Can you knit a hat on on any length circular needles?
I have 40″ circular needles and I’m wondering could I use them to knit a hat or socks?
Yes, you can knit a hat on 40″ circular needles. Or socks, or a whole sweater or a bunch of other things. It is my preferred method for knitting a socks. It’s a newer technique so some older knitters aren’t familiar with it or are resistant to its use. I got reamed for it at a local guild meeting because supposedly Elizabeth Zimmerman didn’t do it that way so it’s wrong. As innovative as she was, I think she would have embraced the technique just as she embraced circular needles.
The technique is called “magic loop.” It is no more difficult than knitting on DPNs and takes no more time than knitting on DPNs. What it does do is reduce the frequency with which you have to knit across a gap from 3-4 on DPNs to just 2 on magic loop.
Picture tutorial: http://www.knitpicks.com/tutorials/Magic_Loop__D119.html
Video tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdSpc0EZpnk
The key to making magic loop work is using a circular needle that is at least 40″ long, which you have. I have pulled it off with needles as short as 29″ but wasn’t really happy about it.
I have knit tubes on regular circular needles, on DPNs, on 2 circulars, magic loop on 1 circular, and even tubular knitting on straight needles. I am proficient at all of these methods. Each has its use and each has specific instances where it is better than the others. No one technique is perfect for every tube knitting situation. But when it comes to hats and socks, magic loop is my preferred technique. I like it because I don’t have to switch from circulars to DPNs when I start the decreases. I don’t have to cross as many gaps as I do with DPNs. I don’t have individual DPNs falling out and getting stuck in couch cushions. I also don’t need two different sets of needles (1 circular and 4-5 DPNs) in order to knit one hat. My trusty 40″ circulars can be used to make anything from the chest of a sweater or 60″ circular shawl down to miniature socks no more than 3/4″ tall and 1/4″ in diameter.
An added benefit to knitting socks with the magic loop technique is that you can knit both socks at the same time. This means they turn out identical and you don’t suffer from orphan sock syndrome (failure to get around to making the second sock of a pair). Here are some basic instructions for magic loop socks:
http://www.knitpicks.com/cfpatterns/pattern_display.cfm?ID=50631220
Knit Hat on Circular Needles
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