 *ssk, yo, k5, yo, rep from * until 2 sts from end of round, k2. You would remove the stitches outside the *’s and adjust your stitch count if needed.
September 18th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
What are balancing stitches? And are they usually included and already written into a flat knitted pattern? …like selvage stitiches.
September 18th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Solina, another person asked the same question below, here is the response I gave her. Balancing stitches are stitches outside your repeat in a lace or cable pattern that ‘balance’ the design. For example, you might have a lace pattern that reads k2 *ssk, yo, k5, yo, rep from * until 2 sts from end of round, k2. You would remove the stitches outside the *’s and adjust your stitch count if needed. So yes, they are written into a flat knitted pattern but it depends on the pattern–a stockinette stitch pullover would likely not have balancing stitches, though ribbing is another common place to find them (ie *k2, p2; rep from * until 2 sts from end of round, k2.) Hope that clarifies!
October 21st, 2015 at 12:59 pm
The pattern I want to convert has raglan sleeves. Do you have any suggestions/pointers for this? Should I knit them flat and seam them or knit them in the round, attach them and work the entire garment up to the neck? (Obviously, the pattern is worked bottom up.)
Thank you,
Rachel
October 22nd, 2015 at 11:05 am
Hi Rachel,
Knitting in the round, attaching the sleeves and working the rest up to the neck is likely your best course.
Sara
November 7th, 2019 at 7:17 am
I am in the process of finishing a sweater pattern written for straight needles that I’ve done on circulars. I switch to straights when I get up to the armholes and then continue on the straight needles, doing the front separate from the back. My problem is that it seems that the armholes are not big enough to accommodate the sleeves. This is the second time this has happened. Suggestions?