Learning to Knit with DPNs (Dastardly Prickly Needles!)

Yes, I have finally taken the plunge in my education in the Knotty Arts: I am learning to knit on DPNs - the official abbreviation for Double Pointed Needles, although I have christened mine the Dastardly Prickly Needles because I am finding the whole process frustratingly cumbersome.  Had you been seated beside me on my floral sofa, tea in hand, this weekend, you may have heard me utter phrases including, but not limited to, some of the following: "this is the most cack-handed...OUCH...bastard prickly things...it's like trying to hold a pair of hedgehogs...FIGHTING hedgehogs...OUCH...who invented this ridiculous craft?...WHO?..."  Luckily I had the place to myself, so neither my housemates nor you, my dear readers, had to bear witness to such obscenities.

I know for a fact that many of you (Woolley Waffle and Miss Elle spring to mind, but you are a crafty bunch in general) are highly skilled in this aspect of the Knotty Arts, and are probably chuckling to yourselves and saying "is she crazy?  DPNs are easy peasy lemon squeezy!"  But in fact, what I hope you are saying is "ah, I remember when I first learned, it didn't make any sense to me either, and I kept jabbing myself with the prickly little bastards, too..."

For those of you who are not wise in the ways of the Knotty Arts, here is a summary: DPNs are used for knitting in the round, so you don't have to sew a seam.  They are used for small tubes of knitting, like socks and sleeves.  I had seen it done, and was amazed: knitting with four needles!  At once!  Lunacy, or genius?  Like many a crafty blogger, one of the main reasons I taught myself how to knit was so that I could knit my own socks, but once I realised what the process involved, I promptly decided that it was far too difficult, and that I would simply ignore it, pretend it didn't exist, and simply never knit socks.  Millions don't, I would survive.  Alas, but the crafty gods stepped in and forced my hand!  There I was, happily ploughing through my Owl Jumper, when it became time to start the sleeves:

"Using 6mm DPNs or circular needle (magic loop method), cast on 24 (24, 28, 28, 32, 32) stitches. 

Put marker A and join for working in the round."

"Oh, balls," I thought.  Then I thought, "what the hell's the Magic Loop Method?"  Then I pulled my (embarrassingly not handmade) socks up and said to myself "Eleni, it's about time you learned how to use Double Pointed Needles.  How hard can it be?"  Well, dear readers...it's hard.  No, I shouldn't be so off-putting - learning the knack of Dastardly Prickly Needles is hard.  But then, isn't it always hard learning new skills, and isn't it always worth it in the end?  ("Well, learning to knit on two nice normal needles wasn't that hard..."she grumbles to herself).  Take heart, dear readers: I am rather pleased with the little tubular sleeve which is slowly growing forth from my three Dastardly Prickly Needles, and I think I've thus far managed to avoid the dreaded Ladders (I'm pulling as tight as I can!).  I am very much looking forward to the point where it all suddenly clicks into place in my brain and I stop jabbing myself with needles from every angle, and it all stops feeling like the most ridiculously over-complicated process known to man.  Any time soon...