Can you use straight needles instead of circular?

The short answer is “Yes, absolutely.” Use whichever style of needle is most comfortable for you. A slightly longer version goes like this: Both circular needles and straight needles have their uses.

Can you use straight needles to knit in the round?

Because of the "stopper" ends of regular 1-point straight needles, there is really no way to use them to knit in the round. Try to avoid using the rubber temporary needle ends as much as possible. Their weight can make your knitting uneven.

Should I use straight or circular knitting needles?

Circular needles have pointed tips and come attached with a length of smooth nylon or plastic cord. Because circular needles allow the weight of the work to rest in your lap (rather than on the needles) they put less strain on the hands, wrists, and shoulders.

Can I use double pointed needles instead of circular?

And the answer to this question is: Yes! Of course it's possible! As long as you are knitting a small project on the round, you can absolutely replace a set of 5 dpns with circular needles and you can also do magic loop, if that's your thing…

Can you knit a blanket without circular needles?

Even though a blanket is knit flat, not in the round, circular needles can still be used. To do this, you will still knit flat and flip the work at the end of every row. The process is the same as straight needles, they're just connected together.

Straight vs Circular Knitting Needles

Can you knit a sweater with straight needles?

Yes, sweaters & cardigans have been knit on straight needles for centuries. You can't knit a seamless sweater with straight knitting needles though. Instead you knit separate pieces and stitch them together at the end.

Should beginners use circular needles?

Circular needles

The only difference is the flexible cable connecting the two needles. This allows you to cast on a lot more stitches while keeping the weight of the needles low at the same time. What is this? They can be a great choice for beginners.

Can you knit a shawl on straight needles?

You can knit a shawl on straight needles. Many shawls are knit flat, back-and-forth in rows, so a long set of straight needles would be a fine option for knitting. If it's a heavy shawl (using thicker yarn), it might be easier to use a long circular needle so the cable can hold the bulk of the weight of the shawl.

What knitting needles do you need for a sweater?

32" Circular needle: Hands down the most common length for knitting shawls or pieces of a sweater. It's long enough to accommodate the majority of widths for either of these projects and the cable is long enough to allow the weight of a project to rest on your lap rather than on your wrists as you work.

Can you knit a baby blanket with straight needles?

If you don't feel comfortable knitting on circular needles, you can knit a baby blanket on straight needles. Most of the blanket sizes will fit on 14” long needles. It's okay of the stitches are a bit smooshed, it won't affect the completed project.

What knitting needles should a beginner use?

Medium sizes are generally the best for beginners. This means you should look for a width size of six (4mm), seven (4.5mm), or eight (5mm). For length, a 10-inch needle is usually a good starter size because they'll be small enough to handle easily.

What is the best stitch for knitting a blanket?

If you plan to make a loose blanket or scarf, choose a simple stitch pattern like garter stitch (knit all stitches in every row), simple ribbing (knit 1/2/3 etc stitches, purl 1/2/3 etc stitches) or seed stitch (known as moss stitch in the UK).

Why use double pointed needles?

Double-pointed needles are used to knit in the round for items that are too small for circular needles. For instance, when you knit a glove on circular needles, the stitches comprising of the glove's fingers become so tight that they cannot be worked around the circular needles.

What can I use instead of double pointed needles?

Yes, circular needles are a great alternative to double pointed in many cases. In fact, many knitters prefer to use circular needles over DPNs for a number of reasons.

How do you change to small circular needles?

To switch needle sizes while knitting in the round, you will pick up a circular needle in a new size with your right hand. Using the new needle, knit the live stitches off the old pair of circular needles and onto the new size.