Recently I bought two different circular needles and two sets of dpns, both produced by Kollage Yarns. They were intriguing because they are square. Square!

I thought it was a little bizarre, but since two local yarn shops were carrying them, someone must know something, and they must be good. Their claim to fame is that they are an ergonomically correct construction and people with arthritis or other complaints can use these without any problems.
The other reason they are supposed to be wonderful is the super even stitches that they produce. As well, the cable in the circular needles is anti-knotting or curling, according to Kollage.
The reason that I bought their needles doesn’t have much to do with ergonomics or with some measure of stitch evenness. I can’t vouch for whether the needles prevent knitting pain, and I think I’m a fairly even knitter. To be fair, though, my knitting does seem pretty even and my metacarpals feel fine.
I bought the needles because I was looking for sock dpns that don’t bend, and I’m not willing to spring for those really expensive ones from the company that won’t tell you how they do it. You know the ones. I saw them at MDS&W and had to keep walking.
So – back to the square needles! I like them. They feel nice. The yarn doesn’t stick but they are also not super slippery. For dpns, I’m pretty convinced – they haven’t bent that much but I can feel that they may end up a little bent. At least I feel more secure than I do about my bamboo needles that are super bendy and not so resistant and I feel like at any moment they may just snap in half.
The only reservation I have about the circular needles is the join. The cable is fine, although I’m used to a more substantial cable with Addi Turbos or a more resistant plastic cable. This one feels a bit floppier, which isn’t necessarily a problem. But the yarn that I was using, Elsebeth Lavold’s Hempathy, was a little splitty, and the not-very-smooth join on the circulars exacerbated the problem. I feel like I’m exerting a lot of force to shove the stitches back onto the needle from the cable.
One yarn store owner at one of the spots I made a purchase said that she didn’t really like the circulars either and decided to carry only the dpns. I know that I would buy more dpns. I’ll have to work more with the circulars to see if I come around.


























