Circular Needles

Circular knitting needles, often just called circulars, are two short knitting needles joined by a flexible cable. You can knit hats and jumpers in the round without seams, as well as large flat pieces such as blankets, where the weight of the knitting rests on the cable rather than your wrists. The range includes fixed circular needles from 40 to 100 cm long and from 2.5 to 15 mm in diameter, plus a PRYM set with interchangeable tips. Choose according to the circumference of your project, the yarn thickness and the material of the tips.

What cable length suits a hat, jumper or blanket?

When knitting in the round, the total needle length must be shorter than the circumference of your project, otherwise the stitches stretch. Use 40 cm for an adult hat and 60 to 80 cm for the body of a jumper. Spread a blanket or a wide piece knitted back and forth across 100 cm so the stitches aren't crowded onto the cable.

A long cable of 80 cm or more also lets you use the magic loop technique. You pull the cable out into a loop halfway through the stitches, allowing you to knit a small circumference, such as a sleeve, on a single circular needle. For socks, the traditional choice is double-pointed needles.

Fixed circular needles or a set with interchangeable tips?

Fixed circular needles have permanently joined tips and cable, so nothing comes loose even when you pull stitches over the join. The PRYM Natural set has wooden tips in seven diameters from 4 to 10 mm, and the matching PRYM cables come in lengths of 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 and 150 cm. One set can therefore replace several pairs of fixed needles if you knit often and use yarns of different thicknesses.

Bamboo, aluminium or brass?

Bamboo and wooden tips feel warm to the touch and grip the yarn. They suit smooth cotton and beginners whose stitches slip off the needle. Metal tips let stitches slide faster: aluminium Milward and Pony needles and silver-coloured brass PRYM needles are useful with wool or mohair that tends to drag on the needle. Lightweight plastic PRYM Ergonomics needles come in diameters from 3 to 4 mm, while aluminium Milward needles go up to 15 mm for bulky yarn.

The pattern and a tension swatch will tell you the right diameter. If you have more stitches over 10 cm than the pattern specifies, use thicker needles; if you have fewer, use thinner ones. You'll find straight needles and other tools in the knitting needles category.