Knitting is meditative, the craft has proven its benefits of not just creating handmade goodies but also creating a state of mind that is focused on the moment. Knitters have their own reasons for why they knit, but a popular sentiment is, that knitting is therapeutic, mindful and in many cases life-changing.
If you’re new to mindful knitting or even if you have been knitting for years, the vast selection of knitting needles, how and when to use them can make anyone anxious. Straight needles, the traditional types are easy enough to understand, but things get complicated when you start knitting in the round with circular needles, double-pointed needles (DPNs), or both! As knitters, we are all different in the choices we make. It really is a matter of habit and what suits each one of us the best, there are no right ways or wrong ways to knit, as it is the end result that counts! So coming to round knitting, each one of us has a preference to use the DPNs or the circular needles. We can only discuss about the methods while it all depends on the knitter to choose.
Using double-pointed needles
Double-pointed needles are perfect for small knitted projects that are too small for circulars. The smallest circular needle is 16" in circumference, and anything you knit that’s less than the size will need to be knitted on double-pointed needles.
The DPNs come in a set of 4 or 5. These needles connect to form a triangle and a square to form a circumference for a circular project. Managing the multiple needles is a challenge at first but once you knit a few rows it hardly remains a concern. You can knit seamlessly by being careful when switching between the needles. Take a look at our mindful blog on knitting with double-pointed needles.
Mindful double pointed needles are crafted of stainless steel with a single meditative word on each needle tip. In the range of double-pointed needles (DPNs), Mindful Collection offers a set of five needles in 6" and 8" in US 0-17 sizes (2 mm to 12 mm).
Using Circular needles
Do you know what is so awesome about circular needles? You don’t have to knit in the round to use them, they work for the majority of your knitting projects if you wanted to, including flat knitting. In fact, I and many other knitters opt for circular needles for heavier garments, like shawls, because they make it much easier on the hands and wrists, as the cord between the needle tips carries most of the knitting project, hence the weight lies mostly on the lap.
Circular knitting needles are preferred to DPNs because they’re a little easier to hang onto. You have only two needles plus a cord that joins them and you are all set. Plus, your work doesn’t slide off quite as easy as it might from DPN. There are only two points for the project to slide off, in comparison to the 4-5 DPNs and each of their two ends. Want a quick look at working on these, check out our previous blog on knitting in the round with circular needles.
Mindful circular needles are available in both variants of fixed (FCNs) and interchangeable (ICNs). Both these variants are perfect for knitting in the round. The difference is only the cord, one is fixed and the other can be changed according to the requirements of a project. Interchangeable circular knitting needles (ICNs) are favored by knitters as both the needles and the cord can be changed. In fact, in the need for extra circumference, ICNs can connect extra-length cords with cord connectors. Mindful interchangeable needles come in options of 4 & 5" in US sizes 0 - 17 (3 mm to 12 mm), with smart cords, both fixed and swivel that range between 16" (40cm) to 60" (150cm) along with notions such cable key, stitch markers, cord connectors, end caps, darning needles, and much more. If you want to take a look at Mindful interchangeable circular knitting needles, check out our previous blog.
Using both Circulars and DPNs
Sometimes a knitting project requires you to use both circular and double-pointed needles. This is because as the circumference of the project (hat, socks or even sleeves) changes, in fact, decreases, you’ll need a smaller needle to finish it off in style. You might need to start the project with circulars and then move on DPNs.
Mindful knitting needles for knitting in the round
Now that we have discussed how to use DPNs and circular needles, let’s focus on being mindful. The Mindful Collection presents an exclusive range of stainless-steel knitting needles, tools and accessories. Designed to focus on the meditative purpose of knitting, the collection offers high-quality smooth needles, carefully-designed accessories and mindful bags and cases. Our needles and needle set are designed for the best mindful crafting experience. You can also check out our blog on all our sets of our Mindful knitting needles and learn about the benefits of each type.
So, next time you are considering knitting in the round, you want to make and select the needles accordingly. Mindful knitting means different things to different people. Some knitters enjoy the balancing act of four or five double-pointed needles while others love the magic loop technique or even the flow of stitches on circular needles. So, what is going to be? DPNs, FCNs or ICNs?
