I'm trying the Magic Loop for the first time and it's taken (for ****) ever to knit this pair of socks. I'm using #0 and a k1p1 ribbing (top down). I started with 24" circs, having confused the directions for using 1 or 2 circular needles. Then, thank goodness, I learned that for 1 circ. a min. 40" circ. is recommended while for 2 circs at least 20" circs are recommended. ( Actually, for 2 circs, there is a range of recommended needle lengths and combinations.)
Magic Loop appealed to me because I tend to shed needles on the bus and because socks are my favorite commuting projects.
So, there I was, on the bus all summer and fall, straining my hands to get the 24" circ around. In the LYS in Southern Shores, NC, the yarn store salesperson and official sock afficionada revealed the secret of 40" circs for Magic Loop. With great anticipation I changed needles, hoping it would speed up the knitting to my usual pace. It has but only a little
But, the #0 and #1 Addi Turbos (here imagine Brenda's Addi whoooosh sound) do not pull smoothly through the stitches. Those are the 2 needle sizes I've tried. It takes a little finagling to getting the stitches to glide over the needle-to-cable join. Annoyingly enough, I calculate that I don't save any more time than I would switching among four needles.
Conclusion: for me (no universal claims here!!) the Magic Loop is perfect for a project with a low completion priority and where dropping/losing dp's is an issue.
Knit on!
3 comments:
LOVELY dying! OMG I'm so jealous. Do you live in NYC or NC???
I too died on the magic loop, but I did find success on the 2 circs (as long as they're very very long circs). The dps's just weren't floating around my 2 year old.
I hear Brenda's whoosh sound as he runs away with 1 dpn, laughing.
: D
Although nearly everyone I know is moving in the direction of using the magic loop method, there is something that appeals to me to much about using dps.
It's like knitting oregomi or something. I love the little sticks and have no plans of changing.
Now as for toe-up socks, I may give those another try.
From Heather:
I am indeed off the dpn's while the kid is small. I had to use them on a pair of Mrs. Beatons (which I see you're also working on) as I couldn't get it right on the 2-circs. But I've only worked on them while the baby's sleeping. :D
Have you found the Queen Kahuna book "Crazy Toes and Heels"? It's not cheap, but it's self-published, so she's getting all the money--and it's worth it.
http://www.queenkahuna-creations.com/
VERY visually-oriented book and quite useful for teaching, but I had to create a cheat-sheet for myself once I got the hang of her instructions.
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