Converting a Stitch Pattern from Knitting Flat to Knitting in the Round

Most knitting stitch pattern books show how patterns are worked when knitting flat, back and forth in rows. But what if you want to adapt that pattern for knitting in the round? In this video, knitting designer Jen Lucas explains how to take a pattern designed for flat knitting and adjust it for circular knitting projects.

The first stitch pattern Jen reviews is a simple 2×2 (knit two, purl two) ribbing pattern. When knitting this pattern flat, she uses a multiple of 4 plus 2 stitches, which helps center the stitch pattern on the fabric, starting and ending with the same stitches. However, when knitting this pattern in the round, keeping the “plus 2” results in four knit stitches at the join between the beginning and end of the round. To solve this, Jen suggests dropping the extra two stitches and casting on a multiple of 4 stitches to keep the pattern continuous.

Jen compares the chart for flat knitting versus in-the-round knitting for both stitch patterns. She explains how to read a chart and convert it from flat to circular knitting. Jen also examines swatches of a lace pattern. When worked flat, this pattern includes an extra stitch to center the lace on the fabric, just like the extra stitches in the ribbing example. In the round, that extra stitch is omitted, and the pattern is worked over a multiple of 10 stitches.