Ready to start knitting in the round?
You’ve cast on all your stitches… everything is sitting on your needles… and now comes the moment that makes beginners pause:
How do I actually join without messing it up?
Joining in the round is one of those things that looks confusing from the outside but takes less than 30 seconds once you know the steps. And once you’ve done it, you’ll wonder what you were ever nervous about!
In this tutorial I’ll show you exactly how to join your stitches into a seamless, gap-free round — plus the most important check to do BEFORE you join, the one mistake that ruins the whole project if you skip it.
What Does “Knitting in the Round” Mean?
When you knit flat, you work back and forth in rows — knitting across, turning your work, knitting back. Knitting in the round means you work in a continuous spiral, never turning. The result is a seamless tube of fabric with no side seams.
Knitting in the round is used for:
- Hats — worked from the brim up (or crown down) in one seamless piece
- Cowls and neckwarmers — a continuous loop with no seam to sew
- Socks — the leg and foot are worked as a tube
- Sleeves — knitted in the round and attached to the body
- Mittens and gloves — shaped tubes for each finger
- Sweater yokes — many modern sweaters are worked entirely in the round
Once you learn to join in the round, all of these projects become accessible to you!
What You’ll Need
- Your circular needle or double pointed needles with your cast on stitches
- A stitch marker (to mark the beginning of your round)
- Your cast on stitches already on the needle
The Most Critical Step — Check for Twisted Stitches BEFORE You Join
This is the single most important thing in this entire tutorial. Please read it carefully!
Before you join a single stitch, lay your needle flat on a table and look at the cast on edge along the bottom. Every single stitch should have its cast on edge hanging downward toward the table, pointing inward. The entire cast on edge should form a smooth, even line running along the bottom of the needle.
If even ONE stitch is twisted the wrong way — with its cast on edge flipping up or outward instead of hanging downward — your finished project will have a permanent spiral twist in it that cannot be undone without ripping back to the very beginning. No amount of blocking will fix a twisted join. Take 10 extra seconds to check every stitch before joining. It’s absolutely worth it!
How to spot a twist: Hold your needle in both hands with all the stitches spread out. The little bumps of your cast on edge should all be on the same side — either all facing toward you or all facing away, consistently. If any stitch has its cast on bump on the opposite side from the others, it’s twisted. Simply slip it off and reposition it correctly before joining.
The Stitch Swap Join — Why It Works
There are several ways to join in the round. The method shown in this tutorial uses a stitch swap — where the first and last stitches of your cast on trade places. This is one of the neatest, most secure joins you can do because it locks the beginning and end of your cast on together, eliminating the gap that often appears at the join point.
When done correctly you’ll have absolutely no visible gap between your first and last stitch — just a seamless, continuous round!
Step-by-Step: How to Join in the Round
Step 1: Slip your first stitch
Insert your right needle into the first stitch on your left needle — the very first stitch of your cast on. Slip it purlwise (without twisting it) from the left needle onto the right needle.
Do not knit it — just slip it across. You now have one extra stitch sitting on your right needle.
Step 2: Pass it Over…
Now lift the stitch you just slipped — the one that just moved to the right needle — up and over the last cast on stitch that was already sitting on the right needle. Let it drop onto the right needle below that last stitch.
You’ve essentially swapped the positions of the first and last cast on stitches. These two stitches are now interlocked, which is what creates the join!
Step 3: Transfer the Original First Stitch
Insert your left needle into the original first stitch — the one you just lifted over — which is now sitting at the bottom on your right needle.
Step 4: Move It Back to the Left Needle
Lift that stitch up and over, transferring it back onto the left needle.
You’ll now see that the first two stitches of your cast on have traded places — they are criss-crossed, with one sitting over the other. This interlocking is what makes the join secure and gap-free!
Step 5: Check your join
Take a moment to look at your work before continuing. Your stitches should form a complete circle — or as complete a circle as the needle allows — with the cast on edge running consistently along the bottom throughout.
The join point should look neat and connected, not gapped or loose. If everything looks good, you’re ready for the next step!
Step 6: Place your stitch marker
Slide a stitch marker onto your right needle. This marker lives at the beginning of every round — when you knit back around and reach it, you know you’ve completed one full round and are starting the next.
The first stitch on your left needle is now your starting point. This will be the first stitch you will work.
Step 7: Start Knitting Your First Round!
The first stitch on your left needle is now your starting point. Begin knitting your first round exactly as your pattern instructs — usually just knitting every stitch for the first round unless told otherwise.
When you reach the stitch marker at the end of the round, slip it from the left needle to the right needle and begin Round 2. Keep going — you’re knitting in the round!
What Knitting in the Round Feels Like
The first few rounds of circular knitting can feel a little awkward — the needle cable may flop around, the stitches feel tight and close together, and it’s hard to see the fabric forming yet. This is completely normal!
After 4–5 rounds, the fabric starts to grow and hang down from the needle, which makes everything much more stable and easier to handle. Most knitters find the rhythm clicks in beautifully by the end of the first inch of fabric.
Preventing and Fixing Common Problems
The join has a gap or loose stitch. This is the most common issue at the join point. Give the working yarn a firm tug after working the first stitch of Round 1 to pull the join snug. Also make sure to knit the first stitch of every round slightly tighter than usual for the first few rounds until the join is secure.
My work twisted after a few rounds. Unfortunately if the stitches were twisted before joining, the twist will become very visible after a few rounds and cannot be fixed. You’ll need to rip back to the cast on and start the join again — this time checking every stitch carefully before joining. The good news is catching it early means less ripping!
I can’t tell where my round begins. This means your stitch marker fell off or you accidentally knitted past it. To find your beginning of round, look for the yarn tail from your cast on — it marks the spot where you started. Place a new marker there and continue. Going forward, always slip your marker rather than knitting past it!
My needle cable is too long and the stitches won’t reach. If your circular needle cable is longer than your project’s circumference, you can’t knit normally — the stitches won’t stretch far enough. Solutions: use a shorter circular needle, switch to DPNs, or use the magic loop technique with a longer cable.
I accidentally knitted into the join and created an extra stitch. Count your stitches at the end of Round 1. If you have one extra, you likely knitted into both legs of the crossed join stitches. Use a decrease (k2tog) right at that spot to get back to your correct stitch count.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I always need a stitch marker when knitting in the round? Technically no, but practically yes! Without a marker, it’s very easy to lose track of where your round begins, especially once you’re several rounds in. A stitch marker costs almost nothing and saves enormous frustration. Always use one!
Can I join in the round with any cast on method? Yes — any cast on works for joining in the round. The long tail cast on is very popular for circular projects because it creates a flexible, even edge that joins beautifully. See the Long Tail Cast On tutorial for a step-by-step guide!
What’s the minimum number of stitches I can join in the round on a circular needle? It depends on your needle cable length — your stitches need to comfortably reach from one needle tip to the other without stretching. For very small stitch counts (under about 40 stitches on a 16-inch needle), switch to DPNs or use the magic loop technique.
Is there a way to join without the stitch swap? Yes — the simplest join is to just start knitting without any swap. The stitch swap method creates a neater join, but many knitters simply begin knitting and accept a tiny gap at the join that gets woven in later. Both methods work — the swap just produces a cleaner result!
What does “slip marker” mean in a pattern? When a pattern says “sl m” or “slip marker,” it means when you reach your stitch marker, simply move it from the left needle to the right needle without knitting into it, then continue. Never knit into a stitch marker — it’s just a placeholder, not a stitch!
I’m knitting a hat pattern that says “join to work in the round” — is this the same thing? Exactly the same! “Join to work in the round,” “join in the round,” and “join to begin working in rounds” all mean the same thing — use this tutorial to complete that step and then continue with your pattern’s first round.
You’ve just learned how to start ALL of your knitting in the round projects! Hats, cowls, socks, mittens — they all start right here with this join.
Happy knitting,
~Angie
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