How You Learned Double Pointed Needles?

GrumpyGramma said:

I learned from You Tube videos. Your bag could be done magic loop or another in-the-round method using one or two circulars and use the same needle(s) start to finish I expect. If you share a link to the pattern we could tell you for sure if that's possible.

When I decided to learn to knit in the round I tried dpn and got frustrated; if I'd had bamboo dpn it might have worked out better but mine were aluminum. I learned magic loop instead. I use the same set of needles start to finish on hats and socks - socks I knit toe up, two at a time. I have, since those first attempts, used dpn and will again but my preferred method for small circumference knitting is magic loop. There is also traveling loop which can use a shorter needle than required for magic loop and some people absolutely love using two circs. I like one long circ because when I use dpn I am always and forever dropping and retrieving the empty needle which finds all kinds of ways to hide but circs are leashed and much easier to retrieve. When I use two circs I do fine until I get distracted a bit and use one needle for all the stitches and end up with one empty needle.

Dpn for me has too many moving parts and pointy ends. YMMV as it does for many other knitters. Just find what works for you.

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GrumpyGramma said:

That's why I make a real effort to avoid coming across as what is my best way must be someone else's best way. I got really fed up with a combo knitter telling me to try it when I already had but found I like Norwegian purling. She has her best way and I have mine. Thankfully in knitting there are multiple ways to achieve the same result. I would have pursued using dpn more but I wanted to buy interchangeable needles and figured I could skip the cost of buying dpn. It worked out for me. I recently bought a set of carbonized dpn because they were cheap and with a couple other things I wanted I could have free shipping. I love them! for dropping down stitches to fix mistakes and cable needles. I used them for glove fingers and they were better than other methods for knitting fingers, for me. I still had the find and fetch trouble with the empty needle so my dpn use for in the round will remain limited. I figure knit and let knit and if I don't want to do something the way someone else does then I shouldn't expect someone else to do it my way. Live and let knit! And do enjoy using your dpn!

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