i'm actually mightily comfy with the dpns - however the thing about ML that i like is that i can stash it in my bag MUCH more easily and not worry about it falling off any othe eight ends on my dpns.

and when i first saw that top picture on your flickr site (i'm not wearing my glasses so i'm getting impressions instead of images) it looked like a disembodied arm in a short sleeve and i thought, "wow - that jess is the coolest photographer EVER!" :)

hrm how much needle fiddling are you doing over there? Is it because the needles are really long? Like Heather, I find ml makes a project more portable and it's just faster only dealing with two needles instead of 3 or 4 or 5 oh my!

Woooohoooo! So far so good. For me the most fiddly part about ML is pushing the stitches across when you get to the next side. But after haveing doing ML for a while now, it doesn't bother me (unless the join sucks). I find it easier than having to carry DPNs in my bag, worrying about losing or dropping a DPN on the bus, and scaring the passenger next to me with them.

Muahahah! Another DPN-er! I hate the pauses when knitting with ML - knit knit knit, pause and slide stitches, knit knit knit, pause and slide stitches, knit knit knit - it feels better, and smoother, to just *go* with four needles.

The socks look great - nice colors!

Is it scary that I recognize the antique chair in your bay window that you're propping your foot up with based on the small amount we get to see in the photos? If I weren't planning a visit in December, I'd almost say my last trip was so memorable I wouldn't need to revisit you and your crew! Almost. Good luck with all that reading, Ms. Knitter.

i'm a 2 circ girl myself -- but a firm believer that as long as the knitting looks good you should do whatever feels right.

as for the sock -- have you heard that koigu can stretch out a bit with wear? they come back with a good washing but still, if they seem a bit loose now it might be worth making them a tad tighter.

btw, great color your SP picked out! they're a good go-with-almost-anything kind of color.

I'm working my first sock in ML right now and I'm having the same experience -- sure, it's nice, but I think I am faster on dpns. Plus, I swear I am going to end up with ladders on either side of the sock (even though I adjust every so often). I'm on the heel now (I worked top down, not toe up), so we'll see how it goes... looking forward to seeing what you think at the end!

I do like being able to shove it in my bag and head out without pointy dpns sticking everywhere, as other people have already mentioned. :)

I love the Koigu color. Wendy's sock pattern and instructions are wonderful. I use them for toe-up socks too. I recently tried the ML and I like it. But I like dpns too. I broke a couple of size 1 dpns in my bag, so the ML is nice in that respect (but I bought a set of metal dpns - we'll see how I like those).

What is the figure 8 cast on? sounds intriguing...

I love the try-onability of toe up socks.

I'm going to have to agree with the other commenters, the big advantage of magic loop (or 2 circs, in my case) is the portability, though sometimes the fiddlyness and shifting of stitches gets annoying.

I'll be interested to hear how the pattern works out for you. I followed it as written the first time, and the sock came out *really* tight through the heel/ankle region. I had to go back and work in some increases through the arch of the foot (and decreases after the heel). Everyone else seems to have no trouble with it though, so maybe I just have oddly shaped feet! :D

Hi - wow!
So glad to find this little thread about ML! I'm just trying out my first sock using this method (a giant christmas stocking!).. anyway, I've only knitted socks on dpns before.. and only 3 pair.. so I really don't have anything to base it on.. but seems to me the ML is going to be a lot quicker and a lot more portable..

but then again.. I say that now.. I've only just turned the heel.. now i Have to face a gusset with the magic loop.... I think I need a drink or somethin....

I'm a dpn'er too. I haven't tried the magic loop or 2 circs methods but I really don't want to. I like to knit the first st of the next needles onto the needle I'm just finishing up to avoid ladders and so I just go 'round and 'round and 'round. I think there'd be too much stop and pause with circs.

About these ones being too big... I knit all my socks toe-up and have often found that what seems too big might be just right once you get a few more inches knit (say, to mid-foot). Unless they really are TOO big, that is. ;) Knit a bit more and see what you think then. Yes, you'll have to rip if you don't like the fit but you may be surprised.

i've done both double pointed and magic loop and the loop still rocks, there is a lot of pulling involved. but they're right. i used to constantly take my wool socks around with me and stash em in my bag. around nyc :) subways. long boring waits for trains.

i've done both double pointed and magic loop and the loop still rocks, there is a lot of pulling involved. but they're right. i used to constantly take my wool socks around with me and stash em in my bag. around nyc :) subways. long boring waits for trains.

I don't know why, but I just love that bottom picture. It is really cool and appealing to the photographer in me. Nice sock too.

If you do 2 socks at the same time on the magic loop, it cuts the time of needle fiddling in half. I got a lot faster at the pulling thing with practice, too.

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