2 at a time socks

[Hildegard_von_Knittin]

Hey sock people!
I want to do 2 socks at a time on 2 circs. At the LYS, I didn't think to ask them to wind the hank into TWO balls, so I just re-wound it into one double-stranded ball when I got home, with the intent of finding the middle and winding 2 balls myself. Then I thought.... do I *need* to wind 2 separate balls? Can I knit from the single double-stranded ball of yarn, making sure to keep the strands separate? Might this cause problems down the road? I thought this might solve the problem of the 2 balls tangling, but I'd rather deal with that that something more major later....

Thoughts?

Mods, do I get a prize for saying balls so many times in one post???

PS... I have a whole day with nothing to do tomorrow, so I want to start soon!

[MCD]

I wouldn't recommend it simply because it would be really easy to get the strands mixed up and knit it to the wrong sock. I think you'll actually get even more/worse tangling - see below- because the yarn isn't being used at the same time (if my experience (shudder) of unwinding the balls into separate balls again serves me correctly) You'll see what I mean when you get going. what I've done to prevent getting the separate balls tangled is put each one in its own separate ziploc bag. when you need to turn the work, I change the bags' position so that the threads don't cross. Eventually you'll figure out that if you turn the work a certain way you'll achieve the same affect every other row.

BTW: I have only wound the two strands together when I was using the two strands at the same time for the same item that I am knitting. I'll never do that again especially if I expect to have left over yarn because it was a nightmare - to put it mildly - to unwind into two separate balls for another project - so much so that I still have a ball that needs to be separated and I can't bring myself to look at it, much less do it! yes it was that bad

[Debbie]

I have not started knitting them yet, but I dyed a Knit Picks sock panel ... and the two strands have been knitted together, so they are really close, like they would be in a ball and stay "together" through the whole process. It does not look like it is going to be a problem ... when you are working on a sock the working yarn is connected only to that sock and the other one is down on the cable of the needles, the two strands are not close together and only one is connected to the sock you are working on ... so ... that was no help .... just theory !!
That said, when I use two balls, I also put them into a zip bag ... until the sock cuff (top down) is big enough, then I tuck each ball into its own sock.

[Mirl56]

I do 2 socks at once all the time, but I've always had 2 separate balls of yarn. I've never knit with a ball wound they way yours is so I don't know what to expect.

I would double check the knitpicks site and any instructions that came w/the blanks about winding and kniting from the blanks. I've only glanced thru the website directions, but I thought you knit right from the blank w/out having to wind it. (Since you've already wound it, that may not be much help.) All you can do is try it out - it may be fine and you have no problem as long as you pull out a length from the ball and knit away.

Make sure to come back and post your finishes - I'd like to see how they come out. The whole process of dying them fascenates me.

[Debbie]

I think I confused things !!! .... I am going to knit the sox right from the panel ... I didn't wind them into a ball. I was comparing that to the yarn being wound together ... as in ... it is sort of like the same thing as two strands in one ball, because the two strands are close "together".

So, my thinking is that it will be OK for Hilde to knit from her one ball wound with two strands together.... and not have to take her one ball and make into two balls because one ball should work just fine instead of going to all the work to make two balls into one ball.

[Hildegard_von_Knittin]

OKay thanks for the insight everyone! I'm going to try it and see what happens... worst-case scenario, I discovered a method that doesn't work, right?

[feministmama]

Mods, do I get a prize for saying balls so many times in one post???

[gingerbread]

I did that one time because I was going to knit with two strands of yarn. When I didn't like the colors I now had this huge ball of yarn. So here I am what to do, I start winding one strand then the other. My husband came into the room and just laughed at me. What are you doing trying to commit yourself. I was ripping my hair out so he sat next to me on the floor and with the two of us we made two balls of yarn out of the one. It was much easier to do with two people. Never will I do that again. So I wish you luck and knit with some nice wine next to you.

[Denise in Michigan]

OKay thanks for the insight everyone! I'm going to try it and see what happens... worst-case scenario, I discovered a method that doesn't work, right?

...and discovering a method that doesn't work is as valuable as discovering one that does! In the interest of scientific inquiry, keep us posted!