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Knitting Tip: Using Interchangeable Knitting Needles

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I love interchangeable knitting needles, especially when working projects in the round that use multiple needle sizes. But it’s great to have an interchangeable knitting needle set (or two!) in your collection because it’s an easy way to get most of the sizes of knitting needles that you could need, and you can use them for circular or flat knitting.

What to look for in interchangeable needles

To me, the main thing you need to look for in interchangeable knitting needle sets is a strong, smooth join between the cable and the needle tip. I’ve had needles fall apart at the join under the weight of a big project, spilling stitches everywhere.

Interchangeable needle sets are available in lots of different kinds of materials, so if you already have a preference for wooden or metal needles, for example, you can find a set that suits.

Look for a set that has a wide variety of needle sizes. Usually the range seems to be around size 4 or 5 to 15 US.

Pay attention to the length of the needle tip as well; the shorter ones can be hard to work with at first.

The material of the cables should be pliable so it can easily bend to the shape of your knitting. I love sets that also allow you to join cables together so you can make a longer cable in the middle of a project (great for those increase rounds in a top-down sweater, for example).

An interchangeable tip for the disorganized knitter

I shared this tip about interchangeable knitting needles on Instagram the other day and I don’t know if it’s common knowledge (or if many knitters are as disorganized as I am!) so I wanted to share it here, too.

What happens if you want to knit with a particular size needle and you can only find one tip of that size?

In knitting, the size needle that really matters is the one that is forming the stitches. So make sure you cast on over the tip of the correct size, and use a smaller needle tip on the other side.

Then when knitting, make sure you are always knitting onto the needle that’s the correct size. If you’re working in the round this is easy because you can always keep that needle in your right hand.

This doesn’t work as well if you’re knitting flat, because you’d have to remember to change out your needle tips at the end of each row, but I have used this for circular knitting and it keeps me from going crazy trying to find a missing needle point.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Looking for more Cable-styled knitting patterns? Check out these Cable Knit Patterns on Etsy

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Comments

  1. I think the needle you’re knitting onto is in your right hand! (At least for most knitters.). Good tip, though.

Have you read?

Knit a Fish Pouch, for Reasons

I can’t resist a pattern that’s both useful and a little silly, and that’s exactly how I feel about the Rybka pouch pattern from the delightfully named Rat and Sea Witch.

I know you’re going to ask, because I did, too. Rybka means little fish in Polish. (And because you’re also probably going to ask, Rat and Sea Witch comes from people’s attempts to say the designer’s name, Ratasiewicz, which if you say it fast kind of sounds like rat and sea witch.)

It’s easy to make a little fish bag in different sizes to suit your needs. The pattern has specific instructions for an Airpods Pro case and a pencil case, but you could change the length easily to hold more stuff, and change the size in general by working with a different weight of yarn.

The pattern calls for sock yarn and mohair held together to make a fingering weight gauge, but you could try it with heavier yarn and see what size bag you end up with.

Whatever size you make it, this looks like a fun project for holding trinkets or everyday items. The mouth of the fish is the mouth of the bag, and it closes with a drawstring that is also the strap. I wonder, too, if you could make one of these with a small clasp frame that could be the fish’s mouth and then you could just work I cord straps that would attach to the sides of the fish.

I could also see stripes, or fish of different colors to use up your yarn leftovers. How about a sunglasses case with a little loop to attach to your bag? Once you start thinking about all the ways you could use a fish-shaped bag in your life, I think you’ll see that you probably need more than one.

If you make one of these I would love to know how it went!

You can grab a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Rat and Sea Witch]