Two Minute Guide to Knitting: Traveling Loop (aka Half Magic Loop) 🧶, by Carrie Craftgeek on YouTube. 1 min 52 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 52 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes to learn
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Pick a circular needle whose cable is at least 80 cm (32 in) long, even for a small stitch count. The extra cable is what makes the loop possible.
Cast on the number of stitches your pattern says, join in the round without twisting, and place a marker at the join.
Knit across the round until roughly 8 to 10 stitches, or about a third of your stitches, are left before the marker.
Pinch the needle where you stopped and pull a loop of the loose cable out between the last stitch you knitted and the next stitch. This takes up the slack.
Slide the remaining stitches up to the tip and knit them to the marker. That completes one round with a single loop.
On the next round, knit 3 to 5 stitches past the spot where you pulled the loop last time, then pull the loop out there instead.
Keep moving the loop a few stitches each round and keep it snug but not tight, so the fabric does not stretch at that point.
Once the piece is wide enough to sit around the cable on its own, stop pulling the loop and knit straight around as normal.
Tips and common mistakes
Move the loop to a new spot every round, or you will build a visible column of loose stitches.
A very tight loop pulls the stitches around it and leaves a distortion you cannot block out later.
Give the first stitch after the join a small tug so the beginning of the round stays neat.
If ladders appear, shift the loop further each round until they stop forming.
Questions
How long does the cable need to be?
At least 80 cm (32 in). A 100 cm (40 in) cable gives you more slack and is easier to manage on very small rounds.
How is this different from magic loop?
Magic loop splits the stitches into two halves with two cable loops. The traveling loop uses one loop that moves around the round, so there are fewer places for ladders to form.
What can I knit with it?
Anything too small to stretch around the cable, such as hat crowns, sock cuffs, mitten thumbs, sleeve cuffs and toy parts.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
