How to Use a Circle Knitting Loom

To use a circle knitting loom, loosely wrap yarn around the pegs, lift the lower loops over the newer wraps with a loom hook, and repeat to build knitted fabric. This guide walks you through a complete hat, then explains how to make flat panels and blankets, fix common problems, and check your finished work.

How a Round Knitting Loom Works

A round knitting loom holds the live stitches on its pegs instead of on knitting needles. As you wrap and lift the yarn, the finished fabric grows downward through the center of the loom.

Working continuously around the pegs makes a tube, which you can gather closed for a hat. Working back and forth without joining the ends makes a flat piece.

These terms will help you follow the instructions:

Working yarn: The yarn coming from the skein.
Tail: The free end left at the beginning or end of the project.
Cast on: Put the starting loops onto the loom.
Knit off: Lift a lower loop over the yarn above it and off the peg.
Bind off: Secure the live stitches so you can remove the fabric without unraveling it.

The wrap used here is an e-wrap: the yarn circles each peg and crosses on the side facing the loom’s center. Keep the wraps loose enough to lift without forcing the hook.

How to Knit a Hat on a Round Loom

Choose the lifting method before you begin. These yarn-and-size pairings come from Utah State University Extension’s loom-knitting instructions.

Hat and Yarn Combination	Method	What You Lift
Preemie or newborn hats, or hats made with bulky novelty yarn	1 over 2	Lift the bottom loop over the upper two loops.
Child, youth, or adult hats made with worsted-weight yarn held double	2 over 2	Lift the bottom pair of strands together over the upper pair.
The USU Round Knitting BB Hats project worked with two yarn strands	2 over 4	Lift the bottom pair of strands together over the upper four strands.

These are pattern choices, not settings determined by a loom’s color or brand. Confirm the choice against your pattern’s intended hat size, yarn type, and whether the yarn is held single or double.

Step 1: Choose Your Loom and Gather Supplies

Choose a loom-and-yarn combination intended for the wearer’s size. Measure around the head where the hat’s lower edge will sit, then match that measurement to a suitable loom pattern. Peg count alone does not determine fit: peg spacing, yarn, stitch, and tension all affect the finished circumference.
Gather a loom hook, blunt yarn needle, scissors, tape measure, and yarn. The USU Round Knitting BB Hats project calls for 1 or 2 skeins weighing 4 ounces each. That is the quantity for that project, not a universal allowance for every loom hat.
Add a removable marker for the starting peg. A contrasting yarn tie works if the loom does not have a clear start marker.
Prepare your working yarn. If the method uses doubled yarn, arrange both strands so they feed freely and hold them together throughout.

Count wraps and individual strands separately so you lift the correct loops.

One trip around a peg with doubled yarn creates a paired wrap. That pair contains separate strands, but you work them together. The doubled-yarn methods in the table are not interchangeable: they leave different amounts of yarn on each peg.

Step 2: Mark the Start and Anchor the Yarn

Set the loom with its anchor tack, the small knob on the outside, facing you. In the USU setup, peg 1 is immediately to the right of the tack. Use your loom’s marked starting peg if its layout differs, and mark it clearly.
Make a few wraps around the tack, leaving a tail about 3 inches long. Keep the attachment removable rather than tying a tight permanent knot.
Bring the working yarn between the starting peg and the last peg, toward the inside of the loom.

The anchor tack holds the starting tail; it is not a knitting peg. If your loom has no tack, use a removable slipknot around an accessible part of the frame, clear of the working pegs.

Step 3: Cast On With Loose E-Wraps

Circle the starting peg with the working yarn, then move to the next peg and repeat. The crossing part of each wrap belongs on the inside of the loom.
Keep your direction consistent. For the USU right-handed setup, travel counterclockwise around the loom while wrapping clockwise around each peg. For the left-handed setup, reverse both directions.
Continue around all the pegs without lifting any loops yet.
Build the starting layers with three complete wrapping circuits for the single-strand BB method or its doubled-yarn version, and with two complete wrapping circuits for the doubled-worsted 2 over 2 method.
Hold the working yarn against the last peg so the newest wraps cannot unwind while you begin knitting off.

Let the yarn rest around the pegs rather than pulling it snug. Tight wrapping makes the next step difficult and can produce uneven fabric.

Step 4: Knit Off and Build the Fabric

Insert the loom hook under the lowest loop on the starting peg.
For the single-strand method, lift that loop over the upper two loops and over the peg’s tip. Let it fall toward the center of the loom.
For either doubled-yarn method, catch both strands of the lowest paired wrap and lift them together over all the newer wraps on that peg. Do not split the pair.
Knit off every peg, finishing at the last peg before your marker.
Gently push the remaining loops down the pegs to make room.
Add another wrapping circuit, then knit off again. Continue this wrap-and-lift rhythm.

A wrapping circuit adds yarn; knitting it off completes the knitted round. Returning to the marker each time helps prevent accidentally working part of the loom twice.

After about 5–6 rows have been knitted off, unwind the starting tail from the anchor tack. The fabric is established by then, and releasing the tail lets it move freely down through the loom.

Step 5: Make a Folded Brim

A folded brim is optional. Without one, the e-wrap edge may roll naturally.

Knit until the fabric below the pegs measures twice the depth you want for the finished brim.
Find the starting tail and use it to locate the beginning of the cast-on edge.
Fold that edge upward through the center of the loom.
Place each first-row loop onto its corresponding peg. Work carefully around the loom without shifting the edge sideways or twisting the fabric.

With the single-strand BB method, adding the cast-on loop gives you 3 loops on each peg. Lift the bottom loop over the top two to join the folded edge.

For doubled yarn, pick up both strands of each corresponding cast-on loop. Lift the lowest paired wrap together over the remaining wraps on the peg.

Finish joining the brim all the way around before adding another wrapping circuit. The folded edge should form an even band, with no diagonal pull between the cast-on edge and the pegs.

Step 6: Knit the Body to the Required Height

Continue adding a wrapping circuit and knitting it off, keeping the same lifting method throughout.
Let the fabric hang naturally when you measure it; do not stretch it downward.
Measure from the finished lower edge of the hat to the live stitches at the pegs.

Use the finished height given in your pattern, or measure a well-fitting knit hat from its lower edge to the top of its crown as your target. If you folded a brim, measure from the fold rather than from the concealed cast-on edge.

A gathered crown pulls the open tube together at the top. The tube must already be long enough to cover the intended part of the head before you remove it from the loom.

Step 7: Gather the Hat Closed and Weave In the Ends

Finish a complete knitted round. For the single-strand BB method, end with two loops of yarn on each peg. The doubled BB version retains two paired wraps; the doubled-worsted version retains one paired wrap.
Cut the working yarn to 2 times the circumference of the loom. With doubled yarn, cut both strands to that length.
Thread the cut working yarn through a blunt yarn needle. Thread doubled strands together.
Starting at the marked peg, pass the needle through every retained loop on that peg. Keep the loops on the peg until the finishing yarn has passed through all of them.
Lift those secured loops off the peg. Repeat around the entire loom, making sure no loop escapes unthreaded.
Gently draw the finishing yarn tight to gather the crown. If it resists, ease the stitches along the yarn rather than pulling sharply.
Turn the hat inside out. Close any remaining center opening with the yarn needle, secure the yarn through the gathered stitches, and weave the end into the fabric.
Weave in the starting tail and trim the ends after they are secure.

Do not simply lift the hat off the loom before threading the live loops.

How to Knit Flat Panels and Blankets on a Round Loom

A circular loom can make a rectangular piece because the direction of knitting, not the shape of the frame, determines whether the fabric closes into a tube.

For a straightforward practice panel, use a basic single-strand e-wrap stitch: each time you knit a peg, lift the older loop over the new wrap.

Mark the working area. Choose a starting peg and an ending peg. Mark both, and keep the gap between them unjoined. For a blanket made from strips, choose a panel width you can repeat.
Cast on. Anchor the tail temporarily to the frame and loosely e-wrap each working peg once, moving from the starting peg to the ending peg.
Reverse at the ending peg. Leave that end peg unworked as you turn. Beginning with the peg next to the ending peg, e-wrap and lift the older loop over the new wrap, working back toward the starting peg.
Reverse again at the starting peg. Leave the turning peg unworked and begin the next row on its neighbor. Continue back and forth, reversing at each end instead of crossing the gap. Slipping the turning peg this way creates an edge suitable for seaming.
Work to the intended length. Release the temporary tail attachment once the knitting is established. Finish a row before binding off.

To bind off the panel with a straight edge:

Knit the first and second pegs in the direction of the next row.
Move the second peg’s loop onto the first peg. Lift the bottom loop over the top loop, then move the surviving loop back to the second peg.
Knit the next peg. Move its loop onto the peg holding the surviving loop, lift the bottom loop over the top, and move the remaining loop forward.
Repeat across the panel, keeping the joining loops relaxed so the edge does not cinch.
At the last peg, cut the yarn with a tail for weaving in, pull the tail completely through the final loop, and remove it from the peg. Weave in both ends.

For a blanket, make matching panels and lay them side by side with the rows aligned. Thread a yarn needle and join the edges with mattress stitch: alternate under corresponding bars just inside each panel’s edge, then gently draw the seam together without puckering. Secure the seam yarn and weave in its ends.

Plain e-wrap fabric tends to curl at its edges. If you want a flat-lying blanket, choose a panel pattern with a knit-and-purl border rather than expecting a plain panel to stay flat by itself.

How to Fix Common Loom-Knitting Problems

Check the cause before changing your yarn or restarting. Many beginner problems come from tension or accidentally changing the lifting method.

What You Notice	Likely Cause	What to Do
Loops are difficult to lift	Wraps are too tight	Undo the newest tight wrapping circuit and rewrap loosely. Avoid forcing the hook.
Fabric is much more open than expected	Yarn is thin for the peg spacing, or the chosen stitch is deliberately loose	Check the intended fabric against the pattern. For a denser result, use a compatible thicker yarn or finer-gauge loom and test a swatch.
One peg has an unexpected extra loop or pair	That peg was missed during knitting off	Stop wrapping and complete the missed lift, keeping the intended retained loops on the peg.
A loop slips off before unraveling	The hook caught too much yarn or the loop was pushed off	Catch the loose loop immediately and return it to its peg, oriented like its neighbors.
The brim pulls diagonally	Cast-on loops were placed on the wrong corresponding pegs	Before knitting the join, remove the lifted cast-on edge and realign it from the starting tail.
A flat panel curls along its sides	Plain e-wrap fabric naturally curls	For future panels, use a knit-and-purl border. For the current piece, seam the curling edges into the planned project or add a suitable edging.

If the fabric feels different halfway through a doubled-yarn project, count what remains on each peg and check that you are still lifting paired strands together. Adding an extra wrap to hide a mistake changes the stitch structure rather than repairing it.

How to Check Your Finished Loom Knitting

Before calling the project finished, check that:

The live stitches are secured. There should be no loose, open loops along a bound-off edge or around the crown.
The crown stays closed. Gently stretch the surrounding fabric and check that the gathering yarn remains secure.
The brim is even. A folded brim should lie smoothly without a twist.
The edge can stretch as intended. A tightly bound-off panel edge may need to be redone more loosely.
The ends are woven in. Trimming directly beside a knot can leave an end that works free.
The fit and fabric suit the project. Assess the knitting off the loom; stitches can look different while stretched around the pegs.

Record the loom, yarn, strand count, lifting method, and finished measurements. Use those notes to repeat a successful project or change one variable for your next swatch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Types of Knitting Can You Do on a Circle Loom?

A circle loom can make e-wrap stitches, untwisted knit stitches, purl stitches, and combinations such as ribbing, garter stitch, and seed stitch. More involved patterns can include cables, lace, and colorwork. The loom’s peg spacing and the pattern’s construction determine which yarns and techniques work well.

Can You Knit Pants on a Circle Loom?

Yes, pants can be loom-knit, but they require a garment pattern rather than a simple hat-style tube. The construction must account for separate legs, the crotch, the rise, and the waistband, using shaping, joined sections, or seams. Choose a pattern written for your loom’s gauge and the intended wearer’s measurements.

Can You Weave on a Round Knitting Loom?

Yes, a round knitting loom can also support weaving, including woven panels or bases that can continue into knitted baskets or bags. Weaving interlaces yarn across the loom, while loom knitting builds connected loops around the pegs. Use instructions specifically written for weaving when that is the fabric you want to make.

How do you finish a circle loom hat with the 1-over-2 method?

Finish with two loops on every peg and cut the working yarn to twice the loom’s circumference. Thread the yarn through the loops on each peg before taking those loops off the loom. Pull the yarn to close the crown, secure it, and weave the ends into the knitted fabric.