Customer Reviews

2-at-a-Time Socks: Revealed Inside. . . The Secret of Knitting Two at Once on One Circular Needle Works for any Sock Pattern!

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

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.

I've been hearing about knitting socks 2-at-a-time for a while now, but no description ever quite got the concept across to me. This clear, beautifully photographed book FINALLY got the idea through my head and into my fingers. My family will be so happy that I won't abandon sock designs after only knitting the first one anymore. The instructions alone are worth the price, but the included patterns are an incredible bonus. I'll be knitting socks out of this book for a long, long time to come (and all the pairs will be finished at the same time and they'll MATCH, hallelujah!).

What a concept! The technique works well with mittens, gloves and the new rage of fingerless mitts. It allows the crafter to create identical items without the tedium of counting rows and endless measuring.

The format of the book is perfect for a knitter as the internal spine allows the book to lie flat for easy following of the pattern. The photos are clear and with the technical shots and well written text the technique is easy to master.

As always Melissa's patterns are distinctive, perfectly written and easy to follow. This book should be in every knitters reference library.

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've gotten this book in hope i will improve my 2-on-1 circular technique. the way i knit now request transfering 1/4th of the stitches on the holder and back at one point, and it annoys me. Melissa has a very good technique, and i especially love her cast on, I went mad with all the complicated cast ons where you first have to put a half of the stitches on, and then stitches for the other sock and so on. But what annoys me a bit is the fact that one heel is 1 row shorter than the other in order to avoid transfering stitches. i just can't force myself to do that, my heels, and the rest of the sock have to be perfectly symetrical. other than that, i love her technique, but i really see no way how to add that extra row on the heel without messing everything up, or not having a nice cast on. i love all patterns in the book, and i'm definetly going to knit all of them (or at least more than half), and i'm very happy i've gotten this book. Thank you, Melissa, for writing it.

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!

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.

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!

I, too, am a hands on person who has struggled for knitting success via books. But, socks? Forget it. I'd be bored after finishing one on DPNs, which is only good for people with one foot. Until now. This book was super helpful for me in managing the two sock on one circular needle technique. Now I'm knitting both socks at once so finishing the second one is no longer an issue. Is it THE perfect sock book? No. I would have liked fewer "stock" patterns and more techniques as mentioned by others: toe-up, short row and variations on the tube sock (in case you don't know what size foot you're knitting for). However, I'm very pleased overall with the purchase and would recommend it. It was worth the price just to get the technical instructions for the "how to". The spiral binding is great for balancing flat in a lap or over a chair arm, as well as "normal" surfaces. I would also like to recommend the circular needles available at [...] The needles are beautiful, well made, reasonably priced and the cable is very flexible, which is crucial for this technique. Sock needles come in 40" and 47" inch lengths. I use the 47" for my sock knitting and have had no problem from the start.

I bought this book knowing I did not have the patience to knit a pair of anything one at a time. I had never knit a sock before. I also had never used circular needles before. I began, as suggested, with the baby sized socks to get a feel for the concept. It went very well although I did find one printing error which I communicated to the author who said she would notify her publisher...pg 27, shaping the toe reads, "on sock B, ssk, knit to the last three stitches of sock B, K2tog, K1. On sock A, K1, ssk, knit to the last three stitches of sock A, K2tog, K1." It should read, "on sock B, K1, ssk," etc. I'm on my third pair of socks. This is a really good book on how to learn a very, cool skill...we all can use a pair of socks!