
Dealing with Circular Needles
True confession right up front - I love circular needles. I choose them over straight needles every time. But I don't like the interchangeable sets. They come with either metal, wood, or acrylic tips, and to be honest, I can't be limited by one over the other. Some yarns just behave better on wood needles, some behave better on metal. I need more choices.
I first discovered circular needles when I brought knitting on a plane. I as working on a hat with double points and lost a needle somewhere under the seat between my seat mate and myself in our confined coach section. I couldn't retrieve it until she woke up, when we landed 3 hours later. I was stuck, and couldn't knit for the rest of the flight. A circular needle comes with it's own safety line - hanging onto the other needle on the other end.
To date, I have about 100 circular needles in sizes from US2 (2.75mm) to US13 (9mm) in lengths from 8-inches (20.5cm) to 52-inches (132 cm). Keeping them organized is a challenge.