Magic loop: small circles on one long circular

Magic loop is a way of knitting small circumferences in the round (socks, sleeves, mittens, hat crowns) on a single long circular needle, by pulling a loop of cable out at the halfway point and working the stitches in two halves. It does exactly what double-pointed needles do, with only two needle tips in play and nothing to slide off the ends.

What you need

A circular needle with a cable of at least 80 cm (32 in), though many knitters prefer 100 cm (40 in), with as flexible a cable as you can get. Stiff cables fight the loop.

Setting up

1. Cast on and slide all stitches onto the cable. (Tip: many knitters cast on one extra stitch and work it together with the first stitch when joining, for a tighter join, optional but neat.)
2. Find the midpoint of the stitches, fold the cable there, and pull a loop of cable out between the two centre stitches. You now have half the stitches on each side.
3. Slide both halves up onto the needle tips, tips pointing the same way, with the working yarn coming from the back needle.
4. Check for twists: the cast-on edge should run untwisted along the inside of both needles. This is the moment to fix it: after joining, a twist is permanent.

The rhythm

1. Pull the back needle out (passing it under the working yarn) so its stitches rest on the cable. The simplest rule: the needle you pull out is the one the working yarn hangs from.
2. With the freed tip, knit across the front needle's stitches. The first stitch joins the round; snug the yarn after the first stitch or two.
3. When the half is done: pull the cable so the resting stitches ride up onto their tip, rotate the work 180°, and repeat: pull out the new back needle, knit the new front half.

That's the whole dance: knit half, rotate, knit half. Mark the start of the round (the cast-on tail works, or a marker placed one stitch in, since markers at the very needle end fall off).

Stopping ladders

The one flaw of magic loop is laddering: loose columns at the two points where the cable loop exits. Causes and fixes:

• The gap stretches on the first stitch → pinch the gap closed as you work stitch one.
• Cranking the first stitch as hard as possible → counterintuitively also causes ladders, by distorting the neighbouring stitch. Instead, snug the first two stitches moderately.
• A short or stiff cable → longer, more flexible cable.
• The same stitches always at the gaps → shift the division point a stitch or two every few rounds, especially where decreases or purls land at the gap.

Common mistakes

• Joining twisted: check the cast-on edge before the first round; it's unfixable after.
• Pulling the wrong needle out: the working-yarn needle is the one to free.
• Trapping the working yarn inside the cable loop: it should pass under the freed needle, outside the loop.