I just watched Amy’s video on knitting in the round using magic loop and 2 circ. It looks like more work than using dpn so what is the benifit of using this technique? Is the ribbing more even? I have to make sleeves yet and I was going to do it in the round but I was going to use dpn but if 2 circs are better I will try it. When I use dpn I just knit the first 3sts tight and I don’t get a ladder.
Magic loop and using 2 circ
it is all personal preference really. i can use DPNs i just prefer not to. i carry my work with me all the time and i have fears of pulling my work out of the bag and finding the DPNs at the bottom of the bag. I don’t have that issue with 2 circs. I also find i don’t have such trouble knitting that join tight like i do with DPNs.
I’ve just learned (still learning) the magic loop and I can see how easy it would be to take it with me everywhere. I like better than dpn.
I MUCH prefer it to DPN’s, but then i hate DPN’s. I always get ladders with DPNs and never do with the magic loop method. I haven’t tried 2 cirs yet, and don’t know tht I will unless I find something that I can’t do with magic loop. I think it’s just a matter of preference. there are several other members who love DPNs.
Much easier to lose one dpn of four or five than one big long circ that has your sock on it. 
If dpns work for you and you don’t get ladders, then there’s no reason to switch unless you want to try something new! I switched to magic loop because I couldn’t get my knitting on dpns to look nice and I had HUGE problems with ladders that nothing seemed to fix.
I tried 2 circs first because I had an interchangeable set that contained everything I needed. I tried Magic Loop next.
I recently tried DPNs for the first time (for something other than I-cord) and I didn’t get ladders with those either.
Magic Loop is my favorite method because there are only 2 needles, there is never any confusion of where I left off on my row, and I knit faster because I’m using the same set of needles all the time (no switching); also, there is much less tangling, and I got ladders with 2 circs (but none with ML). I also knit 2 socks at once using ML, so my socks are always identical and I don’t have SSS. 2-at-once is very difficult on DPNs.
I might just try magic loop because I am always interested in learning new things. When she says to use a 24in does that mean from tip to tip or the flex plastic? Do you only pull the first stitch tight or more?
I would recommend using longer than a 24", and the measurement is tip-to-tip. Some people have used a 32" successfully and I love my 40" - it’s perfect for 2 socks.
I like 40" for magic loop too. I think at least 32" . See Amy’s video on it.
I like two circs for sleeves that are attached to sweaters. I can flip the sleeve back and forth rather than have to spin the entire sweater as I would on dpns.
Magic Loop is less combersome for me. I knit almost at the same pace as I do on circs or straights. I NEVER will have to go from circs to DPNS again. At first, it seemed odd, but by the 5th or so round, I got into the zone, and zoomed from there. I think ML is perfect for clumsy knitters like me who fear a loss of an eye due to DPNS based on previous experience or a DPN sticking out an ear or nose cavity.
I’m hooked, I love magic loop. The only problem was the join. I did not think that it looked as invisable as on dpn when I took the first and last stitch and transposed them. No matter how hard I pulled the first stitch it was still noticable. So I just transposed the first and last stitch on the magic loop before I started my first round. Now you can’t see the join at all. :happydance: Now I have a problem of remembering where the first stitch is to keep track of my rows. I tried to put a marker on but somehow it keeps falling off without me noticing and I don’t want to look for the tail everytime because that won’t make me to remember to mark the row. Any suggestions?
I have been using dpns and doing just fine with them, but I can see how you might want to do ML if you were carrying your knitting around a lot. I carried mine yesterday and I kept worrying one of my size 2 bamboo dpn’s might break if I didn’t pack them in carefully…
Hmm… maybe I’ll try it on my next project.
Not that I am anywhere close to this level of proficiency, but for future reference: can you do 2 socks one inside the other like you can with dpn’s?
I did not know that you could do two socks at once with DPN. I have never made socks but I am doing two sleeves. Can I do two sleeves at once with magic loop?
Yes, you can do one inside the other by using double knitting (not that I’ve done it, but I do know it’s possible). The uncoupling of the socks is a well-known parlor trick. You can also work two socks (or sleeves) side-by-side. This link should give you an idea of how to position your work on the needles.
That is great, I book marked it so I can try it next time. I am too chicken to try it now because I just learnt magic loop and I might get confused. :oops: