question on circular needles

[Paulaque]

when it says 16" circular needles is this the total length or just the length of the cord?

[Jan in CA]

Circular needles are measured from needle tip to needle tip.

[Paulaque]

well, to make the circulars I have, which are bamboo and plastic tubing, 16" I will have no way to knit with them, so changing the pattern from an in the round to a flat knit.

[Jan in CA]

Why would you have no way to knit a with them?

[salmonmac]

Are these interchangeable needles with very long needles? You could go to a much longer cable and use magic loop or two circulars.

[suzeeq]

If you mean your needles are longer than 16", there's a couple ways to 'shorten' them without cutting them. Use Magic loop, shown on the Advanced Techniques page, or single loop. You pull out the cord between stitches to make a loop and the stitches fit around the needle then.

[Paulaque]

No, the needles themselves are bamboo, with plastic tubing that can be cut to any length, the problem is the needles are themselves 6 inches long, so with 16 inches, that leaves a four inch long tubing length, which is not enough to get the needles together to actually knit with them, so I just converted the pattern to flat knitting and used my regular aluminum needles.

[salmonmac]

When you feel like trying something new, try magic loop or one of the other techniques for small diameter circular knitting. They really are a lot of fun and sure beat having to convert patterns to the flat and then seam!

[GrumpyGramma]

Are you making your own circs? I remember that someone was but don't recall who. Maybe you?

[Paulaque]

not entirely, I buy the needle parts from ebay, then use the correct length of plastic tubing, so in a way yes, and in a way no, lol