With the small circular needles, I have to do less adjusting as I move around the circumference of the sock. Less time spent on rearranging stitches means more time spent knitting. Speed isn’t everything, but when you’re trying to keep up with a busy self-publication schedule, it’s nice to have a way to streamline the process a bit. It’s also easier to toss a sock in my purse and go if it’s on tiny circular needles compared to double-pointed needles.
One thing to be aware of: the tiny circular needles have very small tips. Some knitters have reported that these small circular needles make their hands feel cramped. This isn’t something I’ve experienced, but I also have small hands generally. For me, tiny needles were a little bit of an adjustment (I use the 9″ circular steel needles from ChiaoGoo), but once I got the hang of them, however, my hands felt just fine.
Tiny circular needles, however, have the same limitation that all circular needles have: the cable means you can’t totally close up the tube you’re working on. For closing toes, nothing beats my trusty double-pointed needles. I also like double-pointed needles for working on heels. That allows me to leave half the sock resting on the small circular needle and have a wider range of motion as my heel flap or short-row heel grows.
This system of two different needle types works great for me, but you might find you prefer a different style of sock knitting. Maybe you’re a Magic Looper who loves doing toe-up, two-at-a-time socks. It could be you love old-school DPNs. Perhaps you’ve mastered those new-fangled Flexiflips (I gotta try those out). Whatever your preferred sock-knitting style may be, it’s valid!