I was teaching my friend how to use the Magic Loop method. For people who are not familiar with the technique, it is a way to do a small diameter without using DPNs, but a long circular needle instead. Usually the circulars only allow diameters that are larger than it (for example, if the cable is 16″ you can’t make a tube much smaller than that).
Since I’m not confident in explaining the technique in my own words, I recommend you to search online for that, haha but I did find a little tip.
Actually, there is a way to knit something in same guage with two different needles (that meaning holding holding one size needle on your right hand and a different size in your left). It may be hard to do that with two straights, but as long as your right hand needle is kept constant, you can use a smaller one for the left and it won’t make a difference. That is because the “left needle” is merely a stick holding the stitches. So say if you have #4 on your left and #7 on your right. If you are using straights, I repeat that it would be hard, because to make this happen you’d have to knit one row, then slide everything on to the #4, then knit another row with #7 in your right hand, knit one row, then slide everything back to the #4… Why would you want to do that unless you lost one of your 7s but desperately need to knit because you’re being chased by a weird monster who can’t attack you while you’re knitting?
Well..this won’t work too well with straights, but how about interchangeable needles?
This morning I was on the subway, knitting as usual, in magic loop, but I came to a point I had to switch to a larger needle.
I was using the Knitpicks option needles, and didn’t feel like screwing both ends off and on again on a moving train, so I just changed one.
Then I noticed that having a #4 on the right and the #7 on the left, the stitches glided way easier. I always had a problem where I knit just tight enough that I have to squeeze the stitches off the chord and onto the needle, preparing to knit. It even made cabling easier. I had just started experimenting the method where you don’t use cable needles, but since now its much easier for the stitches to slide, its MUCH easier to move the stitches on and off the left needle—-without dropping the stitch because you tugged a little hard. Anyho, when you’re knitting in the round with a single circular, you only ever hold needles one way or the other so you CAN do this. It won’t work with DPNs.
So, if you have the problems I had, give this a shot. Leave me a comment–let me know how it feels!
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