Double-pointed needles

Hi,

what kinds of sets of double-pointed needles are there?
I’ve heard there are sets with 5 and 4 needles.

Which ones do you use?
What material are your needles made of, and how long are they?
Do any of you use circular needles?

Here’s what I actually wanted to know. I want to knit a loop without a seam. That means I just need to knit in the round with a set of double-pointed needles until it’s big enough. I’m wondering how long the needles need to be and whether that’s even possible. While I’m at it, I’d also like to learn more about double-pointed needles—the different types, etc.—so I can choose the right option more easily in the future. You never stop learning :o)

Best regards, Strickliesel

Hi Strickliesel2,

I used to always knit with a set of double-pointed needles. But somehow the needles always got tangled up for me, because you have to be able to handle 5 needles at once. The stitches are distributed across 4 needles, and you knit with one needle. A while back, I discovered a video tutorial on Drops about the “Magic Loop” method. With this technique, you can also knit smaller pieces in the round with a circular needle without a seam. Here’s the link to the video:http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/de/video.php?id=120
At the Swiss Wool Festival, which took place last weekend in Zug, Switzerland, several knitters watched me demonstrate this method and now plan to switch from a set of double-pointed needles to a circular needle in the future. Take a look at the video. Maybe you’ll start using this method yourself in the future, too.

Best regards
Christa

Hi Strickliesel2!
I work at a yarn shop—and here’s my take on your question:
A set of double-pointed needles comes in 15- and 20-cm lengths—most people buy the 20-cm ones. A set of double-pointed needles consists of 5 needles. The needles can be made of metal, plastic, wood, or bamboo.
My TIP: You can knit most things just fine with only 3 needles!
When I knit socks, I even use a circular needle! Brilliant!!! They’re also available in several sizes (2.5, 3.00, 3.5—and possibly even 4 mm…). The circular needle is only 20 cm long (measured from tip to tip). When I knit the heel, I briefly switch to a set of double-pointed needles (actually just 3 needles)—and of course also when decreasing at the toe, because eventually even 20 cm is too long!
I would always knit a loop on circular needles. For a tighter loop (almost like a turtleneck), you could probably use a 40-cm circular needle. Circular needles come in lengths of 20 cm (see above), 40 cm, 60 cm, 80 cm (the most commonly used), and 120 cm. I’m not aware of any longer ones, but they probably exist.
Here’s another TIP: to avoid having to buy a 40-cm needle, you can also work with two longer circular needles. – That would be my solution in many cases, since I have a large assortment of needles of the same size…

Have fun and good luck trying it out and figuring it out!
Best regards
Angela