Interchangeable Knitting Needles

Interchangeable knitting needles from HiyaHiya – why these are my favourites!

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

Which are your favorite knitting needles? Do you have a type, brand, or set that you can always trust? I do, my interchangeable knitting needles from Hiya Hiya are the only ones I ever use.

There are a couple of reasons why I like these needles so much. The first one is that I get tired and get pains in my hands, wrists, and shoulders when knitting on straight needles. These issues almost entirely have disappeared since my switch to circular needles.

Buy one set and never have to buy knitting needles again!

 Interchangeable Knitting Needles: Why I love them!

Another reason for loving these needles is that with this set, I can knit whatever I want. Flat, in the round or magic loop, big or small projects. And it doesn’t take a lot of tools to do it, all I need is in this set!

That allows me to have all my tools in one place, in a small and portable case. Everything is gathered and that makes it easy to stay organized. For example, it’s so easy to bring everything with me when I’m on the go!

There’s also a set of straight needles and some fixed circulars with stiff cables sitting on my shelf, but I never use them. Or rarely, sometimes they come in handy. Like when my kids put lego in strange places where only a knitting needle can poke it out again.

But, before my rant about my loved HiyaHiya knitting needles goes any further, I’m going to walk you through everything you will ever need to know about interchangeable knitting needles. Let’s dive in!

What are interchangeable knitting needles?

Interchangeable knitting needles are circular knitting needles, only better!
You can take these needles apart and assemble them again as you wish to build the knitting needle you need for the moment.

For example, if your next project requires a long 3mm circular needle, attach your 3mm tips to a long cable. And you’re ready to go!

How interchangeable knitting needles work

As mentioned earlier, the tips and the cables can be taken apart and matched together to suit your needs.

For instance, if you have a fixed circular needle and need one in the same size but with a longer cable, you would have to buy another needle. But with interchangeable knitting needles, you can put your tips on a longer cable instead.

As a result of this, you won’t need as many needles. One pair of tips in every size you need and one cable of every preferred length is all it takes to build all the combinations you want.

How to use interchangeable knitting needles

You use interchangeable knitting needles just like any circular knitting needles. The only difference is that you can put them together as you like. Which is awesome!

9 reasons to buy a set of interchangeable knitting needles

9 good reasons to buy interchangeable knitting needles
  1. You only need one pair of tips in every size.
  2. You only need to have one cable of every preferred length.
  3. You save money. A set of interchangeable knitting needles can be expensive, but in the long run, you will save money compared to buying several needles in every size to get the right lengths.
  4. You save space in your needle case. Fewer items to organize make it a lot easier to have everything in order.
  5. You can knit with two different sizes of needles at the same time, for example, if you need to even out your gauge between knit and purl rows.
  6. The interchangeable needles have lifeline holes. Slip a thread in there and add a lifeline while you knit a row. Easy and time-saving! (You can learn more about lifelines here!)
  7. Change needle size easily when knitting a swatch to find the gauge fast.
  8. Have multiple projects in progress with the same needles. Just take the tips off and add end caps to your cable, you won’t lose a stitch!
  9. Create flexible straight needles by adding a tip to one end and an end cap to the other end of a cable.

How to attach the tips to the cable

How the tips attach to the cable varies between models and brands. Some needles click together, other needles are screw-on, and some needles need a little key for locking the tips to the cables.

The ones I use and recommend, the interchangeable knitting needles with steel tips from HiyaHiya, are screw-on and easy to attach. I got a little rubber patch, called needle grip with my HiyaHiya set that makes it easy to get a grip on the sleek metal.

Get HiyaHiya Sharp small set from Lion Brand Yarn >>

Interchangeable knitting needles unscrewing

I have heard knitters complaining about their tips unscrewing when knitting. My HiyaHiya tips rarely unscrew and if they do it’s because I have been lazy and not used the needle grip.

The thread is quite long, and I have always been able to see it and tighten them before it came apart. No lost stitches yet!

How to tighten interchangeable knitting needles

My needles rarely need tightening during knitting. But when it happens, I screw them on tighter with the needle grip. The needle grip is a rubber patch included when buying sets of HiyaHiya needles.

How to measure interchangeable knitting needles

How are interchangeable knitting needles measured?

Sometimes tips and cables are measured separately, for example, 4-inch tips and a 24-inch cable. That’s because the tips and needles are both sold individually and as kits.

At other times, the measurement is given for the whole needle from needlepoint to needlepoint.

For example, 4-inch tips attached to a 24-inch cable make a 32-inch needle. In the metric system that translates to two 10cm tips and a 60cm cable creating an 80cm knitting needle.

What can I knit on interchangeable knitting needles

Small projects

Knitting socks on interchangeable needles

You can knit anything on interchangeable knitting needles, including small projects like mittens and socks. I do it all the time!

When knitting socks on a circular needle, you can use a short cable with short tips. I find this tedious and use the magic loop technique instead. But some knitters like it, so I guess it just depends on who you are and how you knit.

Learn more about the magic loop further down.

Using two circular needles, dividing the stitches between the needles is yet another way to knit socks on circular needles.

Reading tips:
––> Circular needles for beginners
––> Pain when knitting?
––> Health benefits of knitting

How to knit magic loop on interchangeable knitting needles

The flexible HiyaHiya cables work well for knitting with the magic loop technique. Magic loop is a simple but brilliant knitting hack. Don’t let the name scare you!

When the cable is too long to fit inside the stitches, you pull it out between two stitches, and that’s the magic loop.

Divide the stitches into half and pull the cable to loop between the two sections. When you’re out of stitches, pull your right needle tip until you have stitches on your left tip again. Let the extra cable create a new loop from your right needle.
It isn’t any harder or more magical than that!

You can read more about magic loop here: Is your circular needle too long?

Larger projects

When knitting larger projects the interchangeable knitting needles are perfect. You can fit way more stitches on a long cable than a straight needle.

Furthermore, the cable let you rest the weight of a large project on your lap. This saves your shoulders, wrists, and arms.

Trying garments on during the project

A long cable makes it possible to try garments on during the knitting process.

For instance, if you’re knitting a sweater top-down and want to see how it’s working up. Attach a long cable and try it on!

Is your cable to short? Remove a tip and use a cable connector to attach another cable and put the tip in place again. Now you can pull the sweater project over your head and try it on.

Cable connectors are included in some of the more luxurious sets. Connectors can also be bought as extra accessories to make your set of interchangeable knitting needles even more versatile!

Why I love my HiyaHiya interchangeable knitting needles

I love my interchangeable knitting needles from HiyaHiya. These needles are a blast to knit with! They are kind of expensive, but you won’t need to break the bank to get them. And they are worth every penny.

The set I use is called the Small one. The name “Small” refers to the tip sizes included. There is also a Large set and a Sock set.

My set was bought in 2014, and believe me, I have used them a lot since then, and they are still as good as new!

The reasons I love my interchangeable needles from HiyaHiya

  • The tips:
    • These tips are sharp, and I love it! The sharpness makes it easy to knit stitch and lace patterns as well as stockinette.
    • The metal tips let my stitches slip smoothly, allowing me to get into a good knitting flow.
    • The tips are lightweight and get warm in my hands surprisingly fast.
    • The sturdy tips are durable and all mine is still as straight as the day I got them in 2014. The size inscriptions on the tips are also readable. 
  • The Cord:
    • The flexible nylon cable is lightweight and doesn’t weigh down my knitting. The swivel cable rotates 360 degrees so the cable doesn’t twist while I knit.
  • Joints and threads
    • The joints between tips and cable are smooth and let the yarn slide easily.
    • It’s easy to screw on and unscrew the tips, especially when using the rubber grip included. Yet, they rarely start to come off while knitting.
    • When they occasionally do unscrew the thread is long, and I have always been able to see it and screw them back before they came apart. No lost stitches yet!
  • The Case
    • The case is practical and cute. It has room for the tips inside and some additional slots if you want to add some more sizes. There are also two zippered pockets, one for the included cables and one to hold your knitting notions.

More sets of interchangeable knitting needles from HiyaHiya

We knitters have different needs depending on what we like to knit. Therefore, HiyaHiya interchangeable knitting needles come in different sets. The one thing they all have in common is high quality. And the cute brocade cases!

I’m going to walk you through a couple of sets available on the market. But first, a short run-through of the HiyaHiya-system.

How the HiyaHiya tips and cables work together

The tips come in three different designs: resin-injected bamboo, steel, and sharp.

Cable connector

The cable connector is added between two cables to create one longer. This is perfect for knitting large projects such as blankets/afghans. It’s also great when you want to try a sweater during the process.

Tip adaptor

The tip adaptors are used to attach a tip from the small range to a cable from the miniature or large ranges. It’s a little metal tube that you add between the tip and the cable and lock with a cable key.

Cable key

A key is used to lock a tip adaptor to the cable. With the adaptor, you can mix tips and cables from different size ranges.

Needle grip

The needle grip is a rubber patch used to get a good hold when assembling and taking apart your needles.

End Caps

The end caps are so smart. Add one to the end of a cable, and a tip to the other, and you have a flexible straight needle.

Add one at each end of a cable, and it can hold your stitches while you use the tips elsewhere, try your garment on, or need to switch tips.

The Small HiyaHiya steel interchangeable set

This is the set I use and love!

The small set includes needle tips suitable for all yarn weights except the thinnest and the bulky ones. These tips are suitable for yarns in the fingering, sport weight, D,K and worsted categories.

My links go to a set with 5 inch /13 cm tips, which is the one I use, but its also available with 4 inch /10 cm tips.

The Small HiyaHiya steel interchangeable set includes:

  • Seven pairs of tips in sizes US 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 / 2,75mm, 3,25mm, 3,5mm, 3,75mm, 4mm, 4,5mm and 5mm
  • Four blue small cables in sizes 16 inch, 24 inch, 32 inch and 40 inch / 40cm, 60cm, 80cm and 100 cm.
  • Rubber grips for easier attachment, the tips are screw-on, no keys or other tools needed.
  • One cute brocade case to keep your knitting tools organized and easy to bring with you.

Buy the HiyaHiya Sharp small set from Lion Brand Yarn >>

The Large HiyaHiya steel interchangeable set

The large HiyaHiya interchangeable set includes tips suitable for knitting with light worsted, DK, Aran, and some of the bulkier yarns. This set also works well for lace knitting due to the sharp tips.

If you mostly use the larger needle sizes this set is for you!

My links go to a set with 5 inch /13 cm needle tips, but they are also available in 4 inch /10 cm.

If you choose this set you will get:

  • Five pairs of interchangeable tips in sizes US 9, 10, 10.5, 11, 13, 15 / 5,5mm, 6mm, 6,5mm, 8mm, 9mm, 10mm.
  • Four blue large interchangeable cables for larger tips in sizes 16 inch, 24 inch, 32 inch, 40 inch / 40cm, 60cm, 80cm and 100 cm.
  • Rubber grips for easier attachment, the tips are screw-on, no keys or other tools needed.
  • One cute brocade case to keep your tools organized and easy to bring with you.

Buy your HiyaHiya Sharp Large set from Lion Brand Yarn >>