Question for Knitters Regarding Needles

[Shay]

So, I'm not sure how many knitters we have on this forum, and maybe this question would be better suited for an online knitting community, but I don't belong to one of those, so it's just easier to ask here for now on the off chance that maybe a handful of people on here knit.

I'm having a bit of a dilemma regarding knitting needles. I really haven't been knitting that long relatively speaking. I'm sure it's been more than a year and a half, but less than two years. A lot of times I tend to get carried away when it comes to hobbies and spend a bunch of money on supplies related to said hobby, and then it doesn't always pan out into a long term thing, and then it ends up being a lot of money down the drain. Although this hobby has lasted longer than other hobbies I've wasted money on, I guess it's still too soon to tell which way knitting is going to go for me yet, despite the fact that I have a lot of projects in mind that I'd like to do. I'm getting that urge again, though, to spend a ton of money on this hobby, primarily in the form of knitting needles.

Right now I have a pretty nice set of Nova Platina interchangable circular needles in quite a few sizes that technically speaking should meet most of my foreseeable knitting needs since you can use them to knit both flat and in the round. I bought this set of needles because the project I'm working on, and at least one future planned project, are far too big for regular needles. However, for projects that are small enough that I can use regular straight needles, I think I'd be more comfortable using them.

I only really have one size of single pointed straight needles, and they're hand me downs that are old, worn out, and slightly bent. So I want to get new ones, and I'd like to have a bunch of different sizes like I do for the interchangable circular needles. I'd also like to stick to the same brand since I really love how my circular needles feel.

Then my sister suggested getting double pointed needles instead because you can convert them into single pointed needles by putting a point protector on one end and essentially have two types of needles in one. This led to a whole list of pros and cons between single pointed and double pointed needles and me needing advice on what decision to make.

Honestly, I'm not sure I ever see myself making the sort of things that you typically make with double pointed needles such as socks, hats, and gloves. It's always possible that I could change my mind in the future, but I think most of that stuff can be made with circular needles, too. I'm just not sure if it would be more cumbersome or not. I guess getting the double pointed needles would be more of a just in case sort of thing, but I'm just really not sure I see myself needing them except on the off chance that I needed needles below size 0 because I've only ever seen those as double pointed needles, and I'd have to get needles that small from a different brand, anyway.

I guess the only pro I really see for double pointed needles is that they'd be more versatile than single pointed needles, but they definitely have some cons. There's always the possibility for the point protectors to come off(I've had a lot of issues with that with my circular needles, but I might be using the wrong size protector), and with double pointed needles, that means double the chance that the stitches could slip off of either end. The longest double pointed needles are two inches shorter than the single pointed needles I'm looking at. For this brand, double pointed needles only come in 16 sizes and the single pointed needles come in 19 sizes(though, I could simply use my circulars for the largest three sizes). The single pointed needles have a set of 9 out of the 19 sizes bundled together to save money and the longest double pointed needles for this brand don't have any bundled sets at all, which means each size would have to be bought separately, which would end up costing more.

I think I managed to cover all of the pros and cons I thought of there. If you add up the number of pros and cons for each type of knitting needle, the single pointed needles would seem to be the clear winner, but I still feel indecisive due to the fact that double pointed needles could potentially fill a future need that single pointed needles couldn't should I ever decide to do those types of projects. Since I don't have unlimited funds, and it will probably cost a bunch just to buy either single or double pointed needles(since I'd like to eventually acquire all the sizes available if only for completion's sake), I definitely feel the need to pick one or the other.

So I'd really appreciate opinions on whether I should go with the single or double pointed needles. Telling me to suck it up and just use my circulars for everything is also a valid answer, but an answer I probably won't like.

My sister doesn't understand why I feel pressured to buy more knitting needles in the near future and said I should just buy what I need whenever I need it. Of course that sounds like the logical thing to do, especially since I have to be somewhat careful with my money and I'm really trying not to go overboard with this. The reason I feel pressured to buy a new line of knitting needles is actually rather silly. You see, I recently bought a really beautiful custom case for my circular needles on Etsy in Tardis pattern fabric that matches a custom knitting bag that I'd previously bought from another seller. I'd really like to order another needle case in the same fabric for whichever new needles I end up getting, and I'm afraid that if I wait too long, then the seller will run out of that fabric with the possibility of not being able to get more. I suppose I have the option of ordering the needle case before I actually buy the needles and then I can gradually acquire the various needle sizes in the future as I need them, but that still requires me to know exactly which needles I plan on eventually getting so the seller can make the case to the right size.

As a side note, I'd also like to get into crochet eventually, if only because it can be useful for adding borders to knitted projects, but I might take on some projects that are all crochet, too. I have a pretty good idea of which crochet hooks I'd eventually like to get, so I might ask the seller to make the case big enough to accommodate both the crochet hooks and whatever knitting needles I end up getting so I'll only have two cases to worry about instead of three.

I realize that wanting a pretty case that matches what I already have isn't the best reason to want to make a decision about what needles I'll be using for a long time to come, and that it's likely fueled by the OCD tendencies that accompany my Asperger's, but I just know that it will probably bug me a lot if the cases don't match.

Ugh, I'm really sorry this ended up being so long, but if you made it to the end, thank you in advance for any opinions on this matter.

[Dusty15]

I'm sure you know this, but you mostly use double points for the same sort of things that circulars are used for. There's a method called "magic loop" that allows you to knit smaller circumference projects on circulars, thus negating the need for DPNs (double point needles) if you already have a large kit of circulars with interchangeable sizes. I personally don't know the method, but there's lots of tutorial videos out there. Most of the DPNs I use are for small items like socks and finishing off hats. Again, you can do this all on circulars too if you use the magic loop method or other patterns designed specifically for circulars only.

Because of this, I'd say get the straight needles set and bypass the DPNs. Only because you already have a complete circulars set. The rare DPNs you might need will be sizes 00-3, and you can usually find a small set of these meant for socks. Anything bigger I find isn't too common except for finishing off hats (which you said is unlikely for you anyway).

[Shay]

Thanks very much for your input. Yeah, I'm aware that most things you use double pointed needles for can be done with circulars. I'm just not sure if it's harder or more awkward/cumbersome to do it on circulars than double pointed needles considering that the fact that I find circular cables to be a bit cumbersome is the main reason I want a bunch of straight needles for smaller projects. Then again, I've seen family members using 3-4 double pointed needles for a project and that always looked incredibly awkward to me. The only things I have a hard time imagining doing on circulars are the fingers of gloves, but I suppose I can look it up to see if they can be done with the method you mentioned. Honestly, the idea of attempting gloves scares the hell out of me, but a part of me thinks that I should try it someday, only because I have a hell of a time finding gloves that fit me properly due to the proportions of my hands. If they fit me going by finger length, then they are too tight around my hand and if they fit around my hand, then the fingers are usually an inch too long.

As for the really small double pointed needles. I know of at least two brands where I can get them if I need them. Actually my sister has a set that I can borrow if necessary, and I'm actually borrowing her size 0 double pointed needles to test out a belt pattern since my circulars don't go that small. Did you know that the double pointed needles can go as small as size 00000 which is only 1mm? I have a hard time even imagining that given how small the size 0 needles are.

Thanks again for the information. I think I feel a bit more secure in the decision to go with the single pointed needles, but I still welcome input from anyone else who wants to share their opinion.

[Kiwifruit]

I'm an avid knitter and I detest double pointes needles. I use magic loop for anything - it's so much easier on the hands and can be put down and picked up again much easier I think. You can do any size that way, so the fingers of gloves would work, it would just be a bit time consuming sliding the work back and forth

 

I use different cable lengths with interchangeable needles (Knitpro Nova or Zing) depending on what I'm making - if the cable is cumbersome for you, you could try using a shorter one? If it's too stiff, soaking it in boiling water can make it much more flexible. More flexibility is definitely useful when using magic loop.

In the end though, everyone has different preferences - you coued always try getting one set of dpns and giving them a go! Likewise, cast on 20 stitches and try doing a few rounds with the magic loop method to get an idea of how it works and if you like it. There's another method of knitting in the round that some people like where you use two sets of circular needles, but I always found that a pain myself.

[Shay]

Thanks for the reply. That's pretty cool that we have the same brand of interchangeable needles. I'm not sure if the size cable would make a difference. My cables are pretty flexible and much better than the ones that came with my first Boye interchangeable set. Honestly, I probably would have been pretty happy with that first set if it wasn't for the cables that kept coming undone no matter how tightly I screwed them with the key. My current project is huge and I'm using a 60 inch cable with it. The stitches aren't all that tightly packed together, so I could possibly go down a size or two with the cables, but for large projects, I think it will be cumbersome no matter what I do.

Another thing I tried doing for a smaller project that I was working flat, I bought two short 8 inch cables and then attached them separately to each needle with stoppers on the ends to make what amounted to floppy single pointed needles. I found this to be very awkward and didn't enjoy knitting this way at all. Incidentally, one of them fell out of my knitting bag and I stepped on it right where where cable connected to the stopper, and it broke off with the screw inside the stopper. So that was it for that cable and stopper. I'm just glad I didn't break the actual needle as cables/stoppers are much easier to replace. Anyway, it would probably be less cumbersome to just use a longer cable with the needles connected, but I think I'd still prefer no cables for projects that don't need them. That being said, I think the cable would be less cumbersome than the double pointed needles. Obviously, I can't know for sure until I try, so I might do as you suggested and test out the magic loop on my circulars. I'd also be interested in trying the other method, but I kind of hate the idea of having to go out and buy a second set of interchangeable needles. Maybe someday, but not something I'd try anytime soon.

Now I'm finding myself agonizing over crochet hooks. I haven't done crochet since elementary school, but I really want to relearn, and my mother let me borrow her hooks. She mostly has Susan Bates, but there was a lone Boye hook and some plastics of unknown brands mixed in. Metal is my preferred material, so I didn't bother with the plastic ones much, and tried out the Susan Bates and Boye hooks. After going back and forth a few times practicing single crochet, I'm not sure I really prefer one over the other. I found it was easier to get the Susan Bates hook to go into the stitches, but they also seemed to catch and split the yarn more easily than the Boye hook. Also, I think my stitches looked nicer using the Boye hook, but the inconsistency could just be a product of being a beginner. I found that my hands cramped up much more easily crocheting than knitting, though. Family members said that was normal, and my mother dismissed it as being because I was just starting out. I do have chronic pain issues, though, and I'm not sure if it's something that will just go away with practice.

I really want to get some ergonomic hooks with larger handles, and after shopping around a bunch, I'm really leaning towards the Knitter's Pride/KnitPro Aluminium hooks with the black handles. The only thing is I'd like to know the dimensions of these hooks, and all I've been able to find online is the length, but not the diameter of the handles. I tried asking on the forums of the Ravelry site(which I'd been a member of for awhile, but had never used the forum before), and all that happened was I got a lot of people talking about brands other than the one I'm interested in and trying to convince me to buy hooks from various different brands and try them all out. There were specific reasons I ruled out the other brands, though, and I honestly just want to know the dimensions of the hooks I'm interested in given how small my hands are. I'm not sure if you crochet or not, and if you do, you might use completely different hooks, but I thought I'd ask since they're made by the same company as your Nova needles. Also, if by any chance you happen to use their steel hooks with the black handles, I'd be interested in those dimensions, too.

 

[Kiwifruit]

You mentioned you'd seen your family member using dpns - could you ask to borrow a set to try out? Then you don't need to buy any unless you actually like them.

I don't crochet sorry - I've tried to get into it before but I could only make a single chain, going back along it for the next row was too frustrating and fiddly for me. You could always call or email the company that makes the hooks you're interested in - they may be able to help you! 

[Shay]

Yeah, I can definitely ask a family member to borrow some to test them, though I'm not sure I'll be doing that anytime soon. They'll be there when I want to try them, though.

That's alright. Thanks anyway. I did try emailing the company twice through the form on their website. I'm assuming that it went through based on the on screen confirmation message, but I didn't get one of those automated confirmation emails you sometimes get when contacting customer support. Since I've never tried contacting them before, I don't know if that's something they do or not. I haven't heard back from them at all yet, and I did check my spam folder. I'd be more than happy to call them on the phone to ask, but I couldn't find a phone number listed on their website. I tried asking on the Amazon products pages and while I did get a couple of answers from other customers, they seemed rather dubious. I think I'm just going to have to buy one of each hook to know for sure. Everyone keeps telling me that buying the hooks and trying them out is the only way to know for sure if I'll like them. I just really hope that if I do this, I'll end up liking them. I'd hate to spend the money for nothing.