How To Use Circular Knitting Needles

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 1:50 pm

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The name of circular knitting needles does not accomplish complete justice to the concept since they are shorter needles bound together by a strand of nylon cord. If with classic needles you have to stop at the end of every row and turn the work around, circular knitting needles have the advantage of letting one work round and round until you finish the item or need to change the yarn.

The two most important benefits in which make circular knitting needles stand out, and one is the above mentioned functional advantage of having the ability to avoid alternative knitting. A secondary advantage will be the possibility to design garments without seams if that’s what you wish for.

If with classical needles, the weight of the work is distributed on the surface of the needles, in the case of the circular knitting needles it rests on the nylon cord and therefore in the knitter’s lap. Only part of the working stitches will remain on the needles as such thus increasing the comfort level of your hands, through the lowering of the stress usually put on the wrists. Circular knitting needles are thus more advantageous for people who are afflicted by different joint problems like arthritis or rheumatism for instance.

Usually there are some aspects you must check before buying circular knitting needles. For a start, be sure that the length of the nylon cord matches your purpose; you can find items with a cord of up to forty inches long that is excellent for more ample garment knitting. If you are only making a small child’s pullover, then, the circular knitting needles don’t have to be longer than twelve inches.

Why is size so crucial? One thing is for sure, you can get really bothered by the wrong size of the cord. And last but not least, when it comes to the cord length aspect, you should also know that the size of the needles is shorter for smaller cords too.

Last but not least, circular work needles allow one to carry the work on the train, on the plane or anywhere else one desires without the risk of the stitches falling off. What is more, the circular flexible cord avoids the bothersome protruding inconvenience of classical knitting needles.

That is why, for occasional or permanent knitters, having one or several pairs of circular knitting needles at home proves pretty inspired when you wish to try something new and do not have the time to go pick up supplies.

For more FREE information on knitting visit Knitting Tips.