Whats the difference between straight and circular needles, and why would anyone want to knit with circular needles?
It’s mainly up to personal preference, although there are some good reasons to knit with circulars. With straight needles, you can knit a flat piece back and forth, e.g. the back of a sweater. You can’t knit in the round — e.g. hats or sweaters knit all in one piece — with straight needles. For these, you must use circular needles. You can, however, knit a flat piece on circular needles. Circular needles are ideal for big, heavy projects like afghans, as the bulk of the knitting rests on the cable portion of the needle, not on the needles themselves, while you are knitting. This saves wrist strain that could lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Circulars come in bamboo, metal, wood and plastic just like straight needles do.
