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]

How to Cable without a Cable Needle

How to Fix a Dropped Cast On Stitch

How to Fade Yarn in a Knitting Project

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

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