Knitting in the round or knitting in rows?

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Knitting Translated

Moderator

23084 Posts Recent Started

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 1:33 PM

Dear Community,
what do you knit in the round, and when is knitting in rows better?

claros-design

217 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 7:24 AM

I love knitting in the round.
That way, I have less to sew together at the end.

Hats, sweaters, socks, mittens…
So many possibilities.

Blankets and shawls, of course, aren’t as well-suited for knitting in the round.

I once even knitted a jacket for my grandson in the round using a steek. With that technique, you cut the jacket open at the front at the end and knit on the bands.

WollwunderPetra

9218 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 7:49 AM

@Claros-design - cutting it open after knitting—I definitely couldn’t do that. I’d be too afraid it would go wrong. Your cardigan turned out absolutely beautiful.

When I knit knit stitches in the round, my stitch pattern turns out much more even, because I knit knit stitches more tightly than purl stitches.

For these pants, I knitted the legs in rows, then the seat in the round. The upper part turned out much more even.

CreatOwl

4480 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 9:49 AM

Knitting in the round is suitable for anything that would need to be sewn together if it were knitted in rows.

kruemel-monster

108 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 12:58 PM

Well, not everything. I’ve knitted hats sideways before, which of course then needed an invisible seam using Kitchener stitch. Likewise cowls, also joined invisibly with Kitchener stitch.
And I would really, really hate to knit an entire sweater in the round, because by the time I got to the sleeves, when you have to keep turning the whole tangled mass along with it, I’d simply go crazy.
Of course, it’s all a matter of taste. I quite like knitting pieces separately and then sewing them together neatly. Seams do add stability too, especially the shoulder seams, which the whole garment hangs from.
For me, the purl stitches turn out just as even as the knit stitches. If you can’t manage that, you can use a thinner needle for the purl rows. It’s all no problem.

claudia-sticken

132 Posts Recent Started

Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 4:09 PM

I, too, sometimes knit or crochet in the round and sometimes in rows. In the round, of course, always for raglan or circular yokes, but this form offers far fewer design possibilities. A top that is worked in pieces (front, back, etc.) offers you endless possibilities for creating unusual cuts, and I agree with Krümelmonster. The seams also stabilize a top like that.
I don’t mind sewing the pieces together.

rusalki01

139 Posts Recent Started

Friday, January 23, 2026 at 2:27 PM

I really love knitting in the round—especially for raglan. When I knit in rows, I also find that the purl stitches are “looser” than the knit stitches. And this is where kruemel-monster’s suggestion—“...you can just use a thinner needle for the purl rows”—really makes sense! I actually do that with circular needles that have interchangeable tips, and it works great.
I also had to knit a spiral hat in rows and then sew it together invisibly—that works well, too.

claros-design

217 Posts Recent Started

Friday, January 23, 2026 at 3:16 PM

I think both circular knitting and knitting in rows have their merits, as well as pros and cons.
It depends on the project and also on personal preference.
I really dislike sewing pieces together, so knitting in the round works very well for me.
You can also create a wide variety of fits that way, using short rows, etc.
We’re all very different and have different preferences.

When it comes to Fair Isle knitting, knitting in the round is also much easier for me. I find the color changes easier to manage that way than when I knit right-side and wrong-side rows. That tends to turn out very uneven for me.
That’s also why I made the jacket with a steek...

Have a wonderful weekend,
Claudia