Okay…I think I get the appeal of socks on dpns instead of two circs. (Photo in black and white because that’s a secret gifty sock you see there. Shhh!)
The geometry of it is pleasing, and there’s the sense of doing something the way it’s been done for centuries. Particularly using wooden needles, as I am. I got some kindly advice to cast on with the two circs and then switch to dpns, but I decided that if I was going to try a method that was new to me I should just go for it. I cast on with the dpns and it was fine. Easy. There really isn’t that much of a logical or mechanical leap from two circs to dpns. No problem.
It’s slow though, isn’t it? Or rather, I’m slow on dpns. But I’m enjoying that too. I can make socks on two circs in my sleep. (Not quite the same as La Brainy. See I could knit socks in my sleep, but I’ve never actually been witnessed doing it.) The dpns are new and the pointy bits are somewhat alien to me and so it’s bringing me back to the process, stitch by stitch. That’ll get old soon enough and I’ll need to go back to my circs or speed up on the dpns…but for now I’m enjoying the slowness of it. I’ll probably always rely on the two-circ method for st st socks after this pair is done, but maybe I’ll use dpns going forward for patterned socks. I think I might like that. Maybe that’s what I’ll use when I give Cassie’s trademark Feather and Fan socks a whirl.
Hehehe. Dpns are good.
Posted by: valentina
I’ve been making socks on dpns and now I’m just dying to try circs for the speed factor. I like the process, and with my current perspective, I don’t see losing “the process” in using circs probably because I haven’t made all that many socks yet and I’m still learning so much. I can see a seasoned sock knitter wanting to get back to the process if sock knitting can be done in their sleep. heh
Posted by: Laura
I’ve been dpn-exclusive but wanting to try two-circs, partly for the speed factor but also to make tossing the project in my bag less risky. Either way, the slowness of a new process is a great way to keep the brain exercised (if a little frustrated)!
Posted by: anne
I’m your opposite. I find knitting on circs too slow…all that time wasted pushing stitches around on the cables. My hypothesis (not tested) is that everyone likes to knit socks the way they were originally taught. Who knows?
Posted by: elli
I’ve been knitting socks on dps for years and just switched to circs. I find that it is much faster on circs, and it is easier to work a patterned sock. I also love that you can try the sock on at any time, not so with the dps. For st st I may use my dps again, but I love the circs. Of course, knowing both methods just means you can have socks on your circs and your dps at the same time, great when startitis sets in!
Posted by: Nicole
Ohhh……. I SEE. You get me all hooked on the circs after dragging me kicking and screaming into it, then you switch teams and start using dpns. Very sneaky.
Posted by: Cassie
I have never tried to make socks on circulars yet. I will have to give it a try one of these days to see if it’s a lot faster for me. Faster would be good too.
Posted by: Karen
I vastly prefer dpns to 2 circs. It just feels a lot cleaner to me.
I cast on using just two dpns, where I knit the first two rows of ribbing back and forth, then divide onto four needles. It’s so much easier to avoid twisting this way, and I find that after I weave the tail in carefully I really can’t see the starting spot all that well.
Posted by: Rowena
For me, the adventure would be the other way round … I have yet to try knitting socks on 2 circulars. Welcome to dpn sock knitting.
I have been stalking your blog for news about the little guy Floyd … how is he doing now? Thanks.
Posted by: Agnes
I of course have not successfully tried the 2 circs, but I feel that my dpn work is fast. Perhaps you wouldn’t even be able to SEE me I’d be going so fast on cirx, so I think I’ll stick with my DiPienns. I’d hate to go so fast I didn’t even realize I was having fun. It makes the cost per hour of my fun (cost in yarn dollars) more, if it takes me NO time to knit them. Or perhaps I’m drunk or something, since I seem to be talking in circles. 😉
Posted by: Norma
i think i do them both at the same speed. one row every month or two. 🙂 but i prefer my little wooden DPNs (i use the tiny 5 inch or 4 or whatever ones).
Posted by: carolyn
Never tried two circs, but as much as I appreciate the aesthetic of wooden dpns, I think I’ll want my next pair of socks to go faster, so I may try the two circs method. Not likely that I’ll ever be able to knit anything at all in my sleep. At least not if I want it to look like an actual garment. 🙂
Posted by: Sneaksleep
I usually read the opposite of your account – I tried socks on circs, getting used to it, etc. It’s interesting the other way around. I like them both for different reasons, but I know that 2 circs makes it easier to knit in the dark when you’re running the spotlight at a play. And also I lose my stitches less.
are you having fun times?
Posted by: Carrie
I love that you are liking the dpns. I have never warmed to the circular needle–they always seem to want to bend up or down and I can feel them tugging at me. You’ll probably always be faster on the circs, but I’m glad you’re enjoying the dpn journey. 🙂
Posted by: Bettina
Funny. I would only use dpn’s now for st st socks, and will always use circs for patterned stuff 🙂 I like the symetry of little wooden needles, and they do look stunningly better than circs. I like to choose my instrument of knitting intuitively depending on pattern, yarn, mood. Such an aesthetically pleasing craft ain’t it 🙂
Posted by: Alison
Love dem DPNs.
A neat cast on trick is after casting on all the stitches onto one needle, divide the stitches evenly between two needles, then join and knit half the stitches on the first needle onto the THIRD needle. Add the fourth needle and there ya go. Less fiddly.
Posted by: claudia
I think I’m oddest knitter ever when it comes to this debate. I really have no preference. I like both dpns and circs about the same. I think it just works out to whatever I have available, you know? I’m already working on a pair of socks on my dpns? OK, break out the 2 circs. Doing something using 2 circs already? Where are my dpns. Either way, I’m happily knitting away on a pair of socks.
Posted by: Jenn
I love me my DPNs. I like the idea of 2 circs, but frankly, those are freaking expensive and I can get my little susan bates soooo cheaply. this allows me to buy more expensive sock yarn! I guess I’m just a ghetto knitter…..
Posted by: Jenn
Totally unconnected with the post at hand, I saw the fingerless gloves that you made out of the Sock Garden yarn and I printed out the pattern, but if you could possibly, when you have a chance, e-mail me the changes you made to suit the yarn, I would greatly appreciate it.
Posted by: Just a Knit Wit
I’ve found (on my six or seven pairs of top-down socks… so not a whole LOT of experience…) that the first two or three rows are the hardest.
Posted by: Rhelynn
I just bought some rosewood DPNs (Lantern Moon) at Rhinebeck, and I’m using them with Mountain Colors Flathead Cherry, and it’s a sensory pleasure I can’t describe. So worth it.
Posted by: Liz Stein
I’m one of those that loves the process of knitting a sock on DPN’s. It’s like being part of some ritualistic club.
I do have yet to try the 2 circ thing though. I just can’t part with my dpn’s just yet.
Posted by: Christiane
I’m your opposite too! just trying socks on two circs for the first time (just so that I can make them toe up with the famed Turkish Cast On) and I’m finding it slow- all that pushing and pulling when you change needles.
My tip with dpn’s is only use 4 (so you’re working with a triangle) but have a 5th one on hand when you’re doing the pick up on a heel flap (if you’re not doing short row heels that is…)
Posted by: di
definitely a dpn girl here.
What got me back hooked on knitting – almost 10 years ago now – was making my first pair of mittens on dpns.
I personally prefer to have the sts on 4, and use the fifth to knit with. I’ve even gone so far as to buy two identical sets in the same size (if they come in 4s) so I have a set of five.
the other thing is, like someone else said: dpns are comparatively cheap and circs are expensive. And if you’re a multiproject person, you don’t want to be buying eight or ten circs to use for multiple pairs of socks. But dpns – that’s a different matter.
Posted by: fillyjonk
As a relatively new sock knitter, I enjoy knitting them both ways (and i have you to thank for teaching me to use two circs!). I have yet to try Magic Loop for socks, though it looks like fun. I like the concept of using circs for stockinette and dpn’s for pattern socks. dpn’s certainly are less tempting to my cat, who is just fascinated with addi cables.
Posted by: regina
I like what you say about getting back to the process. I do find that circs allow me to not really think about what I’m doing. I’m also not a very meditative knitter, I guess.
Miss you.
Posted by: Em
I’ve used both, but I’ve used two circs for a long time now, and now I can’t use dpns because I have a signature trait of flicking the circ out of the way when I finish a row. Therefore, every single damn time I use dpns I end up flinging them across the room at high speed, forgetting they’re not connected to the sock. Quite funny, actually. Annoying, though, to have to keep picking them up….
Posted by: Rachael
I have used both. I started with circs. To be honest, after doing a couple of socks on dpns I find I’m the same speed on both. It gets better when you get the feel of it. I’ve mainly stuck with dpns because I find them less cumbersome and in the way. I like not having to readjusting and sliding the cables, needles and tangled yarn. And I totally get the satisfaction of doing something “the old way.”
Posted by: Shelley
I am such a copycat – this post put me in the mood for wooden dpns! I think it’s the geometry that got me. And the airplane comment…throwing away my favorite Addis might make me cry. Anyway, the traditional needles go perfect with your prairie surroundings!
Posted by: sarah g.
I’m repeating some of the above comments but thought I’d throw it out there because I’m happy to see that you’re knitting socks!
I find that….
– the first 5-10 rows are the hardest.
– three needles holding stitches and one working needle is easier for me to manage
– wooden/bamboo needles are less slippery then metal needles (a good or bad thing per the project) and even though they’re wooden they might still be questioned at airport security (especially if the bag is searched for other reasons)
– ribbing is always easier if I always start with a knit stitch on the needle.
I do hope that you’re enjoying the week and your days are still as wonderful as they sounded before!
Posted by: Kristen
I first knit socks on DPNs and only later learned to use two circulars. It is faster on the circs, but I find I’ve abandoned them. Knitting socks on DPNs is a ritual process for me. It never felt right on two circulars. I don’t think I’m channeling the past, I’m not that spiritual. It’s just soothing and calming to stop at the end of a needle, shift the smooth little sticks around in my hands and start over again.
Posted by: anmiryam
Hi Cari, I’m having problems finding a sock pattern I like. Mine keep coming out slouchy, which I don’t really like. I’ve yet to finish one because of this fact…. Any suggestions?
Posted by: Stephanie P.
Hehehe. Dpns are good.
Posted by: valentina
I’ve been making socks on dpns and now I’m just dying to try circs for the speed factor. I like the process, and with my current perspective, I don’t see losing “the process” in using circs probably because I haven’t made all that many socks yet and I’m still learning so much. I can see a seasoned sock knitter wanting to get back to the process if sock knitting can be done in their sleep. heh
Posted by: Laura
I’ve been dpn-exclusive but wanting to try two-circs, partly for the speed factor but also to make tossing the project in my bag less risky. Either way, the slowness of a new process is a great way to keep the brain exercised (if a little frustrated)!
Posted by: anne
I’m your opposite. I find knitting on circs too slow…all that time wasted pushing stitches around on the cables. My hypothesis (not tested) is that everyone likes to knit socks the way they were originally taught. Who knows?
Posted by: elli
I’ve been knitting socks on dps for years and just switched to circs. I find that it is much faster on circs, and it is easier to work a patterned sock. I also love that you can try the sock on at any time, not so with the dps. For st st I may use my dps again, but I love the circs. Of course, knowing both methods just means you can have socks on your circs and your dps at the same time, great when startitis sets in!
Posted by: Nicole
Ohhh……. I SEE. You get me all hooked on the circs after dragging me kicking and screaming into it, then you switch teams and start using dpns. Very sneaky.
Posted by: Cassie
I have never tried to make socks on circulars yet. I will have to give it a try one of these days to see if it’s a lot faster for me. Faster would be good too.
Posted by: Karen
I vastly prefer dpns to 2 circs. It just feels a lot cleaner to me.
I cast on using just two dpns, where I knit the first two rows of ribbing back and forth, then divide onto four needles. It’s so much easier to avoid twisting this way, and I find that after I weave the tail in carefully I really can’t see the starting spot all that well.
Posted by: Rowena
For me, the adventure would be the other way round … I have yet to try knitting socks on 2 circulars. Welcome to dpn sock knitting.
I have been stalking your blog for news about the little guy Floyd … how is he doing now? Thanks.
Posted by: Agnes
I of course have not successfully tried the 2 circs, but I feel that my dpn work is fast. Perhaps you wouldn’t even be able to SEE me I’d be going so fast on cirx, so I think I’ll stick with my DiPienns. I’d hate to go so fast I didn’t even realize I was having fun. It makes the cost per hour of my fun (cost in yarn dollars) more, if it takes me NO time to knit them. Or perhaps I’m drunk or something, since I seem to be talking in circles. 😉
Posted by: Norma
i think i do them both at the same speed. one row every month or two. 🙂 but i prefer my little wooden DPNs (i use the tiny 5 inch or 4 or whatever ones).
Posted by: carolyn
Never tried two circs, but as much as I appreciate the aesthetic of wooden dpns, I think I’ll want my next pair of socks to go faster, so I may try the two circs method. Not likely that I’ll ever be able to knit anything at all in my sleep. At least not if I want it to look like an actual garment. 🙂
Posted by: Sneaksleep
I usually read the opposite of your account – I tried socks on circs, getting used to it, etc. It’s interesting the other way around. I like them both for different reasons, but I know that 2 circs makes it easier to knit in the dark when you’re running the spotlight at a play. And also I lose my stitches less.
are you having fun times?
Posted by: Carrie
I love that you are liking the dpns. I have never warmed to the circular needle–they always seem to want to bend up or down and I can feel them tugging at me. You’ll probably always be faster on the circs, but I’m glad you’re enjoying the dpn journey. 🙂
Posted by: Bettina
Funny. I would only use dpn’s now for st st socks, and will always use circs for patterned stuff 🙂 I like the symetry of little wooden needles, and they do look stunningly better than circs. I like to choose my instrument of knitting intuitively depending on pattern, yarn, mood. Such an aesthetically pleasing craft ain’t it 🙂
Posted by: Alison
Love dem DPNs.
A neat cast on trick is after casting on all the stitches onto one needle, divide the stitches evenly between two needles, then join and knit half the stitches on the first needle onto the THIRD needle. Add the fourth needle and there ya go. Less fiddly.
Posted by: claudia
I think I’m oddest knitter ever when it comes to this debate. I really have no preference. I like both dpns and circs about the same. I think it just works out to whatever I have available, you know? I’m already working on a pair of socks on my dpns? OK, break out the 2 circs. Doing something using 2 circs already? Where are my dpns. Either way, I’m happily knitting away on a pair of socks.
Posted by: Jenn
I love me my DPNs. I like the idea of 2 circs, but frankly, those are freaking expensive and I can get my little susan bates soooo cheaply. this allows me to buy more expensive sock yarn! I guess I’m just a ghetto knitter…..
Posted by: Jenn
Totally unconnected with the post at hand, I saw the fingerless gloves that you made out of the Sock Garden yarn and I printed out the pattern, but if you could possibly, when you have a chance, e-mail me the changes you made to suit the yarn, I would greatly appreciate it.
Posted by: Just a Knit Wit
I’ve found (on my six or seven pairs of top-down socks… so not a whole LOT of experience…) that the first two or three rows are the hardest.
Posted by: Rhelynn
I just bought some rosewood DPNs (Lantern Moon) at Rhinebeck, and I’m using them with Mountain Colors Flathead Cherry, and it’s a sensory pleasure I can’t describe. So worth it.
Posted by: Liz Stein
I’m one of those that loves the process of knitting a sock on DPN’s. It’s like being part of some ritualistic club.
I do have yet to try the 2 circ thing though. I just can’t part with my dpn’s just yet.
Posted by: Christiane
I’m your opposite too! just trying socks on two circs for the first time (just so that I can make them toe up with the famed Turkish Cast On) and I’m finding it slow- all that pushing and pulling when you change needles.
My tip with dpn’s is only use 4 (so you’re working with a triangle) but have a 5th one on hand when you’re doing the pick up on a heel flap (if you’re not doing short row heels that is…)
Posted by: di
definitely a dpn girl here.
What got me back hooked on knitting – almost 10 years ago now – was making my first pair of mittens on dpns.
I personally prefer to have the sts on 4, and use the fifth to knit with. I’ve even gone so far as to buy two identical sets in the same size (if they come in 4s) so I have a set of five.
the other thing is, like someone else said: dpns are comparatively cheap and circs are expensive. And if you’re a multiproject person, you don’t want to be buying eight or ten circs to use for multiple pairs of socks. But dpns – that’s a different matter.
Posted by: fillyjonk
As a relatively new sock knitter, I enjoy knitting them both ways (and i have you to thank for teaching me to use two circs!). I have yet to try Magic Loop for socks, though it looks like fun. I like the concept of using circs for stockinette and dpn’s for pattern socks. dpn’s certainly are less tempting to my cat, who is just fascinated with addi cables.
Posted by: regina
I like what you say about getting back to the process. I do find that circs allow me to not really think about what I’m doing. I’m also not a very meditative knitter, I guess.
Miss you.
Posted by: Em
I’ve used both, but I’ve used two circs for a long time now, and now I can’t use dpns because I have a signature trait of flicking the circ out of the way when I finish a row. Therefore, every single damn time I use dpns I end up flinging them across the room at high speed, forgetting they’re not connected to the sock. Quite funny, actually. Annoying, though, to have to keep picking them up….
Posted by: Rachael
I have used both. I started with circs. To be honest, after doing a couple of socks on dpns I find I’m the same speed on both. It gets better when you get the feel of it. I’ve mainly stuck with dpns because I find them less cumbersome and in the way. I like not having to readjusting and sliding the cables, needles and tangled yarn. And I totally get the satisfaction of doing something “the old way.”
Posted by: Shelley
I am such a copycat – this post put me in the mood for wooden dpns! I think it’s the geometry that got me. And the airplane comment…throwing away my favorite Addis might make me cry. Anyway, the traditional needles go perfect with your prairie surroundings!
Posted by: sarah g.
I’m repeating some of the above comments but thought I’d throw it out there because I’m happy to see that you’re knitting socks!
I find that….
– the first 5-10 rows are the hardest.
– three needles holding stitches and one working needle is easier for me to manage
– wooden/bamboo needles are less slippery then metal needles (a good or bad thing per the project) and even though they’re wooden they might still be questioned at airport security (especially if the bag is searched for other reasons)
– ribbing is always easier if I always start with a knit stitch on the needle.
I do hope that you’re enjoying the week and your days are still as wonderful as they sounded before!
Posted by: Kristen
I first knit socks on DPNs and only later learned to use two circulars. It is faster on the circs, but I find I’ve abandoned them. Knitting socks on DPNs is a ritual process for me. It never felt right on two circulars. I don’t think I’m channeling the past, I’m not that spiritual. It’s just soothing and calming to stop at the end of a needle, shift the smooth little sticks around in my hands and start over again.
Posted by: anmiryam
Hi Cari, I’m having problems finding a sock pattern I like. Mine keep coming out slouchy, which I don’t really like. I’ve yet to finish one because of this fact…. Any suggestions?
Posted by: Stephanie P.