Chances are, if you’ve read this blog before, you’ve heard of magic loop knitting. It’s a nifty way of using a long-ish circular needle to knit a small-ish circumference item. Now before we go any further, I’m going to level with you. I used to hate the magic loop. Many years ago, I was a knitter who found The Way I liked doing things and stuck with it, and The Way I Liked To Knit Small Circumferences was with two circular needles. I’d given magic loop a cursory try, but it felt awkward and ungainly, with kinks of cable everywhere. So I happily stuck with my totally serviceable but rather expensive habit of knitting small circumferences on two circular needles until one day, I was commuting to work on the bus, and the bamboo tip of one of my circular needles broke. I was faced with two choices: sit the rest of the bus ride without knitting or face my magic loop demons. I’m sure you can guess which one I chose.

And that was it. My forced 20 minutes of magic loop knitting made me realise that I did not, in fact, hate it at all. It’s been my go-to for small circumferences, and beyond, ever since. I love that I only need to find one 80–100cm [32–40in] needle, rather than two, four or five needles, to cast on. I love that I can use the same length needle throughout an entire project’s life, no switching from DPNs* to circulars, or a longer circular needle to a shorter one. I love that, when I show someone else how to use the magic loop, I get to tell them they’re going to make bunny ears with the cable of their circular needle.

Anyway, maybe you haven’t tried the magic loop. Or maybe you tried it, but like me in my BML (before magic loop) era, you tried it, but didn’t like it. Well, today we have not one but two magic loop tutorials for you. Not because you should be using magic loop for every small circumference you knit, but because it’s nice to have the option. You never know when it might come in handy!

So, without further ado, I’ll hand it over to Jen and her Destination Scarf (from MDK Field Guide No. 17 Lopi) to show you the basics of how to get your magic loop going: Magic Loop (YouTube link)

But wait, there’s more! The magic loop, as previously discussed, is pretty great, but sometimes knitters notice a bit of wonkiness at the change between needle tips. The Travelling Magic Loop can help with that! This solves any laddering issues and is also a really handy trick to have up your sleeve if you’re working stranded knitting over a smaller circumference, or a bit of lace. It can be awkward to strand over the point at which the needles change, or to work a yarn over there. (Confident Knitters working on the Evolve Cowl, take note — this could be handy for working the final repeats of the cowl!) Travelling Magic Loop (YouTube link)

Still finding magic loop a little awkward? Maybe it’s your needles! Fresh out of the packet or kinked circular needles can make magic loop tricky … try holding your the cable of your needle over a kettle or boiling pot of water to relax any bends (just mind your hands in the steam!). You could also (à la me on a bus 8 years ago) get your project going using your usual method for small circumferences, then switch to magic loop, thus skipping dealing with magic loop during the unstable cast-on phase. Once you’ve gotten the lay of the magic loop land, I’m willing to bet you’ll feel more confident to cast on using the method!

Give it a go and see what you think. Even if you don’t become a Magic Loop Convert, it’s a great tool to have in your knitterly tool box ... you never know when you might find yourself sat on a bus, with a half finished sock, and only one circular needle to knit with.

*DPNs = Double-pointed needles