Boye circular needles

#1

Hello All,

I’m new to knitting and I’m fmailiar with basic knitting and have knitted baby booties , scarves .

I’m knitting a diagonal baby blanket now and it needs 123 sts when it gets to the middle. I’m very comfortable in using straight needles but mine don’t hold that many stitches so I got myself the boye circular needles.

It was hard to cast stitches or the knit stitch on them because I usually rest the straight needles on my tummy and use it to push the needles. I din’t have that grip on the circular ones.

Secondly, The stitches were getting tighter and it was hard to push them from the loop to the needles. Thsi also happens while knitting , it is hard to push the stitches back onto the needle.

Did anyone experience this problem?

I knitted the stitches back on my straight one( from Boye too) and I can work faster.

Do they sell xtra long straight needles enough to cast 100-200 stitches?

#2

It could be the Boyes. There are other, smoother circular needles available where the join is more gradual. KnitPicks has some good ones at reasonable prices.

I don’t know of any super-long straights. They would get very heavy on the ends, I imagine.

I’ve heard of people having trouble converting to circs because they prop the needle as you do, but with time you get used to them.

#3

Thanks Ingrid,

Is there any other workaround other than circular needles…

Is size 8 on straight ones equivalent to size 8 on ciruclar, It looks thinner to me. would it help If I use size 10 circular ones?

#4

Have you tried rubbing waxed paper over the needles? This helps them to slide the stiches more easily and it does not damage the yarn. Circs were hard for me at first but keep practicing. After a while most people prefer them. especially if you have carpal tunnel like me. Good luck either way.

#5

8’s are 8’s. Going up a size will just change the size of your stitches.

Since you’re working a diagonal blanket, you’ll start to decrease and can go back to your straights.

#6

You may knit tightly so while the sts are on the needle part the yarn is stretched out a little, then relaxes when the sts move to the cord, so then they’re a little tight to get back up on the other needle. Relax a little, don’t pull on your yarn after you make a stitch and that should help.

Also, you may need to straighten out the circs so they don’t coil up so much, which may help. Dip the cords into very hot water a minute, then hold them out straight as they cool. You may want to do this a couple times, then let them hang a while. After some use the weight of the knitting should let them straighten out a lot.

#7

Thanks for all the replies. I bought another pair of circular needles by susan bates. I’ll try that out and see if it is easier.

:muah:

#8

I had the same trouble you did with the Boye circs. Also the cables are not very flexible. I had a needlemaster kit and it just sits in a drawer collecting dust. The Bates ones are better but I finally invested in the Knit Picks nickel options and LOVE them. I never use anything else.

Happy Knitting!

#9

The Boye fixed circs seem to be somewhat more flexible than the Needlemaster cords. I don’t do a lot of ML, so they work fine for me.

#10

Bambi if your needle masters are sitting in a drawer there is a group over at Ravelry of Boye lovers and you may find someone who would like to buy you set.

Needlemasters were my first set of interchangeable. I agree the cables are bad, so I started making my own cables with weed trimmer cores. They are much better now.

My preference now is HiyaHiya’s because they have a set with 4 inch long needles. They work better with socks and other small items.

#11

I like KPs nickel-plated and the uber $$$ AddiClicks.

eta: those are the only ones I’ve tried…

#12

Cancunn, how in the world do you make cords from the weed whacker? How do you get them to stay in place?

#13

Update from me:

Susan bates needles are working wonderfully for me. I know understand what people meant when they said they never go back to straight needles. I’m not a convert :cheering:

Thanks for the replies. :grphug:

#14

Basically I take a 2-56 machine screw, cut the head off the screw and thread it into a small piece of the plastic tube from a ball point pen refill. I then insert the screw into a power drill, spin the plastic tube with the drill as I sand plastic tube into a nice taper. Once it has a nice tapered join shape I glue the weed whacker cord into the tube.

This picture show connecting weed whacker to an original Needlemaster cable end. I have since then changed to 2-56 machine screws. This shortens the connection between the needle head and cable.

There is a thread over at Raverly that goes into detail

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-operation-room/1170867/1-25#7

If you have a Ravelry account.

#15

I’m a new knitter myself. I have three sets of needles. A Boye 14" Size 8 US set, a 10" bamboo Size 8 US set, and a Boye 29" circular Size 9 US set.

The transition I had from the straights to the circulars was easier than I thought and relieves so much pressure on my hands and wrists. I’ve also gotten faster using the circulars than with the straights. My next needle set will be the Knit Picks Nickel-Plated Options Interchangeables. (Sorry Boye!)

As for me, I’ve had no trouble with casting on stitches. It may just take some getting used to.

Also, I noticed that with the straights I would knit tightly, with the circulars it’s not much of an issue anymore, which makes me really happy.

#16

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I guess they don’t stay in place and that is why he knits in public so much! He’s chasing his needles around the yard. Just mind the kilt doesn’t catch a breeze. :roflhard:

But seriously, I like my Boye fixed circulars (29" size 8). I would like them better if the cord was more flexible. They are particularly a joy to use after using Susan Bates Silverados (more bluntty) with a splitty yarn. I have to check out the details over on Ravelry. Thanks, Cancunn, for the pictures and instructions!
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#17

But I don’t have any yarn cakes with loose end hanging out all over the place.

#18

I bookmarked the Ravelry link and will have to study it! Thanks for the info.

#19

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KayA, might you be knitting at the tips of the Boye needles? As I was considering what I like (and dislike) about Boye I though about the taper of the point and the length of the needle and the shape of the join to the cord of the circular.
:think:
If you are knitting tight on the Boye but not on your straight needles it might be that you are knitting closer to the tip on the boye circ’s? They have a longer taper from the point.

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#20

It’s also possible she’s wrapping her yarn ‘backwards’ which can make for tighter stitches since they’re twisted.