Learning to Knit with Two Circulars

 

I’ve always knit my socks with double pointed needles.  When I first started, the needles were inexpensive and easy to find.  The bamboo Takumi double points are carried in many of the big chain hobby stores, so they’ve been my go to brand and style of needle for almost every project.   I don’t have the luxury of a nearby boutique yarn shop, so almost everything not carried at the local chain store has to be mail ordered.

Friends who are not familiar with sock knitting, or knitting in the round, often are intimidated by all the needles used in the five double point method.  After all, learning to knit with only two needles, back and fourth, can take quite a bit of time and coordination to master.  But really, double pointed needles are simple to use once you get over the mental hurdle of what appears to be manual acrobatics, and a day or two of patient practice.  

That being said, recently, as I’ve been perusing all the patterns from various books and Ravelry, I’ve noticed how many patterns call or allow for the method of using two circular needles.  Hummmm...  

I’ve pretty much always understood the concept, but I am also aware that something understood mentally is not the same as something mattered by hand.   Just ask any accomplish craftsman!  Since I’ve never tried it before, I thought it was about time to pick up the challenge and give it a whirl.   

My husband recently gifted me with two balls of Knit Picks Superwash Capretta.  It’s a beautiful fingering weight yarn with a mix of Superwash Fine Merino, Cashmere, and Nylon.  (He wants “soft fisherman socks.”)   And, it just so happens that my newly acquired 3.00 mm circular needles are just right for the gauge my pattern calls for.   I’ve quickly discovered that this may have not been the ideal choice of yarn to use while learning a new technique.   It is beautifully soft yarn and luxurious to hold, but I’m finding it a bit slippery on my new fixed circulars, and a bit fuzzy too.  It makes it a little hard to see and feel what I’m doing.  

I remember all too well that physical tension of trying to hold new needles and coordinate all the new movements when I first learned to knit.  Like any new technique there is a learning curve here that requires building a new muscle memory in order to build the smooth coordination that makes knitting so enjoyable.  For the moment though, my fingers, wrists, elbows and jaw are all tense!  (And now really tired).  I’m not surprise that casting on seems to be the most difficult aspect to master.  

I had a very difficult time visually understanding how the stitches were supposed to be oriented on the needles.  Even after I joined in the round it seemed like the stitches still wanted to twist around the needle, and I became very confused about which way was what.    A large part of this is likely caused by my novice technique, but with the help of YouTube and some persistence, I was able to establish the foundation rows for my cuff.  For the first few rounds I also noticed that my front right thumb would push the stiches toward the back so that the edge of the cuff looped into the inside of the sock, but after several rows, this was no longer a problem.  Now things seem to be on a steady course to establishing a good rhythm.  I’m still a little tense, especially when switching needles, because I’m trying very hard to avoid the laddering that can occur between needle changes.  With more practice, I’m pretty sure I can improve my technique. 

At this point, I would still choose double points as my preference,  but I’m willing to stick this out for this pair of socks to see how it goes.  I’m thrilled to add another new skill to my repertoire.