Trying to find short circular needles

Kinnexa · 10-17-2008, 02:33 PM

I'm looking for 12" or 14" circulars to knit a baby hat. All of the shops/websites I've been to have nothing smaller than 16". Now what do I do? I've tried knitting the whole thing on DPNs, but it's not fun and it's not relaxing, so I won't do it that way!

Does anyone know where I can find the small ones? Thanks!

losnana · 10-17-2008, 08:25 PM

I don't know what the shortest circular is, but I'd use a much longer one and use the Magic Loop method. It' is just as easy as using one circular. There is a video here on how to do it.

Jax3303 · 10-17-2008, 08:48 PM

Addi makes 12" circs. http://www.kyarns.com/skacel-addi-turbo-needles.html

teachermom · 10-17-2008, 10:15 PM

You can also use double points (dpns). Eventually, when knitting the hat, you'll have to go to dpns. I prefer them. The first few rows are tricky, but once you get a few rows on, I find that they are very easy to work with.

I haven't tried the magic loop yet. I keep hearing about it and am interested. Maybe my next in the round project.

charmichan · 10-17-2008, 10:30 PM

+1 for the Magic Loop method!

-Kris

GrandmaLori · 10-17-2008, 10:44 PM

I just bought addi circs in 12", and my lys had little bamboo circs in 9", which I'd never seen before. I didn't buy them, because they seemed like they would be really hard to hold. I do like the 12" ones though. I did a cuff on a sweater, which was only 30 stitches, and it was very easy. BUT, there will come a time when even those little ones won't work, so out come the dpns or other solutions mentioned here.

PS - I've had good luck picking up Addi on ebay, coming out of Hong Kong, pretty cheap. I don't know if they're fakes like my Louis Vuitton handbag from Korea (hmmm), but they feel like the real deal to me.

Rosemary · 10-17-2008, 11:04 PM

I have had real good luck with the 2 circs method.

thepurplegg · 10-17-2008, 11:33 PM

GrandmaLori: Funny that you mention that because I just bought 2 9" circulars at my LYS! They're KA bamboo. That's what I do socks with, and they're actually not hard to hold once you get used to them. So, yeah, little ones are not amazingly rare if 2 of us have seen them, but apparently not common.

Good luck on your hunt!

Becky Morgan · 10-17-2008, 11:42 PM

I'd either use two circs or Magic Loop. It sounds complicated, but it isn't once you realize...it's more one of those slap your forehead and yell "D'oh!' moments when you see how easy it is. I do have a bunch of 16" circs that I LOVE, especially for adult hats and for smaller projects, but I've never tried to use a shorter one and kind of wonder how well it would work.

linknit41 · 10-18-2008, 12:10 AM

have seen -tho not recently- very short, plastic circular needles. the needles were short, and the connecting part was flat, not like a cord. i think they were from Clover, and very inexpensive, so don't know how they would hold up in the long run. it worked for a baby hat, but again, once you get to the top, you either have to go to dpns or maybe 2 circulars. the first time i tried 2 circulars, it was confusing, and when all the stitches were on one needle, knew something was wrong!! don't usually like plastic needles, especially since, while knitting a mohair-type ballerina sweater, the needle broke into 5 pieces--and replacing the stitches on another needle was a major pain--aaargh! linknit41