Knit Picks Prism Interchangeable Needles Review

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Knit Picks sent me a free set of their Knit Picks Prism Interchangeable Needles to review. Whether you’ve used other interchangeable needles or are looking to try your first set, this is a great one to consider! Read all about it, and see how you can enter for a chance to win a set.

Circular knitting needles

Designed for knitting in the round, circular needles have two short needle tips, connected by a flexible cable. The cable holds the stitches like a straight needle would, but it’s flexible so you can bend it into a continuous circle. Circular knitting needles come in 2 types – fixed, and interchangeable.

Fixed circular needles are one set of tips, with a permanently attached cable. Interchangeable needles consist of a set of tips and a separate set of cables that can be assembled in different combinations. The tips come in a variety of needle sizes, and the cables come in a variety of lengths.

Why interchangeable knitting needles

I have a few sets of fixed needles that I use for specific tasks, such as sock knitting. Otherwise, I prefer interchangeable needles for several reasons.

Cost:

At first glance, fixed needles may seem cheaper and easier. However, consider that for every combination of needle size and cable length that you need, you will need to buy a completely separate pair of needles. In the long run this can add up to a whole lot of needles, and can cost more than a good set of interchangeable needles.

Changing needle sizes:

With interchangeable needles, you can easily change your needle size in the middle of a pattern if needed. If you need to go down a needle size for ribbing, for example, you can simply replace your tips with the smaller size.

Changing cable sizes:

Accessories like cable connectors and end caps allow you to easily switch to a different cable length as well. Take off one needle tip and attach the longer cable to that tip. Then either knit the stitches on to that needle, or join the two cables with a connector and just slide the stitches over!

Working flat:

With straight needles, the size of your project is limited by the length of your needle. I don’t mind straight needles that are short – 8-10 inches at most. Longer straight needles feel uncomfortable to me. The back ends stick out and make me feel like they have wings. With interchangeable needles, the tips are short and easier to manage. If you choose a long cable, they can hold a lot more stitches too.

Knit Picks Prism Interchangeable knitting needles

I’ve used these needles on a few projects now, and really enjoyed them! See them in action in my Make 1, Slip slip knit, and Knit 2 together tutorials.

Rainbow colored needles

This is one of my favorite features of this set. My eyes are not what they once were. To read fine print these days, I usually need a magnifying glass or reading glasses. As with most interchangeable needles, each needle tip has the size imprinted on it. But let’s be honest…needles can get pretty small and that writing is not always the easiest thing in the world to read.

With these needles though, I don’t need to! I have simply made a note of which color is which size, by taking a picture of the needles in their original packaging. This picture is on my phone so it’s always with me, and I can zoom in to read it easily whenever I need to. Besides, who doesn’t like knitting with pretty, colorful needles?

Slick aluminum

These needles are not just pretty, they’re also smooth and easy to knit with. I tend to prefer metal needles to wood ones, because I like my needles slick and slippery. Wood needles are more “grabby”. If you prefer wood, Knit Picks has you covered with several different wood options too! Metal fans like me may also like the nickel plated sets.

4 cable sizes

This set includes 4 cables: Two 24 inch cables, one 32 inch cable, and one 40 inch cable. The cable size refers to the total length when the needle tips are attached to the cable.

Accessories

Using the included cable connector, you can join two cables to create a much longer cable. The set also includes 8 end caps. These allow you to remove one or both of the tips without the stitches falling off the cable. I’ve used this feature as a makeshift stitch holder, and also to help switching from one cable size to another.

Finally, there are 2 cable keys. These handy tools help you to make sure all your joins are tight. See how in the video below!

Storing your Knit Picks Prism interchangeable needles

Along with the needles, Knit picks also gave me this lovely, silver, interchangeable knitting needle case! If silver isn’t your color, they have several other choices as well.

The outer zipper opens to reveal a zippered pocket on each side, and a center flap. The center flap has small pockets to hold each pair of needle tips, while the zippered side pockets hold the cables and accessories.

The entire set fits into one side of the case, so one case could hold two complete needle sets, plus other notions! I might even fill the other side with crochet hooks to make the perfect travel case.

How to Assemble Knit Picks Prism Interchangeable Knitting Needles

One complaint I’ve often heard about interchangeable needles is that they come apart while you knit, resulting in dropped stitch disasters. Yes, I’ve had this happen to me once or twice. However, it’s usually NOT because of the needles. It’s because I was being lazy or was in a hurry and just didn’t put them together properly.

The needle tips and cables need to be screwed together very tightly to make sure they stay in place. It’s difficult to get them tight enough with just your hands. That’s why the set includes 2 cable keys. These keys gives you a better grip on the cable, so that you can screw the pieces together more tightly.

Assembling Interchangeable Needles Video Tutorial

Watch this video on YouTube

Enter the Giveaway!

Knit Picks is sponsoring the giveaway prize for my Simply Sweet Raglan KAL. They’re offering one lucky winner a Prism interchangeable needle set, and a silver case! The giveaway ends April 30th 2021. See all the details in the KAL post.

Find this set and more at KnitPicks.com

Don’t want to wait for the giveaway? Get your needles now at KnitPicks.com! There are lots of sets to choose from, as well as accessories, other tools, and of course yarn!