Stitches - How can I keep 410 kniting stitches from twisting on a circular needle?

How can I keep 410 kniting stitches from twisting on a circular needle?

Greetings, I'm kniting an afghan that has 410 stitches(cast onto) a circular size 9 knitting needle. Here's the problem>410 stitches twist up very badly on a circular needle. How can I avoid this? The afghan is beautiful from what I seen. I'd love to complet it, but this twisting is driving me NUTS. Please help ME solve this Large Stitch problem "if" U can. Thanks in advance.

Public Comments

Holy geez. 410???? What is the length of your circular? I have a hard enough time with 130! Did you check your gauge?
Dang, casting on 410 stitches is one heck of a commitment ! The first thing I usually do before casting on that many is to be sure my circular needle cable (usually plastic) is nice and straight (no twisting back on itself) by letting it sit in a nice hot (very hot!) water bath for 15 minutes or so and then holding it straight and taut until it cools down. Then I pour my first glass of wine... The next thing is to make sure you have a circular needle long enough to accommodate all the stitches you want to cram on there...is the yarn worsted weight or bulky? Bulky takes up lots of room. Try transferring to a longer needle and see if that makes a difference, along with straightening your cable... good luck and relax, remember this is supposed to be fun! ;)
Unless you are joining this monster in the round there's no need to worry about the twisting, the stitches will roll around the needle as necessary as they come to you and by the time you have an inch or two knit they will no longer roll around the needle as you work because the weight of the project will have gravity helping to keep it below the needles. You also need a long enough needle so that this doesn't drive you crazy overall over time. for 400+ stitches, even with baby yarn, you need at least a 36" needle and if this is worsted or bulky, or multiple strands, a 42" - 45" is better. BTW, if you are doing any pattern work on this puppy, better put some stitch markers in between the pattern repeats or you are going to expand your vocabulary of naughty words really fast. Stitch markers make it easier to find boo-boos faster.