Revealed Inside. . . The Secret of Knitting Two at Once on One Circular Needle; Works for any Sock Pattern!

As a new sock knitter I was feeling the challange of the "dreaded second sock syndrome", just as the author knew I would. This is a great book, user friendly, clear and fun to read. I am no longer hesitant and am addicted to this method. Great patterns for all levels.

There's actually nothing wrong with this book or the instructions. But you really have to pay attention when knitting this way. I knit while watcing TV in the evenings and I don't want to have to pay strict attention!

Even though I have been knitting for quite awhile, I found this book to be very confusing. I kept trying to follow their step by step directions, but there weren't enough pictures to let me know I was on the right track.
I gave up, ordered the book that shows you how to knit two socks on two circular needles, and have already completed three pairs of socks!

This was a very good basics book on sock knitting with the Magic Loop method on circular needles. Good diagrams and photos. It would have been helpful if the author had categorized the patterns for beginner, intermediate and advanced, but that is rather subjective anyway, so maybe that is why that wasn't done. Patterns are easy to follow for the most part.

I've tried several times to master this great concept but without success.Rather than drive myself crazy,I'll just go back to making one sock at a time. In the meantime I had to go out and purchase a 40 inch #2 circular needle for $16 !! Heaven only knows what I'll ever need that one for. Both the book and the needle will most likely appear in our next yard sale and I'll never warn the purchaser.

A very well authored book. Instructions are clear and teaches the two at a time technique very well. With 60" cable needles this could be used to make several pairs of socks (preferably same size and pattern)with different fibers/colors. Lots of knitting fun!

My review differs somewhat from the others. Yes the book has wonderful photos; and, yes, the binding allows the pages to lie flat; and, yes, the text is clearly written. However, the instructions for knitting 2 socks on 1 circular needle take up only (to be generous) 18 pages out of 143 in the book. I would have preferred many more pages of instructions with larger and clearer photographs (as well as longer and better explanations), sacrificing a few of the sock patterns which one can find in every sock book nowadays. Also, I was extremely disappointed to find that the only explanation and all the patterns are for traditional top-down heel/gusset type socks...with no explanations given on how to work toe-up or short-row heel socks (which was primarily what I was looking for). Thus, although it is a pretty book, it is offers me little new advice (except perhaps a few paragraphs for casting on and managing cables for 2 socks) over what I've already learned from Sarah Hauschka's "The Magic Loop" pamphlet. I am disappointed in this book.

Maybe after I've learned the Magic Loop method and consulted with other knitters and gain another 5 years of knitting experience this pattern will make sense to me.

As it is, I can't make a lick of sense from this one technique the book teaches. After checking reviews here, I thought I had the screwed up first edition with errata, but then I looked up the errata and found that no, it's supposed to the be like this! All hope of clarity dashed.

I'm thinking that maybe the positive reviews are from very experienced sock knitters or people familiar with this technique or something very similar from other sources. I'm heading back to my Twisted Sisters book to practice socks some more and then I'll give this one a shot later after getting some help or something. The book was a gift/trade, so I'm not bitter about losing any money, but I do wish the instructions were much more clear, or else the title of the amended to address to advanced magic loop knitters.

I'm not a beginning knitter at all so it seems like I should be able to understand. I hope publisher, editor and author find this review helpful as well, because it's a beautiful book and if the author puts out another with better instructions I'd love to buy it.

Second sock syndrome (SSS) is a terrible affliction upon the knitting community -- by the time you finish one beautifully shaped and fitted sock, you're tired of the pattern, the yarn, or just making socks (though how could you?). Anyway, knitters have been looking for a way to avoid SSS, and the easiest way is to knit both socks at the same time.

As you can imagine there are various ways around this and Melissa Morgan-Oakes shows us one method using a 40" circular needle to knit two socks at the same time. This books is spiral bound and lays neatly open to the page you're working with. There are lots of pictures of the steps to cast on, divide the cast on stitches for the sock, and start kntting in the round so that the two socks are separate but on the same needle and can be knit equally so you finish the both at the same time. It may look tricky but there are lots of photos and helpful hints -- it really does work.

The book also contains knitting patters for 17 socks. Most some have patterns, some strips (lots of stripes), and lots with cables. These are nice standard socks in various yarns and basic styles. Nothing truly fancy but all of the pattern will knit up into solid socks for cold feet from women, men, to younglings. The pattern stitches all are on charts--at least I didn't see any written out line-by-line and I went through the book 4 times. There's also a informative section on the parts of a sock, which the author (and I) believe make it easier to figure out what you're doing and how it all fits together. There are also helpful tips and hints throughout in the patterns.

This is a great beginner sock book. For the experienced sock knitter just looking to learn this technique, it great especially if you learn well from photo with some description. The how-to will show you what you need to know to continue to develop your own patterns.

This is a great book. The instructions are clearly written and the patterns are gorgeous. However, before you attempt to do anything from this book, download the errata from the publisher, Storey Publishing. This book is chock-a-block with errata, which tells me that the technical editor was asleep at the helm. The number of errors is unacceptable, considering the fact that the author is trying to teach the knitting public a new and different method for knittings socks. I started to knit the "Sailor's Delight" socks in the large pattern only to find that the pattern repeat does not work. After going to the publisher's web site, I found the right number of stitches to cast on for the large size. A great book that I highly recommend, but really poorly edited. Nonetheless, I love the fact that now I can knit both socks together instead of knitting one after the other.

Don't waste your money!!! I bought this on impulse and bitterly regret it. I had dropped in at our local bookstore to pick up my husbands coursebooks that he'd ordered and I happened to see this displayed in the craft section in all of it's glory; I fell in love immediately. A pretty hardcover spiral bound book that I could lay flat was a dream and all of the socks looked so pretty. I knit anywhere & everywhere: in the van, at Church, doctors waiting rooms, etc. I'm always writing out current bits of the pattern I'm working on so I can take just that with me and not an entire book that I either have to keep flipped upside on my page (not good for the book) or keep a bookmark in it if I want consult the pattern; not fun. So I love the concept of the spiral bound book I could lay flat on my lap and consult to my hearts desire. I was especially enamored of the technique. I'm a very busy momma with four energetic offspring, a professional student for a husband (will he ever graduate! LOL) and three lovely felines sharing my busy household. I love to knit (it keeps me sane) and have been doing so for five years now. I have knit loads of socks and while I don't often run into one sock syndrome anymore it still takes a bit of time to complete a pair so if I could knit two at once how awesome would that be? My husband goes through so many! I had heard of the various other techniques besides dpn's but I had never explored them so when I saw this book there I took it as a sign and lovingly carried it home. None of my local shoppes had 40" cable needles so I put in an order at Knit Picks and eagerly awaited it's arrival. I pored over this book in the meantime so thought I had a good understanding of the author's technique when my lovely new needles & wool arrived. I couldn't wait until that evening after the angels were in bed and my husband was occupied with homework to start my first practice pair. Gah! It was a nightmare! Once I actually had needles and yarn in front of me, I could make no sense of it! I called my best friend whom is a knitting queen (compared to her I'll never be more than a competent amateur) for advice only to discover that she too had this book and had ditched it before we met; she couldn't figure it out either! I spent days working on it in my spare time trying to understand the authors directions and turned into a bit of a shrew in the process. I should have just perused the internet in the first place since in the end that's exactly what I spent all my time doing. I like the idea of one big circular needle but it's been tabled for now. Several people in my many knitting groups recommend Knitting Circles Around Socks: Knit Two at a Time on Circular Needles so I'm going to look into that one next. Now, I must admit that I did not know about the errata in this book until I started reading these reviews and I have no idea which version I have because at this moment it's in a box awaiting a move across town and I can't consult it; my husband would throttle me if he catches me unpacking any of our many many boxes of books in an attempt to find just one lone book. :D So I shan't do that. Since I have no idea which version I have, I can't honestly say that it may not work after the errata has been taken care of but I also wish to point out that an author whom allows her book to be printed with so many mistakes certainly is not very professional and doesn't seem to care for her work very much. I'm still not sure I'd put any credence in it after it's been corrected (If my version even needs to be which it may not; it's only been about 3 months since I bought it brand spanking new so it's probably safe to assume I have the "error free" version). I did attempt to make a pair of socks from this book, Croquette, on dpn's. The cuff is really pretty but the sock itself is trash. I know enough about sock construction that I should have had no problems switching between techniques. I thought I made some mistakes but after consulting several knitters in my knitting group they all agree with me that it was the pattern. At least for the Croquette pattern, if you choose to knit it on dpn's, follow the chart for the cuff (it really is so pretty when finished!) but from there construct your own sock. I did so using a Eye of Partridge heel and mirrored decreases on the toe. I would borrow this book from the library before buying it or perhaps pay a very small amount at a used bookstore. It's certainly not worth the amount I paid for it! Especially considering it "may" be full of errors. I salute the knitters who have figured this out; they must be made of sterner stuff than I.

I am extremely disappointed in this book. This book was a gift and unfortunately a waste of money for the giver. My book is a first printing. After reviewing it, some things did not make sense. I went online and found the errata. The photos for 'Knitting a Sample Sock' to learn the technique are the wrong color for the sock referenced and therefore very confusing. Every single pattern in the book requires 4 corrections. There are a total of 100 corrections plus 4 charts that need to be corrected. This makes the book useless unless you have the time and patience to transfer all of the corrections to the book or the ability to print them out and reference back and forth. The author states that the third printing of this book encompasses all of the known errata. I won't be purchasing the third printing of this book only to get what I should have gotten in the first place, which would have been a usable, correct book. One or two mistakes are understandable, but 106 (counting the incorrect photos) is way too many. If you are lucky enough to start with the third printing of this book, it does have nice clear photographs, pretty patterns and an easy to follow layout.

I found the directions in this book incomplete, and, while the color photos are really beautiful, they don't show the step-by-step as much as I needed it to. I had to do outside research to understand the technique she's showing us here. Once I figured that out, I had to figure out how to keep my various strands of yarn from becoming intertwined (which I don't see addressed in this book), especially when you flip the work.

I learned a thing or two from this book, but, I think this book is best suited to experienced sock knitters who know a thing or two about the magic loop method. A beginner will probably not be able to 'read between the lines' in the directions without research from other sources. When I spend my hard-earned money on a book, I don't expect to have to do additional homework to understand what the author is trying to say.

I'm really disappointed in this book. The instructions for this method of knitting two socks at a time only take up a very small part of the book and the rest is patterns. I'm usually able to figure most things out in knitting, but there were not enough instructions or pictures for me to even be able to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. I had to go online to find out what the magic loop method even is because I've only knit socks on dpns. I would not buy this book unless you are already familiar with magic loop because you will probably be as lost as I was if you try to learn anything from this book.

This is a pretty good book for intermediate knitters who want to get in with the magic loop crowd. Morgan-Oakes spends a good 17 pages explaining the magic loop technique. Her instructions aren't overly illuminating (it took me a few solid hours to understand precisely what she was saying each step of the way), but they aren't horrid either. A few more pictures would have helped, but I got by alright.

The patterns, on the other hand, are disappointing. I found 4 out of the 17 patterns worth making. The rest are quite boring, dowdy, and "crafty" looking. I think Morgan-Oakes was trying to offer a variety of patterns (one for the fashionista, one for baby, one for the rugged hiker etc.), but in doing so, she loses any kind of continuity. If your tastes in socks are wide and all encompassing then you will enjoy the patterns in this book. If you are a discriminating knitter, like me, then you will be disappointed and, perhaps, even a little horrified at the "Ragg Hiker" socks, which are nothing if not a throwback to the 90's.

Initially, I was attracted to the book by the socks on the cover (the color, the texture--it just works), but the pattern is actually for a child's foot. That was a bummer. But either way, with Morgan-Oake's book, I achieved what I set out to do--knit two socks on one circular needle. The technique is indispensible for anyone who is a periodic sock or sweater knitter. It gets rid of the second sock/sleeve syndrome nicely.

Final verdict: get it at the library.

My main complaint about this book is its limited scope. It only offers instructions for knitting socks from the cuff down, increasing the likelihood that the knitter will be left with either too much or not enough yarn at the end of the project. The patterns themselves lack versatility, too; the author provides minimal advice on how to modify patterns for a perfect fit for a given set of foot/ankle/leg measurements.

On the plus side, the author does an adequate job of communicating the general technique of knitting two socks at once on one circular needle, as long as the knitter has achieved at least an intermediate skill level. Some of the step-by-step photos are ambiguous in that they sometimes show the cable but not the relative position of the needles, leaving the knitter to muddle through based on trial and error. But to be fair, learning any new knitting technique often involves trial and error, even with the best of instructions.

I see the author has published an additional book devoted to two-at-a-time toe-up socks on one circular needle. (I haven't looked to see if she has also produced individual books on knitting two-at-a-time on 2 circular needles, knitting one at a time on double pointed needles, or any other possible methods for sock knitting.) Instead of dedicating a separate book to each method, the author should consider compiling the various sock-knitting techniques into one book.

Considering the abundance of great tutorials and instructions available online for free (or for a voluntary donation), I would think the author would do everything possible to produce a comprehensive and competitive product. (As another reviewer pointed out, the Silver's Sock Class website is superbly illustrated and includes ample captions to help keep the knitter on track.) As it stands, the book's author seems intent on teaching her readers to knit two socks at a time by selling them two books at a time.

For years I struggled with trying to make socks on DP needles. I'd finish one sock and then say 'forget it' to making the 2nd one. The DP needles were just too annoying to me. I hated working with them. But this way of knitting socks (or anything else for that matter) using a 40" circular needle is WONDERFUL.
My first sock was knitted as a single since I knew I would mess up somewhere and have to redo it.. and I did. But once I figured out what I was doing the 2nd sock was a breeze. Now I can knit both socks at the same time, they will both be the same size and no more losing a DP needle, or having it fall out on a round and dropping stitches, etc. This book is well written and has nice spiral binding so that you can keep on the page you need. There are clear directions and other sock patterns for beginners to advanced.
I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!

As someone who had previously made socks toe up only (one at a time, on magic loop), it's very possible that I was simply overwhelmed by trying too many new things at once. I found nothing that I liked about this technique, and the entire process seemed very unintuitive. Someone who prefers cuff-down socks may take to this like a duck to water. I, however, took to it more like a duck to fire.

Not only do I not enjoy cuff-down construction, I also don't care for the look of the kitchener toe. To me, the socks in the pictures looked more like house shoes than socks. That's the nature of the beast with cuff-down socks, and my opinion is simply my opinion in that arena.

The book is well done as far as its construction (spiral bound), picture quality, and level of detail. There's also a helpful area in the back where she lists the average lengths of most shoe sizes. I did enjoy that part.

Be forewarned that only a short section of this book is dedicated to the technique-- the rest is filled with patterns. Also, there is only one recipe for socks. No instructions for short row heels or toes. It's simply flap and gusset. If that is your preference, then this book may be for you.

I'm currently -successfully-- following a free online tutorial called Silver's Sock Class that has detailed instructions with photos for making toe-up socks, two-at-a-time, on magic loop. This duck has found her water. May you find yours.

My main complaint about this book is its limited scope. It only offers instructions for knitting socks from the cuff down, increasing the likelihood that the knitter will be left with either too much or not enough yarn at the end of the project. The patterns themselves lack versatility, too; the author provides minimal advice on how to modify patterns for a perfect fit for a given set of foot/ankle/leg measurements.

On the plus side, the author does an adequate job of communicating the general technique of knitting two socks at once on one circular needle, as long as the knitter has achieved at least an intermediate skill level. Some of the step-by-step photos are ambiguous in that they sometimes show the cable but not the relative position of the needles, leaving the knitter to muddle through based on trial and error. But to be fair, learning any new knitting technique often involves trial and error, even with the best of instructions.

I see the author has published an additional book devoted to two-at-a-time toe-up socks on one circular needle. (I haven't looked to see if she has also produced individual books on knitting two-at-a-time on 2 circular needles, knitting one at a time on double pointed needles, or any other possible methods for sock knitting.) Instead of dedicating a separate book to each method, the author should consider compiling the various sock-knitting techniques into one book.

Considering the abundance of great tutorials and instructions available online for free (or for a voluntary donation), I would think the author would do everything possible to produce a comprehensive and competitive product. (As another reviewer pointed out, the Silver's Sock Class website is superbly illustrated and includes ample captions to help keep the knitter on track.) As it stands, the book's author seems intent on teaching her readers to knit two socks at a time by selling them two books at a time.

For years I struggled with trying to make socks on DP needles. I'd finish one sock and then say 'forget it' to making the 2nd one. The DP needles were just too annoying to me. I hated working with them. But this way of knitting socks (or anything else for that matter) using a 40" circular needle is WONDERFUL.
My first sock was knitted as a single since I knew I would mess up somewhere and have to redo it.. and I did. But once I figured out what I was doing the 2nd sock was a breeze. Now I can knit both socks at the same time, they will both be the same size and no more losing a DP needle, or having it fall out on a round and dropping stitches, etc. This book is well written and has nice spiral binding so that you can keep on the page you need. There are clear directions and other sock patterns for beginners to advanced.
I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!

As someone who had previously made socks toe up only (one at a time, on magic loop), it's very possible that I was simply overwhelmed by trying too many new things at once. I found nothing that I liked about this technique, and the entire process seemed very unintuitive. Someone who prefers cuff-down socks may take to this like a duck to water. I, however, took to it more like a duck to fire.

Not only do I not enjoy cuff-down construction, I also don't care for the look of the kitchener toe. To me, the socks in the pictures looked more like house shoes than socks. That's the nature of the beast with cuff-down socks, and my opinion is simply my opinion in that arena.

The book is well done as far as its construction (spiral bound), picture quality, and level of detail. There's also a helpful area in the back where she lists the average lengths of most shoe sizes. I did enjoy that part.

Be forewarned that only a short section of this book is dedicated to the technique-- the rest is filled with patterns. Also, there is only one recipe for socks. No instructions for short row heels or toes. It's simply flap and gusset. If that is your preference, then this book may be for you.

I'm currently -successfully-- following a free online tutorial called Silver's Sock Class that has detailed instructions with photos for making toe-up socks, two-at-a-time, on magic loop. This duck has found her water. May you find yours.

After trying to do this technique numerous times it makes me wonder why anyone would think that knitting socks with dpn's is difficult. Sure, I guess that getting both socks done at the same time is great but dealing with tangled yarn, cast-on stitches that want to do their own thing and circular needles (and yes, I bought the Addi's #4, 40" needles as per her suggestion and soaked them to get the kink out) that want to twist and shout the dpn's are positively tame. I know it is probably just fumbled fingered me and the book is just great and it is not her fault that I'm challenged. I will try to do one sock on a circular but if that does not work than it is back to my trusty dpn's. That being said, however, I do have the same problem with the book that many other people have mentioned-too many patterns, not enough instruction. I can get patterns anywhere.

After following this book to knit my first pair of socks, I discovered what had to be mistakes and went in search of the publisher's sheet of corrections meant for the purchasers of this book. These are corrections the publisher and author intend for the buyers of the book to write into the book by hand that weren't made before the book was published.

There are universal corrections that need to be made to every single pattern in the book. They are written once at the beginning of the correction sheet and are not repeated on the page-by-page corrections.

The basic Two at a Time how-to technique section at the front of the book is loaded with flaws.

Then, each and every pattern needs some correction or other.
My advice is to wait for subsequent editions where all photos, captions, and knitting instructions have been corrected in print.

What is worse, the author uses terms she invented that are not a part of the normal knitting lingo and are undefined by her in the book.
Good luck figuring out what an even row means to this author! Hint: It doesn't mean "even numbered rows" as you might first believe.

Sign me one unhappy book purchaser.

Buyer beware! I'm an experienced knitter, and I have tried and tried to figure this out, but the instructions must leave out steps that might make this technique possible. During my last attempt I spent an hour carefully getting the first sock and a half on the needles, making sure I did everything exactly as described, then couldn't get the last half of the second sock in position to knit and there was no way to figure it out from the pictures or the words. Nice idea, but I think you have to get this technique in person. Also, there are no men's sock patterns that use larger than size 1 needles.

I'm not thrilled with the actual patterns, but this technique can be used with any guage and pattern. It really works! No more double points,unless you make a mistake on one sock and need to rip. Then you can take it off onto double points and return it to it's mate on the single needle when it's fixed. You don't have to rip both socks. I HATE second sock syndrome, and now that's gone. Sweet!

I received this book as a Christmas gift (from my kids, who know my passion for knitting)with great anticipation of knitting "2 socks at a time". I am a sock knitter and know how to knit " one sock at a time" on DPN's and even on 2 circular needles. What a great concept! Finally... knitting both socks at the same time so, you have the pair finished when you are done knitting. Like most of my friends that knit, we find that it's a real struggle to finish the " other " sock. Mostly my "other socks" are still sitting in the yarn bag and I move on to other projects.
My struggle was(is- as I'm still trying) that I could NOT sucessfully get TWO socks cast on one 40" needle, divided, joined and the first round knit. I was able to get ONE sock cast on , divided, joined, and the first round knit. I tried for over 3 days, to get the other sock started after the cast on. I divided the stitches for the second sock just fine- that was where it all went frustratingly wrong. I even tried using DPN's to join and just got a really big tangled mess.
As Melissa states "What a tangled WEB..Sorry, I am just not happy with this book.

This technique for knitting socks is wonderful, but it does have its downsides. You have to purchase 40" long circulars, the progress will be a lot slower, and the yarn tangles quite a bit. But the best part of using this technique is that you will have both socks done at the same time. No more second sock syndrome. Additionally, you won't be constantly losing double pointed needles and there will be far fewer ladders in the finished sock.

As for the book, it is a complete waste of money. It does clearly demonstrate how to complete a sock using one circular, but that only takes up a very small portion of the book. It also does not contain instructions for toe-up socks, which is the preferred method for most magic loop sock knitters. There are numerous tutorials on the web that explain this technique beautifully. It is absolutely unnecessary to purchase an entire book for one technique. Just do a google search and don't waste your money!