Socks, socks, socks
The first time I tried to knit socks, I used a set of five double pointed needles (DPN); I struggled, struggled, struggled some more, cursed, and gave up. I knit for pleasure and all that struggling didn't make sense. A few months later, I ran into a booklet titled Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles and decided to give that a try.
It was night and day. Knitting on two circulars was oh, so easy! I got stuck a couple of times with the pattern and needed a little help from a friend, but that's not because of the technique. I suspect that the book was written for knitters who are already familiar with sock knitting to introduce a new, easier way of doing things, so certain basic things were taken for granted.
I've been knitting socks ever since, using both solid color and self-patterning yarn and love it. Here are some of my socks knitted with a variety of yarns: Jawoll Lang, Regia Patch Antique, Trekking and one I can't remember.
These are knitted with Regia Patch Antique.
And two of these are knitted with Jojoland yarn I bought on eBay. I love the colors, but unlike the other yarns which are specifically for socks and contain about 20% synthetic fiber, these are 100% wool, so they need to be hand washed (sigh) and they pill a lot more. They are warmer, though.
For these, I used a KnitPicks yarn called Essential.
I've tried different kinds and brands of circular needles. Hate plastic, like the look and feel of bamboo, but metal wins hands down for me and my all-time favorites are Addi Turbo, made by German manufacturer Skacel. They come in bamboo and metal and in many lengths, to fit all sorts of projects, from tiny socks to oversized sweaters. The metal ones make your knitting simply glide, which is why I like them. Other people prefer bamboo because they find metal too slippery. It's a matter of personal preference. The brand, though, is a matter of quality. The brands I tried before Addi Turbo – and I admit that I didn't try absolutely everything on the market – sooner or later gave me problems with the flexible part between the needles which tended to stiff and curl in awkward ways. Yes, you can put them in hot water and it makes a difference, but why go to the trouble if you don't have to?