My reflections on sock knitting. With explanations.

My dedicated reader and dear friend commented that she didn't know what the "magic loop" technique was and asked if I could please write an explanation. Well, obviously, magic loop is the best thing to happen to sock knitting since...well, since forever. My love of magic loop dates back to the first sock I ever knit, so please excuse the long story:

I am always ambitious with knitting, a have-no-fear sort of person, and since I knew I was traveling I wanted to take a project with me that was small. Socks were the popular choice among the patrons of the shop, and as an employee I wanted to really KNOW the construction of a sock so I could help customers with more than technicalities like how to slip a stitch, etc. I just wanted to make my own. What a perfect opportunity!

My first sock was with self-striping yarn, and although I was very capable and having no trouble with the sock itself, the needles were quite obnoxious. The short Brittany needles were bending in my hand and slowing me down, and once I got back from my trip I shoved the nearly-finished first sock in my closet and left it indefinitely. I wasn't enjoying the process and didn't want the sock badly enough to finish. I had turned the heel, and since that was the process I had really wanted to understand, I considered my sock education done enough-- I could help customers knowledgeably.

A year or so later, I unearthed the sock in a fit of frenzied organization. I had read about this "magic loop" technique and seen Bev Galeskas' pamphlet published by FiberTrends. Since I'd already begun the sock in the spirit of education, I decided to finish it on a long circular instead of those bendy double pointed needles. It was great! I went on to fly through the second sock ever since then I've had a pair constantly on my needles. Basically, the magic loop is a technique in which you use a really long circular needle (32" to 40" long) to knit a circular object of much smaller diameter (8" to 10", like a sock). There are lots of online guides outlining the basic techniques of the magic loop (such as this website: http://www.knitting-and.com/wiki/Magic_Loop) but I'd recommend going to your Local Yarn Shop and buying the FiberTrends booklet or asking for help. In the classes I've taught, my experience has been that it's confusing to learn through the first sock, but once you've finished one sock you'll remember the technique for future projects. And you'll love it.