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
