I thought with autumn approaching and the winter not far behind, I will sort all my needles and double sizes that I have.
How do you store circular needles…mine look like spagehti noodles in a shoe box… what a mess.
I wish they were marked with sizes and length. When a circular is said to be 40 inches, is it only the cord or the needle included?
frustrated mess.
Hi Ursula,
I have the Knitpick options circular set so I store them in the binder with the plastic sleeves. I’ve marked the sizes on the plastic sleeves. However I do have some Addi Turbos and I store them in their original plast sleeves that they came in to keep the cord contained.
I hope that helps.
Linda
They are measured from needle tip to needle tip. I have sets of 16s, 24s, 32s, 40s and 60s, the sizes are marked on each needle(bamboo), so I keep the different length sizes in separate, closable plastic bags and mark the length on the outside.
Try measuring each needle, tip to tip, and then storing each in a separate zip lock sandwich sized baggie; mark the needle size and length on the outside of the baggie with permanent marker. Then you can store the baggies (in order of size smallest to largest) back into the box. It won’t look like spagetti in the box anymore and will be neat and organized. Good luck!
I use the Knit Picks Options as well so they have their own storage. Here’s a few options for storing loose circular needles.
Some clever ideas to make your own -
http://www.pieknits.com/blog/2007/01/tutorial_new_sew_circular_need.html
http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2008/1/29/whits-knits-circular-needle-organizer.html
http://www.az.com/~andrade/knit/fomisc.html
One you can purchase -
This one is knitted!!
http://www.knitcolor.com/index_files/Page683.html
I "hang"mine over my reading/knitting floor lamp, makes em very accessible and keeps em flexible…
I prefer the shoebox (or a hard plastic one) because the cords don’t get curled up again like they would if I put them in baggies. I generally have no problem remembering which is which size and length, though if I’m not sure, I use the gauger measure.
Everyone had great ideas to store my circular needles.
All one has to do is ask…thank you again…off to get started.
I haven’t counted my circs recently, but I’d estimate I have about 75.
(I know; it’s a sickness.) The collection has outgrown one of those Circular Solution holders, which are great for smaller quantities.
I recently bought a 3-ring binder at Staples with a 3" spine. Really fat. Then I bought a bunch of heavy-duty plastic bags with zip-lock type fasteners. These come 3 to a package and are punched for use in binders. Each size circ, regardless of length, goes into its own bag, which is marked with the number. And all the bags go in the binder. To find the right needle, I just flip through the “pages” until I get to the right size, and pick the length I want out of the bag. There are currently bags for sizes 0 and smaller through 13 and larger.
The “needle book” is bulky but it stands on a bookshelf like a dictionary and works very well. I’ve never felt so organized.
As for knowing which needle is what size, I keep a sizer in the pocket of the binder.
LOVE this idea, Knitasha! Keeps them nice and tidy, too!!!
I also have the binder book that used to come with the Options set. But I have a lot of circular needles that are other brands – namely Susan Bates and Addis. I don’t like storing the Bates needles in their original packages if I use them a lot because every time I pull them out I have to steam the cables straight again.
So I went to Big Lots and found some of those zippered pencil/pen envelopes for binders. They have nylon backing with transparent fronts. I got each one for about 80 cents, and I’m sure they can be found cheaply at other places too. They are more durable than plastic zip bags and are plenty big for several pairs of circs (and one I keep all my DPNs in), and I can store them in a regular-sized binder or just clip them together with loose binder rings.
They keep the needles organized, and the cables don’t curl up as badly, so I can pull them out and use them at a moment’s notice.
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I keep my circs in a CD wallet. I have stickers on wallet telling me what size is in there.
I love the Ring binder that Jan linked to, I’d love to do that and have it sitting on my book shelf in my craft room.
I have this one, that Jan linked to:
and really like it. It holds all of the ones I’ve bought, and the ones a friends’ daughters sent me when she passed on. About 100 in all, although I’ve been giving some away to new knitters. [I]The thing I really like about it is that it sits in the back of my closet and doesn’t take up any space.[/I] I don’t have my Options or Denise set in it, though, as they’ve their own cases.