I really wish someone had told me this when I started knitting...

[shortylam]

Tiffany: I'm following your footstep in the incentive part too. I need to loose some weight and Options set may be a very good catch. Thanks for the idea

[Kermit]

I've only learned to knit about 5 projects ago, but I moved to circulars after trying to learn on straights and failing to learn; so my first finished project was on circular needles.

 

Now I'm trying to avoid purchasing double pointed needles. Given that, I'll probably invest in another set of circular needles and knit using two sets of circulars instead of dpns.

 

It may seem like a big investment, but at the end of the day, it was the most economical, and the most versatile for projects. The loop takes some time to get used to: they're stiff at first, but they do become more pliable.

 

I have to give three cheers to circular needles.

 

Hip Hip Hooray!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Hip Hip Hooray!

[robynbird]

I'll join that cheer! Hip hip hooray!

 

I did knit a sock on DPNs but found that I much prefer the 2 circs method. Before the Options came out, I found a great seller on eBay who was selling Addi Turbos super cheap and stocked up (I could get 3 for the price of 1 in the store).

 

Tiffany - that's a great incentive!

[lindamry]

Well, I've got the cast on and the knit down pat. I just cant seem to grasp the purling part. I can do it maybe a couple of times and then I dont know WHAT happens.

 

I'm also having a problem with dropped stitches. How do I correct this?

 

....not to mention i'm having a terrible time with my yarn being strangled on the kneedle and I cant get the other needle into the stitch because its so darn tight.! I guess I'm too tense.

 

I've never tried circular needles and I dont have any. I guess I need to get some and try on those to see if I have any better luck.

 

Krystal

 

I had a hard time getting the purl stitch, too. The Sally Melville book on the Purl stitch really helped me. Amazon link.

 

What kind of needles are you using? If you are using aluminum you might want to consider trying a pair of bamboo needles. The yarn doesn't slide off them quite as easily so you may drop stitches a bit less.

 

Your tension should loosen up a bit as you get more comfortable knitting.

 

Good luck!

Linda Y

[sakurasaku]

I'm glad people mentioned liking Knitpicks' Options. I've been eyeing them and wondering if they are good. I guess I'd better start saving money to buy the set!

 

Even the expert had a "funny" way of doing her purl stitch because she wound the yarn over the needle in the "wrong" direction then she needed to knit into the back of the stitches on the next row to untwist them.

 

She might have been a "combination knitter". Annie Modesitt does it (see how she purls here). I tried it recently and found that it greatly helped my tension. The stitches came out very even. But the purled stitches sit differently on the needle, so you have to be careful in the next row.

[fuzzy ferret]

Linda...I'm using a pair of Boye Knitting needles I picked up at Hobby Lobby. Just the regular aluminum ones. I dont like them much thats for sure. I may break down and buy the Options set everyones talking about from KnitPicks.

 

And also, I'm thinking about giving the circular needles a try too and see what that does for me.

 

Krystal

 

 

I had a hard time getting the purl stitch, too. The Sally Melville book on the Purl stitch really helped me. Amazon link.

 

What kind of needles are you using? If you are using aluminum you might want to consider trying a pair of bamboo needles. The yarn doesn't slide off them quite as easily so you may drop stitches a bit less.

 

Your tension should loosen up a bit as you get more comfortable knitting.

 

Good luck!

Linda Y

[Crocus58]

I'm with KnicKnac - the circulars make me crazy! I'll do a row or two on them then it's back to my regular ones.

[DesertCrocheter]

My friend S just started knitting about 2 months ago. Bought herself SnB and is working her way through it. Well, she went to the LYS and they told her wooden and circular needles are the way to go, so she bought a couple of each. We were talking abut my mom's complete needle set that Mom gave me two years ago, and she decided to ask her great-aunt for her set, since her great-aunt can no longer knit because of arthritis. Turns out it's a set of, you guessed it, aluminum, straight needles. S gives them a try and low and behold, she loves them!! No yarn snagging on the join between the circulars and the plastic, and enough of a needle to grip. I laughed my tuchus off!

 

The moral of the story is to give them all a try, decide what works best for you, and you enjoy, and not listen to what anyone else may say. She feels guilty for not liking the others. Who cares, asks I? If you like 'em, that's all that matters.

 

Patty

[JulieKay]

Well it looks like an even number like each kind of needles, but I tend to lean in the circular direction myself . They seem so much easier to keep under control . The straights seem too long and get in the way , where the circular are so short and easy to navigate .

I guess different strokes, as they say. Everyone has the choice to use whichever fits them best .

[tahlara]

I use both straight and circular needles for different reasons. I find that the straight ones is good for anything that can lay flat and firm, such as dishcloths or squares. I use circular ones most of the time, as it's travel portable (I commute a lot).

 

I recently tried the bamboo ones, nice with cotton yarn. I bought bamboo, so I can carry my projects on the plane. I still adore my Turbo needles, something about the stitches flying by smoothly.

[ldyer1]

I bought the Boye when I decided to learn to knit with a 50% off coupon at michaels. The lady at the register squealed and jumped up and down at my good use of coupon! LOL She said that everyone was buying one skein of yarn or so. I love them because I get twisted up in straight needles and hit everything in sight. I do wish that the end pieces were heavier so they wouldn't get in the way so much. I think I am going to try to add a penny to each to see if that helps.

 

Now...to learn to purl in the same tension as my knit

[LavenderBear]

Hello! I am one who likes the circular needles best! I have a set of the Knit Picks Options, but they often come apart as I'm knitting, which is quite frustrating! When I went on vacation to Arizona a couple of months back, I picked up a pair of Skacel Addi Naturas (circulars with bamboo) and LOVE them! I have since picked up a pair of Skacel Addi Turbos (circulars with metal) and like those as well! With both of these they do not come apart, don't give me hassles when turning my work, and are easy on my hands! I wish they sold them in sets, but I haven't found them that way YET! So . . . I vote for circulars, and I especially like the bamboo ones!

[Mermaiden]

Thanks for the advice! I am definitely not going to go nuts on buying needles until I get a good feel for both types to see what works for me. Maybe those crazy interchangeable sets are worth it after all.

Especially when Hobby Lobby puts their implements on sale, or have a 40% off coupon.... Oh dear, they have one this week....

 

I love bamboo needles. I can't stand the plastic ones, and the metal one just seem to feel like I don't have enough control over the stitches. The bamboo are perfect for me.

 

I was wondering, especially with the smaller needles, don't they feel a lot more frail than metal? With crochet hooks this doesn't seem to happen but I used a friend's bamboo knitting needles and we both were a little nervous about them.