Many people are put off by the idea of ‘knitting in the round’ (knitting with 4 or more double ended needles) as it sounds complicated. However once you get used to the idea of ‘knitting in the round’ you will wonder what you were ever scared of.
In human sized knitting this method is often used to knit socks, in miniature knitting it can be a good way of avoiding bulky seams on garments like sweaters and hats. Double-ended knitting needles are available in various lengths, however there is no ‘correct’ length it is all down to personal preference and we suggest you use a needle length that feels comfortable to you.
The needle that is actually being used for knitting is usually referred to as an ‘active’ needle and the other needles are ‘passive’
Knitting on double-ended needles can cause worries that stitches will slip off the ends of the needles not currently in use, this is easily solved by using point protectors on these ends and moving the point protectors from the ends of each of the needles as you work around. When you become more proficient and confident you will probably no longer need to do this.
Many people wonder why circular needles are not available for miniature knitting, the main reason being that a circular needle has an optimum length for working and this would require many more stitches than most miniature patterns actually have. This is the same reason as when knitting baby shawls in full size using circular needles, the last few rounds still have to be worked on four needles, as the number of stitches on the needle is too small to be worked on a circular needle.