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Thread: circular needle advice pls

  1. #1
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    Default circular needle advice pls

    I am considering buying a set of circular needles. Dont want/need top of the range as I already have a few sizes from way back (20+ yrs)
    Can anyone advise what is worth getting these days? The main thing is that they need to be comfortable to use as I knit holding both needles in my hands (continental style?)

    Do I go for metal/stainless steel/wood/bamboo?
    What length is likely to be most useful? 60cm, 80cm? Hoping to make shawls, and maybe jumpers if get into it again

  2. #2
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    Smile

    Wood and bamboo tend to become a wee bit rough after a while, one also has to treat them with care as they can break, especially the finer ones. I ended up replacing the 4.00mm with the Zing range. Not only does each size come in a different colour, but they aren't as noisy as the aluminium circulars I used to use, I also found they are warmer to the touch when using them. I now only use Zing needles.

    It is possible to buy needles that have interchangeable cables. Very useful, except that having to wear a thumb mitten means that the dratted things come apart in the middle of all but very short rows.

    As for the length. I prefer 60cm myself, but the I make a great many baby clothes, or other small items. I do have two pairs of 40cm which I use for sock knitting. Two pairs because I find it easier to knit in rounds using two needles. I did try the very short one made especially for socks, but found it too much of a struggle. I have a couple of 80cm, 120, cm, and an even longer one that I use for shawls.

    Hope I have been some help. ;)

    Roz
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    Always look on the bright side, if you can't find it then polish up the dull side.

    https://rozneedlesandhooks.wordpress.com/ My Blog

  3. #3
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    Thanks Roz.
    I do have a set of straight bamboo needles but when I did a test piece, the yarn I was using seemed to drag on them. I have read that you can (should?) treat them with wax to stop them from drying out but I would be worried about this transferring to the yarn. I cannot use them for the project I would like to do, but it has convinced me that its probably not worth getting bamboo circular needles

    I will investigate the Zing ones you mentioned as that is not a range I have heard of.
    The interchangeable system sounds like a good idea as you need fewer cables, but I suspect that unless they have a clever locking mechanism, they could be prone to coming apart. I move the needles to knit so I suspect that the movement would loosen the join over time. I will have a look to see what the reviews say.
    Its good to know that Zing needles warm up as I understand that this makes it easier to knit comfortably for longer.
    Thank you Roz

  4. #4
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    I got a set of KnitPro interchangeable needles as a freebie with a magazine subscription. I couldn't get on with them as they kept working loose and went back to my old fixed Pony and Milward ones. However, I was in a hurry to get a project finished, so I will give them another go when I've got a bit more time and patience as the actual needles were good to knit with.
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  5. #5
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    Glad I am not the only one CSF. I gave mine to Christine who loves them. They come with a metal widget that is used to tighten them, but I found with the thinner needles I ended up breaking them.

    The Zing needles are made by KnitPro, they also have some called Karbonz, which I bought for mini knitting in the days when I did 1/12th scale stuff. They also do an acrylic needle called Trendz, which I detest as I found them sticky as soon as they warmed up. The other metal ones they sell are called Nova, haven't tried those.

    Roz
    Always look on the bright side, if you can't find it then polish up the dull side.

    https://rozneedlesandhooks.wordpress.com/ My Blog

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