I’ve been knitting on circular needles for a few years, mainly store-bought ones, but I recently brought back my grandmother’s old equipment, including a couple dozen circulars.
The problem with them is the fact that the cables are very stiff, and curled in eclectic ways, making knitting on them an absolute nightmare.
Is there any way I can neaten them up, straighten out the curls? I’ve tried soaking them in warm water already, didn’t do much of a difference, sadly.
4 Comments
Not knowing what they are made of and the length of time they have been coiled it would be difficult to give you an answer. If they are wood soaking them may harm them..If metal you would have to work for some time pulling on them {and the wooden ones} to try to straighten them. Keep them as they are and use the ones you have already and be glad you have the ones from your Grandmothers and have the other ones to go back to.
The plastic of the old days is not like the plastic made today. It’s old, brittle, and can warp and break over time. Without knowing the brand, so you can contact the manufacturer, I would either throw them out, or keep them sentimental souvenirs.
Try asking this question on Ravelry.com. They are a bunch of friendly, helpful knitters and crocheters with a wealth of experiences to be shared. If you know the brands that will be helpful or post pictures for someone to possibly recognise them.
I would suggest hot water and then pull them out straight before they curl and weight the ends down. Try this one at a time so that you can keep an eye on the reaction to the treatment.
I have circs that I have been using since the 1970s. For ones with plastic cables, I soak them in hot water(not boiling) every so often but my main way of keeping them straight is to just hang them on a hook on the wall. They eventually straighten and I find by using them regularly it helps too. Yes, it is a hassle the first few times, but they do straighten out eventually if you just let them hang after soaking. I also coat them with lanolin which is what is in wool so it won’t damage the yarn you work with or your hands. Just put a few drops on a cloth and rub the needles from one end to the other daily for 3 or 4 days then do it once a month. Then hang them up.
Unfortunately, sometimes when needles are not used for a long time and are kept in a less then great place, they just get tired and cannot be fixed. Hope these ideas help out a bit, but if they don’t, then you might need to think about retiring them to a shadow box display of memories of your Grandma and days gone by.
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