Spark An Idea Thursday: Square Pieces on Round Needles
Newer knitters are sometimes intimidated by circular needles and knitting in the round. But circulars are quite handy for knitting flat pieces, too. There's no trick to it at all. You just cast on, and instead of joining to the other end, you just turn the work and continue as if you were using straight needles!
Why use circulars for flat knitting? For one thing, they take up less room. If you are knitting on a bus or an airplane, you don't have to worry about poking any strangers with your pointy sticks. My favorite benefit is that your wrists don't have to bear the weight of larger pieces. When knitting on straights, you start with one hand supporting the weight of the whole project, gradually moving it over and ending up with the other hand supporting the weight. When you knit with circulars, that weight is balanced between your hands, and most of the time your work is resting in your lap. This takes the strain away, and is great news for people with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or (in my case) tendinitis of the thumb.
If you find yourself pausing to rub your hands or wrist from time to time while knitting, try switching to a circular needle. It may bring back much more enjoyment to your hobby!
