There’s nothing worse than your knitting needles coming undone while you are knitting. In all fairness, I do have to say that addi owns that field. Both my ChiaoGoo, HiyaHiya, and my Knitter’s Pride cables have come undone in the past. Usually, I noticed it before the point of no return because stitches have gotten caught in the gap. Still, there’s no denying how annoying that is, especially as it’s hard to rescue this situation mid-row. I blame it on the fact that these systems make it very hard to really screw it tight. Hi, Norman. Nice comparison article. I have only used the other brands of interchangeable needles for a few minutes at a fiber event, just to try them out (not counting a truly vintage Boye set I learned on), so I can’t speak to them, but I do have some remarks on the ChiaoGoo interchangeables.

I discovered your blog a few days ago when I wanted to revise Magic Loop knitting. I found your blog and was very impressed with the clarity of it. I have to admit, I prefer text tutorials to video, as I find them much clearer. Typically 13 needles from US 2 (2.75 mm) to US 15 (10mm), 6 cables (3 small, 3 large), 4 durable cable stoppers, 2 cable extenders, 2 cable keys, stitch markers, a needle gauge all wrapped in a sewn fabric bag with zippers, and a small compartment on the front for the accessories. Addi The contents of my addi mix 5″ set. Not only does this give you endless possibilities and working comfort, but also lets you reduce the clutter and unnecessary expenditure of buying multiple fixed circulars. The best part is, you can also use the needle tips for other projects and save your stitches in your WIP projects. Take the tips off and attach end caps to the cable and that’s all.We carry different sets and interchangeable needle accessories from brands like Drops, Knitpro,Pony, and Addi for ultimate precision and ease of use. Each of these brands boasts its own patented interchangeable systems that give the cables and the needles a strong, seamless join. Please Note: circular lengths are achieved when needle tips and cables are joined together. The length does not refer to the actual length of the cable on its own.

Thank you Norman for your lovely blog. I was just trying to refresh my memory of an I-cord cast off and I found all this fabulousness just there for the asking 🙂

Interchangeable knitting needles can only be engineered down to a size US 4 (3.5mm), so you’ll need to go with fixed circulars for those teeny tiny projects. Last, but not least, I want to talk about whether it is worth investing in an interchangeable needle set or not. Even if you take the cheapest option, it is still a lot of money. So, if you are still feeling unsure, you should consider starting with a smaller set or simply buying singles. One cable, one interchangeable needle, and try things out. If you like it, buy the whole set. As the singles are compatible, you really didn’t waste money. Still, here are a few things to consider: PROs I personally believe in buying the best tools available for your craft. But if you are not a pure lace knitter and need extra sharp points, I am not sure you can justify almost twice the cost. The Knitter’s Pride needles are, on a fundamental level, very similar to ChiaoGoo. Sure, there is a slight difference when it comes to the joins. The cables, on the other hand, are a matter of preference, and so is having a galvanized needle or a pure stainless steel needle (almost no grip vs a bit of grip). These tips are standard length - approximately 12cm (4.75") long, a popular length for day-to-day use and medium / large projects.

HiyaHiya has by far the sharpest points of the lot. So, as a pure lace needle, this would probably be my favorite. If you push on your needle tips a lot, then be aware that HiyaHiya will be a poor choice. These needles hurt quite a bit when you do that (there are simple ways to move stitches forward without pushing the tips). Both offer needle adaptors to make those small cables work for the bigger sizes. But a) this means buying these adaptors b) it doesn’t work the other way round (from big to small) and c) this means another join (read: weak link) in your needles. Price You have said exactly what was running through my mind, as I read this review! I have even bought the fabric and designed my custom case. Great Minds thinking alike 🙂 KnitPro's Zing needles are made from superior grade light-weight metal and come in a spectrum of vibrant and lively colours. Each size comes in a size specific metallic shade with laser printed sizes and shiny silver tips. Ideal for new knitters as well as the more experienced. I have been knitting for around 54 years, having taught myself from Mary Thomas’s Knitting Patterns, a marvelous book which gives resources for designing motifs far more than any other book I have come across, as it describes the way various kinds of stitch are created, from knit and purl. through cables, to lace and faggot stitch. This book was published in 1934, her subsequent book, Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book, which I got at a later date was published in 1938, and tells about the history of knitting, gives many cast on techniques and information on designing garments.Some knitters, like me, are hyper-sensitive. Knitting produces sounds, and those largely depend on the needles you are using. The only set available at the time of doing this test was a smaller lace set, which only came with 8 needles ( 2.75 mm to 5 mm), 4 cables, 2 connectors, 1 pin, 2 rubber patches, and quite a nice needle size card.

I also really don’t like the fact that both ChiaoGoo and HiyaHiya work with two different cable sizes. The smaller needle sizes need a different cable (where the screw is smaller) than the bigger needles. For example with addi, the same cable works on a 3.5mm needle and an 8 mm needle. With CG or HH, you need a different cable, and different cable extenders, and different cable stoppers, etc. I feel this contradicts the whole versatility idea behind an interchangeable knitting needle set. The ChiaoGoo twist red lace cable is the only coated steel wire cable and the heaviest of the lot. It still only weighs a couple of grams, but as we are looking and minor differences between the different interchangeable knitting needle sets to begin with, I felt like mentioning this. On the plus side, this cable has zero memory effect and it basically never curls up. That being said, ChiaoGoo clearly offers the broadest range of knitting needles. HiyaHiya is pretty similar, and one could say their needle extenders make it even more versatile (though CG offers them as well), but their small system only goes down to 2mm, while CG goes down to US OOO / 1.5mm. You can buy smaller and bigger needles for Knitter’s Pride and addi as well. But it does have to be mentioned that none of them go down to 2.75 mm / US 2 needles or lower. The HiyaHiya cables are pretty similar to the addi cables but even thinner yet. They are also very flexible. There is a strong memory effect, but they are equally well suited for magic loop in my opinion. I always feel the cable is a tiny bit too flimsy, and I do believe HiyaHiya has the worst connection to the cables. Bending characteristicsRecords the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.