Himiko’s Very Unofficial Review of Circular Knitting Needles
hey hey a friend of mine has been getting into knitting and I decided to pull out my smattering of needles and compare them to each other
Susan Bates Fixed Needles ($5-10)
Okay we’ve all seen these at Joann Fabrics before and I don’t think they’re so bad. They come in a small range of cable lengths and needle sizes- so you need to buy a new pair for every size you want and need to loop them in order to knit anything smaller than 29″ (I think that’s the only length). They are very lightweight and smooth, though the join between the cable and needle can catch on your yarn sometimes.
-Available in chain craft stores and online
-Light weight and cheap
-Not Sharp
-Cable would crease very easily and stay creased, so knitting small objects can cause bends in your cables that are hard to remove
HiyaHiya (fixed needles $5-10: interchangable sets $80-250)
I’ll be honest, I have not had first hand experience with their interchangable sets but the general consensus is that their interchangables have a smooth taper and tight fit (very good). I’ve had generally positive experiences with their fixed length needles. Their needles come in stainless steel or bamboo and regular tips and sharps: what you like in this regard is a personal preference, but Hiya Hiya offers sharp versions of all their needles which a lot of people swear by. They have a full range of fixed needle cable lengths and needle sizes. Their needles are very very smooth and their cable is a very thin nylon. The cable is very thin and bouncy and resists kinking or bending, however they do have a slight memory so you’ll occasionally need to run them under hot water to smooth them out.
-Available in specialty yarn stores and online
-Very light weight and single sets are cheap
-Exceptionally smooth
-Available in sharps and non-sharps
-Cables available in many sizes and very bouncy
ChiaoGoo (fixed needles $10-20: interchangable sets $120-250)
Ah yes, the iconic red cables.
I’ve purchased some of their fixed needles and demoed their interchangable sets in stores- both are good! The join for their interchangable needles is a little shorter but they fit very tightly (good). Their needles come in stainless steel or bamboo and short and long tips: again needle length is very much a personal preference but some folx find they are more ergonomic if you are prone to hand strain and I believe they also offer a slanted join line of needles for people who need that accommodation. They have a full range of fixed needle cable lengths and needle sizes. Their needles tend to have a slight... grip(?) in my experience, so your stitches are less prone to slipping around the needles. The cable is a little more firm than the HiyaHiyas but has a strong core which resists the kinks Susan Bates get.
-Available in specialty yarn stores and online
-Very light weight
-Bamboo and steel needles have slight grip on yarn
-Single needle sets are slightly more money
-Available with shorter and longer needle tips
-They’ve expanded into a few different cable types- generally flexible
KnitPicks (fixed needles $8-11: interchangable sets $50-125)
I own two sets of these interchangable needles, I have 0 experience with their fixed length needles. The join for their interchangable needles is a good length but I’ll occasionally have to tighten the join. They have a somewhat limited range of fixed needle sizes- they offer 16″ cable length with most needle sizes and more cable lengths for small needle sizes- but offer a full range of interchangables. Their needles come nickle plated or bamboo with non-sharp tips: they do offer their bamboo needles in a few bright colorways and short tips for their interchangable sets. They also offer squared needles which some knitters find more comfortable and even out gauge issues. Their needles are smooth and their cable about the same level of firm as ChiaoGoo but will occasionally need to be unbent if you’re doing magic loop for too long.
-Available online, not widely available in stores but they offer “tester” kits
-Different colorways for bamboo needles
-Interchangable sets are on the cheaper side
-Available with shorter and longer needle tips for interchangables
-Available as a more square shape
Final Thoughts
I’ve shopped around needles quite a while before I settled on my current set of interchangables. Since I put down and pick up so many different projects, I’m loath to part with any of my sets of needles and I don’t regret trying out different brands- when I bought fixed length needles from different brands they were each perfect for my projects so you should really think what you prioritize for your needles. Susan Bates were a fair price for trying out and I could get them at a lot of stores. HiyaHiya had the best cables for me and I liked the sharps as an early tight knitter. ChiaoGoo had the most sizes available in knitting stores and you can pick the most ergonomic option for you. KnitPicks was middle of the road between those brands but the price point matched my interest at the time (plus I was recently gifted a set of purples which I love to look at).
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Got some thoughts? I’d love to hear them
