I’ve found a pattern for armwarmer I really want to do. It calls for 8 1/2" long size 6 circular needles.
Does such a needle exist? I’ve spent hours looking online and have searched every lys in my area. The shortest I have found is 16" length.
If this size doesn’t exist, can I use dpns instead? Or would it be easier to translate the pattern for straight needles?
I guess you could if you searched every where for it, unless you think it’ll mess up the look or something
-thank me if i helped
I’ve found that often, the shorter-length circular needles can be difficult to work with.
Try your idea of using double-pointed needles instead. When your work gets down this small, these usually work much better. And now-a-days, they come with 5 needles, so you can even up it to your stitches divided among 4 needles instead of the traditional 3, if it works better.
This is how I’ve handled the situation. Works out just fine, too.
Much more handle-able than too-short circulars.
Dot
I agree, the shorter, 16" circulars are difficult enough to use and can’t imagine using any shorter. My fingers are long anyway and dealing with them makes my hands cramp. I would think using the DPNs would work fine with some pattern/sequence adjustment. Mary
Or, get a long one, 32" or 40" and do Magic Loop. I finally just jumped on that bandwagon and love it! It really is easy once you get going. I had a little snafu making sure my cast on wasn’t twisted, but I got some help and now I love it!
Or use 2 circs, that works okay too.
The very short ones are very difficult to work with. I have a 12". It’s harder mostly because, out of necessity, the needle part is shorter so it will accomodate the shorter cord.
The smallest one I can use comfortably is a 12". Addi makes 12" circs.
Boye makes 8" Balene circs available at Jo-Ann on line but they are REALLY hard to use.
Can you post a link to the Balene 8" circs at joanns? I can’t find them on that site. Thanks!
i just looked all through the boye stuff on joann’s site and couldn’t find them. i know that clover makes them. when i asked about 8" circs at my lys, she make it sound like they had just recently started making them. but when i googled them, some sites said that they were being discontinued. i think they only come in sizes 4, 6, 8, and 10. the needles are one solid piece of plastic and the lady at my lys said that they’re ergonomical. your pinkies rest on the cable as you knit. i’m interested in trying some (they’re only $5 each), but they didn’t have the size my pattern calls for. since then i’ve decided to just do the pattern using magic loop.