The Knitters Thread

iQueen

Interchangeable Circular Needles

Little_Vics wrote: »

Hi - can I ask for some advice about needles?

I need to buy some circulars with interchangeable tips, and need 5mm and 7mm for the pattern I'm about to start. I have NO IDEA what I'm looking for or where to get them from - can anyone help?

Thanks...

xLV

Although I bought a whole set of fixed cable circulars nearly 30 years ago, it was only recently that I actually used one on a serious project - a baby blanket.

I'm a dedicated straights knitter - the shorter the better. (I use 4in Knit Pro Double Pointed Needles for socks.) However, the blanket gave me plenty of time to adjust to using a circular, which was a bit awkward, to start with, particularly as the old originals have very stiff cables. (Tip: push the cable into a pan of boiling water for about 1 minute, then gently pull it out straight until it cools. It won't twist so uncontrollably.)

Modern circulars have much more flexible cables. I have fallen in love with them and have bought several Knit Pro cables of different lengths, from short for babies and children's garments and hats etc, and I am collecting the needle tips as, and when, I need them. The cables can be joined to make longer cables, with a pack of cable connectors, which is handy for larger garments, afghans etc.

I get mine from Ebay, with free postage.

The needle tips come in 2 lengths - normal for most knitting and short for use with the shortest cables eg 12in sock cables, (but short tips can be used with long cables, if you wish).

Be careful: there are 2 main brands of Interchangeable Circulars - Knit Pro and Addi, and they have different methods of connecting, so you can't 'mix and match' the tips and cables. There is also a Chinese brand, which may be different again.

Note: Circulars can be used for knitting 'in the round' or knitting 'flat' back and forth. Any length cable, that will comfortably hold the number sts, can be used for flat knitting; but for circular knitting, the cable must be short enough to allow the sts to move along without stretching the fabric.

OrkneyStar

This is my latest FO, a jumper for DS. Happy with it and happy I learned a new technique (how to join a the body and sleeves of bottom up seam free jumper together and how to do the raglan decreases). DS loves it, currently drying after a nice wash/block- really to soften as I don't think the shape will change much! I used the magic loop technique on the arms and on the neck section.

iQueen

OrkneyStar: Lovely sweater! I hope your stash has got smaller!

Did you manage to get rid of the 'jogs' in the stripes?

I have just knitted a striped pair of baby trousers and intended to work them top-down in the round, but couldn't get rid of the jog as much as I wanted, even though I tried various methods from the Internet. However, I did manage to avoid any side seams. :T

OrkneyStar

iQueen wrote: »

OrkneyStar: Lovely sweater! I hope your stash has got smaller!

Did you manage to get rid of the 'jogs' in the stripes?

I have just knitted a striped pair of baby trousers and intended to work them top-down in the round, but couldn't get rid of the jog as much as I wanted, even though I tried various methods from the Internet. However, I did manage to avoid any side seams. :T

Stash is not smaller as I bought some Lopi for the next sweater .
As for 'jogs', I don't really seem to have any, I was just quite careful at each change, also I made sure this was down the side seam (where his arm will be) so won't be as obvious as if was at the back/front somewhere. I don't expect it to be perfect, learning a lot these days that un-perfect is still great enough!

iQueen

OrkneyStar wrote: »

I don't expect it to be perfect, learning a lot these days that un-perfect is still great enough!

UN-perfect does not mean 'home-made'... it means 'HAND-crafted' (with love!) :rotfl:

mtbbuxton

iQueen wrote: »

Note: Circulars can be used for knitting 'in the round' or knitting 'flat' back and forth. Any length cable, that will comfortably hold the number sts, can be used for flat knitting; but for circular knitting, the cable must be short enough to allow the sts to move along without stretching the fabric.

:j Let me introduce you to the Magic Loop method of knitting in the round

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdSpc0EZpnk

You can knit a small diameter item on a long circular needle with this method, so there's now almost no limit to how small a tube you can knit! :T Especially good if you want to make children's wrist warmers.

M x

Bigjenny

Hope someone can help me.

My friend would like to knit a parrot, but we can only find Jason the Parrot and a couple on Pinterest, but the are not what she wants, something like the blue and green crochet one that can be found on line.

Thank you.

OrkneyStar

Knitted this up using some Icelandic Un-spun (Plotulopi) that I got cheap in a friends de-stash. I love it!

janb5

OrkneyStar wrote: »

This is my latest FO, a jumper for DS. Happy with it and happy I learned a new technique (how to join a the body and sleeves of bottom up seam free jumper together and how to do the raglan decreases). DS loves it, currently drying after a nice wash/block- really to soften as I don't think the shape will change much! I used the magic loop technique on the arms and on the neck section.

How did you learn your new technique of doing the arms and the neck with Magic Loop. I still havent `progressed` to this as also I`m worried that I wont be able to correct mistakes. Was it hard to master the new technique- I know you are a very experienced knitter!

OrkneyStar

janb5 wrote: »

How did you learn your new technique of doing the arms and the neck with Magic Loop. I still havent `progressed` to this as also I`m worried that I wont be ale to correwct mistakes. Was it hard to master the new technique- I know yoiu are a very experienced knitter!

I basically did the sleeves in the same way as I would knit a sock with magic loop. They are not perfect- in fact I can see tiny ladders, but I know where they are and don't think they are that bad! Apparently it is not the stitch either side, as much as the second one either side of the join, which has to be not too tight or too lose. If I do notice a bigger gap when I am finished I tend to just tweak the stitches gently into shape one by one along the rows. The neck was a lot easier for some reason. As for experience- well I try new things quite a lot, but am sure there are more experienced folk around than me!