JIR. Join in rnd. Join to work in the round. If you've only ever knitted flat before, or if you're brand-new to knitting altogether, you've come to the right place! If you've been joining in the round for a bit, but you're not sure if you're necessarily doing it the "right way," this blog will help build your confidence.
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So, you've cast on the required number of stitches and you get to the next line of the pattern, which probably says something like this: place marker and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches. It may just say pm, JIR. Either way, the goal is to turn your flat row of stitches into a connected circle to work round and round.
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Joining in the round is actually quite simple, with the bulk of the responsibility focused on correct stitch count and making sure that your stitches are not twisted.
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Step 1. Re-count your stitches. I mean it. There's nothing like the feeling of finding yourself a stitch or two short in the round or two after joining. I've felt that feeling dozens of times, and it isn't good.
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Step 2. Be careful not to twist your stitches. Even the most seasoned knitters occasionally mess this step up (ask me how I know), so don't be too hard on yourself if this takes a few tries to get right. As you look at the newly-cast-on stitches on your needle, you'll notice that as they wrap around the needle, the column is twisted, kind of like a DNA helix.
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My favorite way to do this is to set the needle down on a table, stretched out straight, and align all the stitches so the CO (cast on) edge is at the top and the working end of the yarn is at the right needle tip. Get a stitch marker ready. If this is your first time, use a simple ring marker, not anything dangly that could get caught in the stitches.
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Step 3. Place that marker and join those stitches. Keeping the needle flat on the table, gently and slowly bring the needle tips together to form a circle with the CO edge on the inside of the circle. Using your fingers to keep the end stitches from twisting, put the marker on the tip of the right-hand needle, then use the right needle to work the first stitch of the next round (typically a knit or a purl stitch). New knitters have a tendency to want to pull this stitch tight enough to strangle the needle, but do your best to keep an even tension. You may find yourself tugging at the tail end to straighten the first stitch, and that's okay. After you work a few stitches, look at the join and then at the circle of stitches to double check that they aren't twisted. (If they are twisted, tink - un-knit slowly and carefully - the stitches until the piece is un-joined, then start again from Step 1.)
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That's it! You've now joined in the round!
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http://https://vimeo.com/676918297