Can you knit mittens on circular needles?

Of course you can use circulars but personally I don't' think it's worth the trouble.

Short circulars suitable the small number of stitches have such a short piece to hold and knit with that they make your fingers ache.

Using a longer circular needle and the "magic loop" system is so boring and time consuming that again it just ain't woth the bother.

Double pointed needles are no more trouble to use than circulars.

If you dislike them that much find a pattern for mittens knitted on a pair of needles.

You can do them on circulars with either the magic loop or 2 circulars technique, just like socks. It's my preferred way to make mittens, because I like to make them two at a time.

Here's a basic tutorial on magic loop:

http://www.knitpicks.com/tutorials/Magic_Loop__D11...

You can use this technique with a pattern written for DPNs. You just have to make a few adjustments. Instead of dividing the stitches onto 3 or 4 needles, you divide onto 2. I have found that I like to do the thumb gusset at the end of a row, with half of the thumb gusset on each side of the magic loop. I prefer it this way because as I increase stitches in the thumb area, the new stitches will be evenly distributed on both halves of the mitten. If you put the whole thumb gusset onto one side, it can get slightly awkward with one side of the magic loop being larger than the other side.

I'm actually working on a tutorial for making mitts using the magic loop technique to go with a pattern I just finished. But it will probably be a week or so before it is finished. It will turn up on http://stashkitty.com/ when it's done.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to do two mittens at once, using the magic loop technique, try this video which demonstrates two socks worked from the cuff. Both items will start exactly the same. The difference starts when you reach the thumb gusset on the mittens. But by then you'll probably have the hang of it and be able to proceed on your own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN2pzj4Y3GU

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I have knitted mittens on both DPNs and magic loop. I have taught knitting on both. Magic loop is not "boring" unless you also find knitting around and around on circulars or back and forth on straight needles boring. It does not take any longer than knitting on DPNs and in fact is a wee bit faster since you only have 2 gaps to cross over instead of 3 or 4 with each round. It's even faster when you do two at once because you only have to read the instructions once for each row, and then execute them twice, compared to making them one at a time. Like any other technique in knitting, it may feel strange if it's not what you're used to, and may take a little practice to master. Most of my students find magic loop easier than double pointed needles. Some are the reverse. Do which ever works best for you.