Circular Knitting Needles
The name of circular knitting needles doesn’t do 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. There are two main benefits that make circular knitting needles stand out, and one is the above mentioned functional advantage of being able to avoid alternative knitting. A secondary advantage is the possibility to design garments without seams if that is 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 stay on the needles as such thus increasing the comfort level of your hands, by the reduction of the stress otherwise put on the wrists. Circular knitting needles are therefore more advantageous for people who suffer from various joint problems like arthritis or rheumatism for instance.
There are some aspects you should check before buying circular knitting needles. First of all, make 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 important? One thing is for sure, you can get really bothered by the improper 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 needs without the risk of the stitches falling off. Moreover, the circular flexible cord prevents the bothersome protruding inconvenience of classical knitting needles. Therefore, for occasional or permanent knitters, having one or several pairs of circular knitting needles in the house proves pretty inspired when you want to try something new and don’t have the time to go get supplies.
