# Socks on 9 inch circular needles



## LaLaWa (Jun 20, 2011)

This isn't a pattern, sorry, just a couple helpful hints.

There aren't many sock patterns written specifically for these small circular needles. But it isn't difficult to convert a pattern written for dpns or magic loop to work on a single small circular. You'll need stitch markers to indicate which "needle" you're on.

Here's what saves me time on a standard heel flap and gusset sock:

I don't use stitch markers at all until I'm done with the cuff and leg and at a length where I want to start the heel. Then I divide the stitches in half (with the prettier ones on top) and work the entire heel flap, including turning the heel, right on the circular needle, going back and forth on the heel stitches and leaving the instep stitches unworked right where they are on the cord. You don't have to switch to DPNs for the heel. I am using Chiaogoo red lace needles, which are similar to Hiya Hiya. I have not tried this with Clover, KA, or Addis. I know others do this too, I'm not saying I invented it, but I know many people think you need DPNs for the heel, and you may not need to switch. I also didn't invent this, but if I'm doing a reinforced heel I do sl1,p1 across and then knit across the other side, instead of doing the slip stitches on the knit side. This goes faster for me since I knit faster than I purl (and because of the slipped stitches there are half as many to purl).

When you're done with the heel, pick up and knit your gusset stitches along the side of the heel, then place a GREEN marker to indicate the beginning of your instep (top of foot) stitches (half your original stitch count). Place a RED marker at the end of your instep stitches. You should also have a single marker in the middle of the heel, which (in my system) changes to a double marker when it's a decrease row, so you can tell right away if you're on a knit plain (single marker) or a decrease row (double marker). Pick up and knit the other side of the heel, and then off you go again in the round.

All of your gusset decreases will happen on either side of the green and red markers. *Nothing ever happens in between these two markers* (until you get to where you're doing the toe). You knit up to 3 stitches before the green marker and then k2 tog and k1, slip marker, knit your instep stitches to the red marker, slip marker, then k1, ssk and knit to the "middle of the heel" marker and change it from double to single then knit a round plain.

The stitches between your heel marker and green marker are needle 1. The green marker to the red marker is needle two. Red marker to heel marker is needle 3.

The green and red markers save me a lot of time because I don't have to think at all which needle I'm on. I know at a glance exactly what I'm doing. Obviously you can use something other than green and red, but make is something you will easily recognize as the beginning, and a different one for the end, of the instep stitches.

That's it, nothing earth shattering and probably sounds stupid to a lot of people. But I know I used to spend too much time figuring out where I was in the pattern, or ripping back because of a misplaced decrease, and now things just zip along beautifully.


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## Grandma Jan (Apr 6, 2011)

That's really helpful - thanks for sharing your expertise with us!


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## LaLaWa (Jun 20, 2011)

Thank you Jan for your kind comments. I don't know that it's expertise. But these tricks have allowed me to whip out socks that match without much fuss. And I'm not able to easily do that with other patterns. So it's top down heel flap and gusset for me. Lots of people want to try socks but are intimidated by picking a pattern and a size and then the whole casting on when you're new to dpns is such a trauma, and some of us don't like magic loop at all. I wish when I was first learning that I would have had a 9 inch circ, cast on an even number of stitches that fit comfortably around the needle and just gone on with it.


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## NanaFran (Apr 9, 2011)

Same way I do socks on 9" circs--except I use red as my first marker and green as the second marker, and white for the middle of the sole. (I have some of those tiny little elastics that are used for fancy hair braiding--the same size used on orthodontics--but can't find the colored ones any more. Any ideas where I can find them??) I first tried doing the heel on the circ when I was on a long flight, and came to the heel portion, and didn't want to fiddle with dpns in my cramped seat on the plane, and knew I could do it if I was careful. It worked very well, and so I have continued to do it like that most of the time. You DO need the dpns when you get to decreasing for the toe, however. Happy sock knitting, they are easy and fun to do--and folks love receiving them as gifts!


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## impatient knitter (Oct 5, 2011)

LaLaWa said:


> Thank you Jan for your kind comments. I don't know that it's expertise. But these tricks have allowed me to whip out socks that match without much fuss. And I'm not able to easily do that with other patterns. So it's top down heel flap and gusset for me. Lots of people want to try socks but are intimidated by picking a pattern and a size and then the whole casting on when you're new to dpns is such a trauma, and some of us don't like magic loop at all. I wish when I was first learning that I would have had a 9 inch circ, cast on an even number of stitches that fit comfortably around the needle and just gone on with it.


LaLa: Thank you many muches for the info!! I've "copied and pasted" to my "Knitting Notes" folder on my computer to read and study later. The 9" is what scares me. I tried very hard last year, as I had "asked Santa" for 9" circs, and he thought I meant it, so he brought them to me!! I spent until New Years trying to get comfortable just HOLDING the @#$%^ things, but I ended up returning them to my LYS for a credit. Is there some kind of secret to it? I'm still using dpns, although I think I'm getting "closer" to trying the Magic Loop method. I bought some veeeeery expensive sock yarn at my LYS over the T'giving weekend, and I'm using my dpns on those. Maybe next pair I'll try toe up, or Magic Loop, or another method for socks. Like to keep my brain active. But I'll definitely keep your notes handy. Just might trying another pair of 9" so I can say, "I have them, and I've tried them."
...gloria


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## grannyknitter (Apr 19, 2011)

Great advice! Thanks!


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## Gamquilter (Dec 29, 2011)

thank you so much for taking the time to share. i have been perking along on socks with help from everyone here and now that I am past beginner this isvery helpful info as i have been trying many different combinations for the heel,, including a third. circular when doing two at a time toe up.on two circulars....your marking system makes a lot of sense to me,thank you, pat


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## Hilda (Apr 23, 2011)

I knit my socks the same way. I do put the instep sts on a holding cord to do the heel. I use pieces of yarn with a loop knot for markers. Circulars are much easier that DPs and they don't slip out. It does take a little getting used to but after a couple of socks it feels right.


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## nancyannin (Apr 9, 2012)

Thank you LaLaWa! I've been making all my socks on DPN's, but I've contemplated using circular needles and just haven't taken the time to figure out what will be different. This sounds very helpful!


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## Mary Cardiff (Mar 18, 2012)

Magic loop, Toe up, and Fleegle heel,So easy,


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## nemcfo (Jul 29, 2012)

I just bought my first skein of sock yarn. After the holidays I'll tackle them. In the meantime, I printed out your helpful hints and have put them with the sock pattern. Thank you.


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## Revan (Jun 29, 2011)

Thank you for the information. The HiyaHiya website has a pattern for sock using the 9-inch circular.


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## Barbaradey (Jun 1, 2012)

Don't understand something....hope u can help. I have never worked in the round but reading a lot about this technique. Are circular needles and magic loop differnt or the same thing? Thanks so much.


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## LaLaWa (Jun 20, 2011)

Glory Gee in CT said:


> I spent until New Years trying to get comfortable just HOLDING the @#$%^ things, but I ended up returning them to my LYS for a credit. Is there some kind of secret to it?


I use the ones with the 2 inch metal needle tips, and my hands are held pretty far back from the tips. The stitches go all the way around the entire needle, so I am holding them over the stitches. So for the left hand, my thumb is straight, parallel-to and against the needle, and my index finger is mostly straight too. Right now as I look down there are nine live stitches in front of my thumb closer to the needle tip than my thumb is. I advance the stitches with my index finger and then when I run out I move the next batch forward with my thumb and index finger. My right hand holds the needle very far back, at the end of the 2 inch needle where it attaches to the cord. My right thumb is at that crook, and is slightly bent. There are 19 stitches on the right needle in front of where my thumb is right now. My current gauge is 10 stitches per inch, so that makes sense, about 2 inches worth of stitches. Both sides move around of course, as I move new stitches forward and completed stitches back, but in general it's a pretty fluid motion of stitches around the needle without much conscious adjusting necessary.

So my fingers aren't all cramped up at the points of the needles. I move them back and take advantage of the entire 2 inches of needle on each side, and the stitches slide while under my fingers. I hope that sort of makes sense. I've tried the bamboo needles with the tiny bullet shaped tips, but found them harder to use. So I suggest the metal ones. I hope you'll try it again. It's like magic when you really get going on a length of leg or foot and can speed right through it without anything getting in your way or needing adjustments.


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## LaLaWa (Jun 20, 2011)

Barbaradey said:


> Don't understand something....hope u can help. I have never worked in the round but reading a lot about this technique. Are circular needles and magic loop differnt or the same thing? Thanks so much.


Magic loop involves using a much much longer cable and manipulating the excess cable so that you can access the stitches on either side of the tube you are knitting without stretching out the stitches. You should do a Google search for "magic loop knitting" there are many sites and many videos that explain the whole thing.

Knitting in the round on a fixed circular means that the circumference of the needle you are using is the same or smaller than the circumference of the project you are making. So for instance traditionally hats have been done on a 16 inch circular needles, which comfortably accommodates all the stitches you'll need to fit most adult head sizes.

These tiny 8 and 9 inch circular needles we're discussing here are a relatively new phenomenon, as the manufacturers have only had the technology to make the cords sturdy, yet thin enough, for about the past 2 or 3 years, and the tips have to be shorter than normal too.


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## grannymumu (Apr 21, 2012)

I have been knitting my Socks on 9" circulars and I think they go so much faster. I use the red lace size 2 and put the instep on a holder while doing the heel and finish the toe on dps.


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## CAS50 (Mar 26, 2012)

I'm using the same needles but I hold mine very near the tip to prevent the stitches from falling off. I'm trying to visualize how you do it. I use my thumb to flip the yarn over the purls and my right hand index finger to flip the yarn over the knits. Hard to explain. I keep the tension with my working yarn on the left, which I believe is continental style.

I thought someone posted a video of how they hold the needles while knitting with a 9" circular. I thought it was Amy, but I can't find it. She said it only takes two finger on each needle, but I'm finding I have a whole bunch of fingers involved.

My left middle finger is getting sore from holding the yarn on the left needle already.

Do you recall something about the video? Is there any way you can take a pic of how you are holding them?



LaLaWa said:


> I use the ones with the 2 inch metal needle tips, and my hands are held pretty far back from the tips. The stitches go all the way around the entire needle, so I am holding them over the stitches. So for the left hand, my thumb is straight, parallel-to and against the needle, and my index finger is mostly straight too. Right now as I look down there are nine live stitches in front of my thumb closer to the needle tip than my thumb is. I advance the stitches with my index finger and then when I run out I move the next batch forward with my thumb and index finger. My right hand holds the needle very far back, at the end of the 2 inch needle where it attaches to the cord. My right thumb is at that crook, and is slightly bent. There are 19 stitches on the right needle in front of where my thumb is right now. My current gauge is 10 stitches per inch, so that makes sense, about 2 inches worth of stitches. Both sides move around of course, as I move new stitches forward and completed stitches back, but in general it's a pretty fluid motion of stitches around the needle without much conscious adjusting necessary.
> 
> So my fingers aren't all cramped up at the points of the needles. I move them back and take advantage of the entire 2 inches of needle on each side, and the stitches slide while under my fingers. I hope that sort of makes sense. I've tried the bamboo needles with the tiny bullet shaped tips, but found them harder to use. So I suggest the metal ones. I hope you'll try it again. It's like magic when you really get going on a length of leg or foot and can speed right through it without anything getting in your way or needing adjustments.


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## amortje (Feb 10, 2013)

LaLaWa said:


> This isn't a pattern, sorry, just a couple helpful hints.
> 
> There aren't many sock patterns written specifically for these small circular needles. But it isn't difficult to convert a pattern written for dpns or magic loop to work on a single small circular. You'll need stitch markers to indicate which "needle" you're on.
> 
> ...


What a great explanation!


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