Two questions we get asked almost daily are "Should I get the 4-inch or the 5-inch set?" and "I love the idea of Shorties, but will I be comfortable knitting with tips that short?"
To figure it out, think about what you knit and how you hold your work.
Start With What You Knit
- Sweaters, shawls, blankets, scarves, flat pieces: a 5-inch set. Big work sits on long cables, and the longer tip gives your hand the most to hold.
- Hats, cowls, sweater necklines, collars, and other small-circumference items knit in the round on a 16-inch circular: a 4-inch set. It's the only tip length that makes 16 inches.
- Socks, sleeves, mittens, and other small-circumference projects, if you want to knit them directly in the round: a Shorties set, which builds 9-inch through 14-inch circulars. If you enjoy Magic Loop (a small circumference worked on one long cable pulled out in two loops) or knitting in the round on two circulars, a 4-inch or 5-inch set handles these fine.
- A bit of everything: a 5-inch or 4-inch set. Magic Loop covers the small stuff until you know how often you knit it.
Every set includes cables sized for the set, end stoppers, tightening hardware, stitch markers, a needle gauge, and a zippered case, so the choices that matter are tip length, size range, and material.
Choosing Between a 4-Inch and a 5-Inch Set
Consider how you hold your needles:
- Needle braced against your palm: The 5-inch tip gives you more needle to hold and steady, which can be especially comfortable if you like more support.
- Needles held mostly in your fingertips: The extra inch may do little for you, and the shorter 4-inch tip can feel more nimble and maneuverable. This grip is common among Continental knitters, but knitting style alone doesn't determine which tip length will feel best.
- Coming from long straights tucked under your arm: No circular tip is long enough to tuck. If you adapt a lever-style technique to circulars, the 5-inch tip gives you the most needle to steady in your hand.
- No strong grip preference: Either length works well for general knitting. The 5-inch tips give you more needle to hold; the 4-inch tips give you the added ability to make a 16-inch circular. If it helps you decide: the 5-inch Complete Set is our best-selling interchangeable set.
Either way you're not giving up sizes; 4-inch and 5-inch Complete Sets run US-2 (2.75 mm) through US-15 (10 mm). And 4-inch and 5-inch Mini Sets cover US-000 through US-1.5 for knitting with the finest yarns.
For the full mechanics of how tip lengths affect circumference, and what each length can build, see our tip length guide.
Will You Adapt to Shorties?
Most knitters do, but some don't. You can purchase a Shorties Combo Pack if you want to try them out before committing to a set.
Shorties combine 2-inch and 3-inch tips with short cables to make 9-inch through 14-inch circulars, so sleeves, socks, and mittens knit directly in the round with no loops to pull and no ladders. The tradeoff is that these tips are held almost entirely in the fingertips. Knitters who work from their fingertips settle in quickly; knitters who brace the needle against their palm have to relearn their grip.
Expect an adjustment period. Short tips feel fumbly at first for nearly everyone. Isabel K.: "While the shorties take a little time to get used to in your fingers, it became easy within a few inches of knitting." If your hand tires, put the 3-inch tip in the hand that forms the stitches and the 2-inch in the hand feeding them; that always seems to help.
A Combo Pack has one pair each of 2-inch and 3-inch tips in a single size, plus two cables. Try it on a sleeve. If it suits you, the set follows; if not, you've spent a fraction of a set's price, and Magic Loop, double points, and two circulars are perfectly fine alternatives for small-circumference knitting.
The cables in a Shorties set top out at a 14-inch circular. You can add longer cables in the matching join size, but most knitters use Shorties as the small-circumference system beside a 4-inch or 5-inch set rather than as their only needles. Our sales suggest exactly that: the Blue and Red Shorties are our third and fourth best-selling sets, right behind the two Complete Sets.
Which Sizes Do You Knit?
Each tip length comes in more than one set. Match the size range to the yarn weights you reach for:
- Complete Set (US-2 to US-15): fingering through super bulky.
- Small Set (US-2 to US-8): the core garment sizes, right if you rarely knit bulky yarn.
- Large Set (US-9 to US-15, 5-inch only): bulky and super bulky.
- Mini Set (US-000 to US-1.5): the fine-gauge sizes for socks and lace. The standard sets start at US-2, so if you knit socks on US-0 or US-1, you need a Mini set or the Red Shorties.
- Shorties: Red (US-0 to US-3), Blue (US-4 to US-8), Yellow (US-9 to US-11, 3-inch tips only).
You don't have to start with the Complete Set. The Small and Large sets come in the same case the Complete Set uses, with room for every size from US-2 through US-15, so you can start with the range you knit most and add tips by the pair whenever a project calls for a size you don't own.
Steel, Bamboo, Carbon Fiber, or Wood?
TWIST stainless steel is the default: slick, sharp lace tips, the full range of sets. SPIN bamboo is warmer and grippier, worth it if slippery yarns or aching hands make you want a needle that holds its stitches; it comes in 4-inch and 5-inch sets. FORTÉ 2.0 pairs carbon fiber and African blackwood tips in one 5-inch Complete-range set. Carbon fiber and blackwood are premium materials with a grip that is in between slick stainless steel and grippy bamboo.
Choose length and sizes first, material second. The geometry is the same in every material.
One Set for Tunisian Crocheters: T-SPIN
One set in this family isn't knitting needles at all. The T-SPIN set holds 11 interchangeable Moso bamboo Tunisian crochet hooks, sizes E/4 (3.5 mm) through N/15 (10 mm), and runs on the same interchangeable cable system as the knitting sets; four red TWIST cables and the adapters the larger hooks use are included.
The Sets at a Glance
| Set | Sizes | Makes | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| TWIST 5-Inch Complete | US-2 to US-15 | 24, 32, 40 inches | The do-everything first set; small circumferences via Magic Loop |
| TWIST 5-Inch Small | US-2 to US-8 | 24, 32, 40 inches | Same, minus the bulky sizes |
| TWIST 5-Inch Large | US-9 to US-15 | 24, 32, 40 inches | Bulky knitting |
| TWIST 4-Inch Complete | US-2 to US-15 | 16, 22, 30 inches | You want the 16-inch hat and cowl length in the set |
| TWIST 4-Inch Small | US-2 to US-8 | 16, 22, 30 inches | Same, minus the bulky sizes |
| TWIST Mini Sets (4- and 5-inch) | US-000 to US-1.5 | 16 to 30, or 24 to 40 inches | Fine-gauge socks and lace |
| Shorties Red / Blue | US-0 to US-3 / US-4 to US-8 | 9 to 14 inches | Sleeves, socks, and small circumferences, directly in the round |
| Shorties Yellow | US-9 to US-11 | 12 or 14 inches | Bulky small-circumference projects |
| SPIN Bamboo sets | US-2 to US-15 by set | Mirrors TWIST | You want warm, grippy bamboo |
| FORTÉ 2.0 Complete | US-2 to US-15 | 24 inches and up | Carbon fiber and blackwood, grip between steel and bamboo |
| T-SPIN Tunisian Crochet Set | E/4 to N/15 hooks | Hook plus your choice of cable | Tunisian crochet on the same cable system |
(All measurements are approximate.)
A Sensible Order to Buy In
- First set: 5-inch Complete, or 4-inch Complete if the 16-inch circular matters to you. (A Small or Large set works the same way if you knit mostly in its range.) That covers a very wide range of knitting and might be all you ever need.
- Second: a Shorties Combo Pack if you'd like to do small-circumference knitting directly in the round. Choose a Red or Blue Shorties set if it clicks.
- As needed: a Mini set when fine-gauge socks enter the picture, the Yellow Shorties for bulky small-circumference projects, SPIN or FORTÉ for more grip and warmth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make a 16-inch circular from a 5-inch set?
No. Only the cable bends, and two 5-inch tips are 10 inches of straight needle, more than a 16-inch loop can close around; the shortest circular a 5-inch set makes is 24 inches. Join two 4-inch tips with an 8-inch cable instead, or use a fixed 16-inch circular or Magic Loop.
Can Shorties be my only needles?
The cables in the set top out at a 14-inch circular, and longer cables in the matching join size are sold separately. So it's possible, but most knitters treat Shorties as the small-circumference system beside a longer set.
I knit socks on US-0 and US-1. Which set?
The standard sets start at US-2. You want a Mini set (US-000 to US-1.5) or the Red Shorties (US-0 to US-3), which add the short-circular option.
Do parts mix between sets?
Yes, whenever the join size matches: TWIST, SPIN, X-Flex, and SWIV360 tips and cables all interchange within Mini [M], Small [S], or Large [L]. One exception: sizes US-2 to US-3 take Mini joins on Shorties tips but Small joins on 4-inch and 5-inch tips. Details in the tip length guide.
What if the tips come loose while I knit?
Snug them with the included tightening keys and grippers, and check periodically. Here's how to keep them secure.
The Bottom Line
Knit a bit of everything and want one set? The 5-inch Complete Set, our best-seller, with Magic Loop for the small stuff.
Hats and cowls on 16-inch circulars? The 4-inch Complete Set, the only one that makes that length.
Sleeves and socks knit directly in the round? A Shorties set, tested first with a Combo Pack if you're unsure your hands will take to 2-inch tips.
Fine-gauge sock knitter? A Mini set or the Red Shorties. The standard sets don't reach below US-2.
Smartisans has been an authorized ChiaoGoo dealer for more than a decade, so you get ChiaoGoo's warranty behind every purchase, and we restock weekly with shipments direct from Westing Bridge LLC in Troy, Michigan.
Sources and further reading
- Our companion posts:
- ChiaoGoo's pages: