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Tag: knit socks 2 needles

  • There are many ways to knit socks.

    There are many ways to knit socks.

    Are you sitting down? I’m going to talk you through the many ways to knit socks. 

    Last year I received a refund request from a customer. They weren’t happy with their sock knitting kit and wanted a refund on the needles. The customer’s words were something like “there’s circular needles in here. No good for knitting socks!” 

    Let’s ignore the fact that the contents of the kit will have been clearly listed before purchase and that I am a knitwear designer and hopefully know a thing or two about knitting socks. Let’s focus on the “no good for knitting socks!” How do you know? Have you tried? 

    After talking the customer round (excuse the pun) they were willing to give the circulars a try. I introduced them to the method of magic loop knitting. They had never heard of this before. If you knit, every day is a school day. There are many, many ways to do something that achieves the same results as something else. Magic loop is just one method. 

    This article may contain affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to shop through any of the links, I do earn a small commission.

    Long circular needles (magic loop)

    Long circular needles aren’t just for hats and garments. You can use them for knitting flat as they are lighter and more compact than traditional straight knitting needles. What knitters do to make socks with long circulars is to choose circulars with a very long cable. I usually recommend 80cm or 100cm for socks. This cable is then pulled through to provide a loop on either side of the work. 

    In these photos I’m using Addi lace circulars with an 80cm cable.

    how to knit on magic loop

    I seem to find that if I was to join in the round at cast on (by pulling the cord through the halfway point of the stitches) I end up with a tangled mess and twisted stitches. This can be avoided entirely by knitting the first round in one flat row. When you have established the first row, simply pull the cord through the halfway point of stitches and carry on knitting. You will be left with the smallest of gaps at the top of the cuff but you can easily seam it closed at the end.

    Louise Tilbrook has a really handy tutorial for magic loop here

    Knitting on short circular needles 

    There are also short circulars. They’re brilliant for knitting the legs and the feet but you will need to switch to other circulars or DPNs for toe shaping. That’s not a preference thing- it’s just not physically possible to shape toes on 9 inch circulars.

    addi sockwonder short circular needles

    What I will say about the 9in circulars is that they create a tighter knit in my opinion. You definitely need to review your tension compared to when you use other methods. 

    Louise Tilbrook has a tutorial on knitting with tiny needles here. It can be hard to get to grips with them at first but if you can, it’s worth it. 

    Knitting with niche needles 

    There are also these funky little things called CraSyTrio. I think they’re awesome because they have the flexibility of the circular needle but a similar setup to double pointed needles.

    Double pointed needles

    Your experience with these will vary from “knitting ninja” to “fighting with a hedgehog” but if you persevere, I think you’ll be all right. I was wary of double pointed needles for a long time. I feared the complicated set up and when I started out, I would get myself into a tangle or lose my patience when one of the needles kept slipping off. 

    You may want to consider starting your DPN journey with something bigger like a sleeve or a hat. This will help you to practice and there’s more chance of you noticing dropped stitches with thicker yarn. 

    DPN hack: Cast on all of your stitches on one slightly larger needle. Using your smaller DPN needles, knit the set amount of divided stitches onto each needle. You will then have all stitches accounted for without having dropped your DPNs during cast on. Some patterns even tell you how many stitches to have on each needle e.g. there may be more stitches on the 3rd needle as that is the heel needle.

    If you need help choosing DPNs to knit with I have a blog post here.

     You can knit socks flat

    Even though knitting socks in the round is incredibly popular, there will always be knitters who prefer knitting them flat. I believe that these knitters are often left behind when it comes to sock design. Luckily, you can get a good range of flat knit socks thanks to the internet. I have a pattern for flat knit socks here that avoids all the requirements for stitch holders and multiple seams. Just sew up one seam at the end and you’re done.

    I hope you can find the time to explore all methods or practice a favourite. 

    Hanna 

    Sock knitting patterns to try!

    Easy flat knit, two needle socks.

    The Andalusian Stitch Socks

    Simple cuff-down beginner socks.

  • Sock knitting with two straight needles. Can you knit socks flat?

    Wondering how to knit socks on straight needles? Try this two needle flat sock pattern. You can have all the glamour of 4ply socks without the worry of extra needles.  

    This article about knitting socks on straight needles contains affiliate links, meaning that if you do choose to buy, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.

    Despite there being thousands of socks knit in the round. there is still strong demand for the flat knit sock pattern. This method is perfect for those of us who prefer knitting with two straight needles but want to try socks. 

    When I proposed the idea of designing one last spring, it was met with some scepticism. Why would anyone want to knit flat when you can knit with socks in the round? Where will the seam go? Will it be comfortable? It will be too much hassle with a toe seam, a heel seam or a side seam. 

    I managed to solve all of these potential issues. It is now my bestseller. There is good reason for it; not everybody wants to knit in the round. As a designer, I have always believed that design should solve problems as well as appeal to needs. If you prefer two sticks to four sticks, that’s absolutely fine. In fact, I am so happy with offering choice that I am working on my first two needle sock knitting ebook this year. 

    Flat knit sock knitting pattern

    Every now and then I see enquiries pop up in Facebook knitting groups along the lines of ‘where can I find a 2 needle sock pattern?’. 

    Here! You can find one here!.

    What’s so special about my best selling flat knit sock pattern? A few things! 

    • They are made using 4ply sock yarn.
    • They are cuff down.
    • They are worked flat the whole way- even the heel.
    • There is no heel seam to put on a stitch holder.
    • There is no toe seam to put on a stitch holder.
    • There is no side seam either.
    Two needle sock knitting pattern. Easy beginner socks with 4ply yarn. Beginner socks. Easy socks to learn to make socks.

    What? How does this even work? 

    You knit from the cuff to the heel, increase for the heel, work some short rows (don’t be scared, it’s easier than it seems), knit to the toe, do some more decreases, and seam up the front. 

    The true difficulty depends on your seaming skills to be honest. If you choose a solid colour, you can hide the seam easier than striped, but that shouldn’t matter. It’s a sock. It will be worn under trousers and shoes. Also, in my experience people don’t tend to inspect my knitwear. 

    Need help choosing sock yarns?

    Here I’ll recommend my favourite sock knitting yarns and tell you a bit about them:

    West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply Sock Yarn.

    It doesn’t get any better than this, sorry. West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply is such a straightforward, everyday sock yarn. It’s perfect because it’s a blend of British wool and some nylon for strength. I’ve used it for most of my sock designs, and have quite a bit in my stash. Other reasons why it’s great include:

    • It comes in a 100g ball. Perfect for a pair of adult socks.
    • It comes in a huge range of colours.
    • The yarn smells deliciously sheepy (if you know, you know.)
    • It comes in self-striping as well as solid or marl.
    West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply knitting yarn. Every knitting yarn for sock knitting. How to knit socks flat.

    I’ve even used WYS Signature 4ply in my sock knitting patterns. You can find my basic cuff-down sock knitting pattern by clicking the image below.

    Simple cuff down beginner socks using 4ply yarn. West Yorkshire Spinners Sigmature 4ply. Easy sock knittin gpattern for beginners. How to knit socks in the round.