Hello friends, I am knitting socks, but my patterns always call for dpn’s and I don’t know how to use them, very confusing to me.
I would like to know how I convert the pattern to circular needles/magic loop. Your help is appreciated!!!
RoseD
A knitter after my own heart. I can use dpn but avoid them. To convert to circulars just cast on. You can use markers to know which stitches would be on each needle. Sometimes that matters and sometimes it doesn’t depending on how the pattern is written. So, cast on for ndl 1, place a marker, repeat for ndl 2, etc. Happy knitting!
Thank you for your prompt reply, I am confused, if I use circular needles, there is no needle 1 and 2. Its just one needle.
What I don’t understand of “dpn’s” is that they number the needles, needle 1,2,3 , and which one is what??? That’s why I prefer magic loop
What pattern are you using? Seeing it might help someone help you work this out.
That’s why markers, because you don’t have numbered needles. If you use markers, different colors or something else to set them apart can be helpful, you will be able to work the instructions for ndl1 from bor up to the first marker, ndl 2 will be the stitches from after the first marker to the second marker, etc. The last needle (ndl 3 or ndl 4 depending on how many the pattern writer is writing for) will be after the last marker to eor. I have done patterns for dpn and worked it out with markers so that I could work the instructions for each needle as given. I try to avoid using patterns specifically geared to dpn. Aside from dropping the empty needle almost every time I find dpn patterns confusing and they require a lot more thinking than I care to bother with. Others love dpn and that’s cool.
I expect I’m not explaining well. It took me quite a while to work this out. Hopefully someone who communicates better will jump in and save the day. I know what it’s like to want to start something and there are delays.
edited to correct typos
I’ll jump in. Although I don’t use dpns, don’t much like magic loop and never make socks.
Using markers on your circular needle and writing down which markers indicate which dpn number mzy help to follow a pattern written for dpns but worked instead on a single circular needle.
For instance (and this is perhaps going overboard on markers but may help with the communication of it):
On circular needle
Place red marker, cast on sts for dpn 1, place another red marker
Write down “stitches between red markers = dpn 1”
Place blue marker, cast on sts for dpn 2, place another blue marker
Write down “stitches between blue markers = dpn 2”
Place green marker, cast on sts for dpn 3, place another green marker
Write down “stitches between green markers = dpn 3”
Place yellow marker, cast on sts for dpn 4, place another yellow marker
Write down “stitches between yellow markers = dpn 4”
The 5th dpn is used as the empty needle to work with, this is the second end of your circular.
When you read the pattern and it mentions a dpn you know which of your sts on the circular it refers to as they are marked out with different colours. There will be 2 markers right next to each other as one denotes the end of one dpn whilst the next denotes the beginning of another dpn.
You would likely very quickly get fed up of having 2 markers between sts so could eliminate the second of each colour knowing that when you reach a marker it denotes the beginning of the dpn number.
All stitches would of course be on the one single circular and you would only be pretending to have all the different dpns.
Or find patterns you like written for circulars rather than dpns which would be another solution.
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In case it helps, Needle 1 is the first needle after BOR, Needle 2 is the 2nd, and so on. For Magic Loop, you’ll have the stitches for Needles 1 & 2 on the first half, and the stitches for 3 & 4 on the second half. And as GrumpyGramma says, markers will help you keep track of the pattern instructions if they are specifying needle numbers throughout. You could color-code the pattern to match colored markers…red marker for the change from Needle 1 to Needle 2, for example, and green for the change from Needle 3 to Needle 4. Also be sure to mark your BOR with a very different marker! I sometimes like to clip one into the work at that point, rather than have it ride on the needles, because either it falls off when I finish a round, or I have to stop a couple of stitches short to keep it on there when I put the work down.
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Maybe I can pitch in too. Try to use beads on marker or peace of scrap yarn, string 1 bead on for needle 1, 2 beads for needle 2 and so on…
Just my thoughts, if helps.
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I’m glad to see others join in. This can be done and someone will say it in a way that clicks for @Rod I hope.
This has reminded me, yarn loops as markers with a long tail and in the tail put the number of knots you need to show the number. Similar to bead idea.
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I sometimes use running thread markers. No problem figuring out where the pesky marker that just went walkabout was when I finally find it.
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Well, well, to all the friends that have offered a suggestion on “ dpn”s versus magic loop, I thank you so much. I will give it a try.
Thanks again❤️
RoseD
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You can do this! I’m hoping you’ll let us know what pattern you’re using.
All good information for switching to circulars for knitting socks. Just was to throw in here that I’ve switched to flexible double pointed needles for socks and love them. I don’t get “ladders” in my work using the flexibles like I did with dpn’s. They’re quite expensive tho, but you don’t need a whole set of them. Very Pink Knits has a great video on using them for socks and she also has a pretty easy toe up pattern using them.
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Oh! Excellent idea, I do have the flexy needles, I will try them
Thanks again👍