Hi everyone,
I’m about to start an afghan and it says to use circular needles size 17. I bought some and for me the circular needles are not my thing. Do you think 106 stitches will fit on a regular size 17 needles? I hope so because I have so many afghans to knit and I don’t like circular needles.
Thank you!!!
:noway: No likey??! You can certainly try it, but I don’t think they’ll fit comfortably or be comfortable to knit with once you get the weight of an afghan on them.
I really think you’ll get used to circulars. The afghan will sit comfortably on the cable in your lap and won’t hurt your arms and hands. What type circ did you get? Not all are created equal. Some cables are stiff, some are soft and pliable. I never knit with straights anymore… it’s been years I think!
I bought the company named Boye.
Thanks
I tried those once and didn’t like them. I prefer a flexible cable that doesnt need to be dipped in hot water to untwist.
You may want to run the cable through some hot water to help unkink it.
106 sts may fit on a cable at least 32" long. I’m not up to date on how long Boye offers cables in all needle sizes though.
Even a 14" straight needle won’t hold all the sts needed for an afghan which is probably knit with really thick yarn, or doubled yarn. The Boye needles are fine, I’ve used them a lot.
Thanks for the tips. I just finished dipping it under hot water and it worked. Tomorrow I’m going to give it another try and hopefully this time I will get the hang of it. I will let you know.
Thanks again for your help.
It sounds like you’re getting squared away on your afghan. That’s great. I’m curious: What is it about circs that you don’t like? Getting used to them is worth it IMHO since even a child’s sweater becomes difficult to work with on straight needles for me.
The reason I don’t like circular needles it’s because I don’t feel comfortable working with them yet and I always feel like things are getting twisted. Are there any online videos that you know of that shows how to work with circular needles size 17? Or knitting with big needles?
I watched a few videos that shows are to knit with circular needles and I have noticed that the stitches seems to be tight on the cable and when I tried this afternoon, my stitches were all loos on the cable. Is it normal?
The cable is thinner than the needles so they SHOULD be looser. It just takes time to get used to them.
I know Sue doesn’t mind Boye, but everybody has their favorites. If you don’t like one brand try another with a different type of cable or needle material. Circs are good for both flat and circular projects so it’s a good thing to know.
The videos you saw with tighter sts on the cords were probably small needles where the tips and cord are closer to the same size. But the cord is thinner than the needles in all sizes so they’re supposed to be loose; the larger the needle, the larger the loops relative to the cord size.
Hi everyone,
After giving another try with the Boye plastic needles and having not succeeded I’ve decided to buy the Addi Turbo Circular needles. They are a little bit expensive but after reading all the reviews I think this product will save me. Now the difficult part is waiting for them since I had to bought them on the internet.
I will keep you update and thanks again for your help.