For you experienced sock knitters out there, do you prefer to put your stitches on 3 or 4 dpns? And why?
Most of the instructions I have use 3, but other resources I’ve read say that 4 will help minimize ladders.
I am using four, with a fifth as a working needle, but was just wondering what other people prefer. Since I am so new at this, I have no preferences yet! :teehee: I was thinking, however, that if I was using three, then I wouldn’t have so many needles ends sticking out everywhere. This is very distracting.
I use either 3 or 4; it depends on the pattern, really. 4 can get a bit annoying, I agree, so I use 3 whenever I can. I always knit a couple of extra stitches on the next needle to avoid ladders, and ladders are the reason most people prefer to work with 4; the yarn pulls less at the ‘corners’. But I just use stitch markers to divide the instep and sole, so I never have to worry about where I am.
[color=indigo]I use four whenever I can simply because I can knit more sts before changing needles. The more sts I knit the faster it goes. I started out with five, but found four faster. :teehee: [/color]
i learned 3 needles with stitches 1/worker, then got sets of 5 PDN’s and switched to that --now i do 99% of socks on 2 circs. but occationally use magic loop (i only have 1 40inch circ, most of my circs are shorter!)
and i also know how to do socks (in the round) on 2 straight!
I currently have 2 different socks on 3 dpn’s. I learned on circular, which is good for doing 2 socks at a time. This is my first venture into dpn’s and I really think I like working on them better. It seems to go faster. I am going to follow an idea I read, to have 2 sets of dpn’s and work both socks. That way you’re finishing both of them at the same time.
I’ve made my socks with 5 dpns so far, but i’m really curious about knitting on one circular needle using magic loop. If working on three needles is faster than four, then two must be EVEN faster! (I hope!)
I feel more comfy using 3 and knitting with the 4th… I know the Potamous sock at one point wants you to have sts on 4 needles and work with the 5th but I used place markers to show me where that other needle would be…:rofling:
I keep saying I’ll give Magic Loop another try but I haven’t yet…
I learned using three needles and the fourth the working needle. I did try using the five but it got in my way. I just give an extra tug on the stitch and I don’t get ladders.
My next try is doing two socks toe-up on two circular. Good luck on knitting your socks. Either way 3 or 4 once ya start doing socks ya can’t stop.:happydancing:
I’m a 5 dpn user when I use dpns, I write my patterns for 5 dpns, too, of course the socknitter can change to the socknitting method of choice…I use 2 circs the majority of the time now.
magic loop, it rocks!