Sock Needle Lengths

DAB spun a FINE 'yarn':

Donna, I like 5inch DPN's for socks, and a set of 5 rather than 4, to boot. HTH, Noreen

For adult socks, I like 8" needles. However, 7" will also work, if that is what you have. I don't like shorter ones, as the stitches tend to slip off.

HTH Higs, Katherine

I would not call myself an expert or anything but personally I am happy with 6" bamboo. I did buy some 4" but they make me a little crazed. I do cuff down socks and so do not get to a small number of stitches until the very tip of the toe and even then I graft when there are 6-8 stitches left on each of two needles. Maybe the last 2 or 3 rows at the toe are a nuisance ...

I love circs but I could never get my head around either the 2 circs or the magic loop thing for sock making. Getting the stitches sorted at the top of the cuff onto 4 needles and the first two or three rounds makes me mutter but once that is done it is clear sailing right down to the tip of the toe. I like using 5 needles altho when one of the needles vanishes right in front of my eyes, I switch to 4 until the missing one magically shows back up.

Ellen

On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 13:15:16 GMT, "DAB" wrote: .[I

I knit socks on 8" rosewood DPNs. The length of time during which you have only a few stitches per needle is short - You decrease for the toe down to 16 or 20 stitches, then graft, then you're done.

As far as socks on two circulars: You just divide the stitches in half, and knit each half of the sock onto it's own needle over and over and over. If you happen to knit all the stitches onto one needle, well, you put half back on the other needle and keep knitting.

Whoops I meant 5 and yes I agree as far as doing the hats...3 with yarn on makes it too scarry for me....dropped stitches. Ok thanks for the advice!

Donna

Hummm sounds like I will need to get several sizes and experiment

Thanks Donna

LOL I remember the first time I tried with double points....they were metal and all of a sudden one of the needles just fell out of the yarn.....I thought oh crap now what. I rememberd someone had mentioned wood needles were best. I like cuff down socks too.

Thanks for the tips and giggles! Donna

Ok a few rows won't be too bad .....I have little feet...wear size 5 shoe.

I may try the 2 circs again after I get the basics of sock knitting.

Thanks! Donna

All my dpn are aluminum. Most are Boye, except for some really old ones that I was given. Oh, and the weird #9s that were the only set I could find in that size, which came with 5 (ick!) -- but the fifth was gone when I gathered my work up after half an hour. The #10 and #13 are 10 inches, as is a gift set of #4. All the rest are 7 inches. Well, labeled 7 inches; the actual lengths vary by half an inch. I have 2 sets of #2 and 2 sets of #8; at least one set of nearly every size between, and of three of the sizes smaller.

Pogo

When I graft my toes, I don't decrease down to that few stitches. I prefer a rounder toe and only go down to around 14 stitches on each of the two needles. I have a fairly small foot - I wear size 6 shoes and my socks are usually around 9" long from heel to toe. I use 4 metal needles, not 5. I have a set of bamboo needles, but find they tend to bend on me. YMMV

Shelagh

Lucky you if you can find different lengths , i am lucky if i can find all sizes. When we came to Usa, first thing i allowed myself was stocking up on all sizes number wise not lenthwise] of DPs i could find, I was used to the European having 5 needles thus after a while i bought another pack and have 8 of those i used mostly, Since i knit seamless DP are most important in sleeves knitting. I also inherited some, and luckily those were shorter, thus i play ,, to my greatest luck i also found some numbers that had a different color [ both in plastic and in metal] , which makes pairing them easier. I love my Dps since i knit mittens , gloves and many other smaller items,,, And last and not least when working with 2 colors in the round i have a system of first working one color on the Dp than the 2nd color with the circular ,,, it is a very good reminder for patterns etc... mirjam

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Thanks Mary...I was leaning towards the 6 inch needles.

Donna

marysal> I prefer the six inch double points. Because 5 in is too short when

Hey - I just found this group and saw your post. I wanted to comment about DPN's and Circulars. I like both for different reasons. DPN's are good for little stuff - socks, baby sweater sleeves, etc. I like 5 needles or four depending on if I can figure out which needles will hold what stitches. For instance: when I knit socks I like to put the heel flap sts. on two needles and the instep sts on one IF possible. If not, I try to use markers or different colored needles so I don't get so mixed up about which needles I'm knitting on. (Instep orange metal/ heel flap and gusset(sp?) green.) I have some long ones 8" or longer and I don't like them but they're heirlooms. The length doesn't really matter to me until they catch in my shirtsleeves as I'm knitting, or poke me, or the cats when they sit in my lap. ;-0.That's why I switched to circulars. It took me a good year to figure it out, learning on my own. I finally went to a group and they really helped.

1) Get two circulars same size but different lengths- that will help you keep track of where you've knitted. 2) Get different colors or textures if you can for the needles: Get an Addi Turbo(gold color) and a Wooden circ. -or however you can get a contrast. I tried the nail polish on the needles to keep them separate

-it wore off so fast I got mixed up.

3) Never -EVER stop in the middle of the two socks on your needle

-finish whatever you're doing on both socks before you put it down. If you end up with your yarn on the inside of your needles instead of the right side, it's not easy to figure out which one you need to knit. I took me several days for my first pair of 2 at once on 2 circs. Once I figured it out I was ok, but I almost frogged them out of frustration.

4)Always start your next round with your yarn coming from the back needle - to avoid yarn overs and added sts.

I have a l> Well I can't stand it anymore I have decided to try knitting socks using

:-) Yeah my husband thinks I am nuts. Once he figured out that the lost needles never show up on his side of the bed he calmed down. He eyed my circs the other day, which I was using for a back and forth project, and I could see the question forming in his brain about why I knit round stuff on straight needles and straight stuff on circs but he came to his senses and decided that he need to go do something else :-)

Ellen

What a wise man!

Love & higs Christine

LOL thanks for the advice Jeannie I think I will start with the 5 needles and move on to 2.....there is no way I could keep track of 2 scocks at the same time.

D> Hey - I just found this group and saw your post. I wanted to comment