How to Knit with the Magic Loop

I belong to a Facebook group that’s for beginning knitters because I like to see some of the questions that they have, and I feel like a lot of knitters report not liking or being intimidated to try circular knitting.

Some people don’t even want to knit flat on circular needles, which is weird to me. It’s just a longer needle that makes it easier to work a wider project.

I think some of the worry when it comes to circular knitting is thinking about double-pointed needles or worrying that the circular needle you have isn’t going to be the right length for the project you’re working on.

And one great way to deal with both of those problems is to learn how to use the magic loop method of knitting.

Magic loop involves a long circular needle that’s pinched and pulled out so that you can work with the needle tips even as there is extra cable hanging out around your project.

Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to do, and less of a hassle than working with double pointed needles. You also don’t have to worry that your cable is the right length for your project (indeed longer ones are easier to work with in this method).

If you don’t have a circular needle that’s long enough to do magic loop for the project you’re working but it’s still too long to comfortably hold all the stitches, you can do a modified magic loop (which you can see in action here; give me a follow if you like!) with only one “ear” or loop instead of two.

Check out this post on Knit Darling that includes a handy chart showing all the steps for working magic loop style (only a portion of which is shown above).

Do you use the magic loop method or do you have another way you prefer to work in the round? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Knit Darling]

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How to Fix a Dropped Cast On Stitch

How to Fade Yarn in a Knitting Project

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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