by Silva Payne

Created on: January 24, 2011   Last Updated: January 25, 2011

Circular knitting needles look more confusing than they actually are. Few people learn to knit on circular needles, and often they are only considered when the knitter wants to work on a project in the round. Circular needles have other benefits to knitters however, and learning to knit with them could help you continue knitting when you may otherwise have to give the hobby up.

Circular knitting needles consist of a length of thin plastic tube or wire with a short solid needle point at each end. The needle points are available in the same sizes as conventional needles, and on a circular knitting needle both points will be the same size. The length of plastic wire does not need to be the same width as the knitting needles.

Circular knitting needles are available with plastic wire in a variety of lengths. You should select a length that is not too long for the work you will be knitting. Small items can usually be accommodated with the length of around 60 cm. Heavier or larger knitted pieces may need a 100 cm length of wire.

The needle points of circulat knitting needles are available in several different materials. Just as conventional knitting needles can be found in steel, bamboo or wood, so circular knitting needles are now also available. Using bamboo or wooden needles adds to the lightness of using a circular knitting needle.

You can use circular knitting needles to knit in the round, or to knit conventional flat pieces. It is always a good idea to work a practice piece of knitting first, before you begin your knitting project. This enables you to get a feel for the equipment you are using, and also to knit a tension or gauge square.

A tension square is even more important when using circular knitting needles, as your natural knitting style will be slightly altered by having the shorter needles to handle. Most yarns will have a tension square guide on the ball band. This is usually worked over approximately 40 stitches and gives the number of stitches to 2.5 cm.

You can cast on your stitches directly onto the circular needle, or onto a conventional knitting needle and them pick them up with the circular needle as you begin to work. Hold the circular needles, one in each hand, keeping the wire on the opposite side of the needles to yourself.

When working a flat piece of knitting with circular needles, the process is very much the same as when using conventional knitting needles. Work the required number of stitches from the first row, then swap the

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