Knitters, come in

[partyhat]

I knit. Occasionally, I'm no knit master or anything. DPK are easy to get used to, but you might want to get some of those guards to go on the end of the needle so your stitches don't slip off.

[gnomesweetgnome]

I don't find them that hard - casting on/joining the first time was hard, but after that it's pretty easy. Look up some videos on YouTube to help get you started, especially if you're a visual learner.

[charlatti]

They're fiddly to get started. I like to move a stitch as I'm going around to prevent ladders -- so I'll work Needle A onto my spare, and then also work one stitch from Needle B. That means I have to use stitch markers so I don't get totally lost, but it stops the laddering.

(Creepy Lurker signing off)

[gnomesweetgnome]

(also, if you bring them to the DFW GTG on Sunday I can help you out in person.)

[Awkward]

Ditto that it can be hard to get started. Depending on that size needle you're working with, I like bamboo ones, but it's a personal choice.

I made some awesome fingerless gloves a few years ago. I keep trying to make socks, but I make one and then lose interest, lol. Both are definitely doable even if you're not an advanced knitter.

[Deleted]

Oct 19, 2012 14:32:41 GMT -5 letsgetweird said:

Oct 19, 2012 14:31:01 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

I just find them cumbersome. You have to keep the stitches tight or you end up with little "ladders" at the edges. And it's hard to pick up and put down.

Oh dear. I'm a shitty knitter as it is.

LHC, try spiraling your knit. When you finish knitting off the first needle, knit the first two stitches from the second needle onto your working needle. Then switch to a new working needle and knit the rest on the second needle and the first two stitches from the third needle. Repeat that for the whole knit and you won't end up with laddering. It just means you need a stitch marker to indicate the start of round, but that's NBD.

As far as picking it up and putting it down, I just keep mine in project bags. One the project gets longer, I wrap the finished work in a bundle around the needles. I tote socks around in my purse all the time and rarely end up dropping any stitches.

[gnomesweetgnome]

Oct 19, 2012 14:43:55 GMT -5 letsgetweird said:

Oct 19, 2012 14:37:02 GMT -5 gnomesweetgnome said:

(also, if you bring them to the DFW GTG on Sunday I can help you out in person.)

I don't think I'll be able to make it. Bummer. We should have a knitting g2g!

I'm sending you a PM!

[Deleted]

Try these for putting down and storing projects in progress on dpns. I love mine.

www.knitterspride.com/Materialwise-size-Details.asp?id=61

[PinkSquirrel]

DPNs are very slowly growing on me. They can be cumbersome and fiddly at the beginning, but the more I force myself to use them instead of going the magic loop route, the more I find them growing on me.

[winston]

Oct 19, 2012 15:20:22 GMT -5 letsgetweird said:

I give up already

No, you can do it! Give it a shot. Getting started on them is definitely a little difficult when you're just learning, but it's much easier than it looks. And youtube is your best friend to figure them out. They aren't my favourite thing to use, but it's worth it to have the skill under your belt.

[PinkSquirrel]

You can't give up before you try and they're really not hard to use at all, just a little bit of a PITA to get used to

[kaybee85]

Yeah, they kind of suck to start out something. After the first couple of rows, they're fine, but if you let anything twist or get loose you have to start over. Annoying

[ladystardust]

does it HAVE to be double pointed needles or can you use a circular needle? I've found circular needles a lot easier to work with. Most patterns I have done can use either or.

I will say though the best way to approach it is to try to just not think about the needles you aren't currently working with too much. I find it a lot more confusing if I try and manage 4 needles the whole time. The other two generally will just chill until you get to them.

I'm totally self taught and was able to manage, you can too!