KNITmuch Issue 1 | Page 27

Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round. “join to work in the round, being careful not to twist“ With double-pointed needles, place the marker after the first stitch on the first needle, to mark the beginning of the round. Double-pointed needles can take a bit of practice to get used to. You can use a row counter gadget to help count your rounds (or rows), by turning the dial each time you finish a round. If you’ve lost count and need to just count them visually, just remember that one of those little “V” shapes in the fabric is one stitch. By counting how many of those “Vs” are stacked on top of each other, you’ll get your count. Just remember to always include the round that is on your needle also. For example, in the picture below, we can count 6 rounds of the pink yarn have been knitted, plus the one on the needles so that actually means we have knitted 7 rounds of pink. Knitting in the round can be great television knitting or “transit knitting” while on the go, especially if you’re using a circular needle and don’t ever have to worry about dropping a needle by accident. Counting how many rounds you have knitted is easy to do on stockinette stitch. For these hats, we’ll knit several rounds of ribbing to start, then continue in stockinette until it’s time to work the decreases. KNITmuch | issue 1 27