<p>In 2017 Prym introduced needles designed to work well for people with difficulty knitting, you could try those.</p>

<p>They're plastic, triangular in cross-section and have a tiny ball on the tips. I have not used them, but talked to some people who did. The consensus was that there is nothing special in them for abled people (and the ball at the tip surprisingly doesn't impede knitting), but one person, who had a broken wrist and was slowly returning to knitting at the time said they were wonderful, she was finally able to work more than a few stitches and the physical therapy could progress better because of them.</p>

<p>The needles are called Prym Ergonomic, here's an <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=prym%20ergonomic%20circular&amp;sprefix=Prym%20erg%2Caps%2C491&amp;crid=S6VKMUJ935EJ" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Amazon search for them</a>
And this is what they look like:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/wWucY.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/wWucY.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-20T05:43:37.250Z
2018-04-20T05:43:37.250Z
jkadlubowska
<p>Wood needles would have a little better grip. Using square needles might be helpful if you can get used to the shape. There are only a couple of brands carrying square-shaped wooden circulars that I know of, and they both come from the same manufacturer. Both come in interchangeable or fixed circulars. </p>

<ul>
<li>KnitPicks Foursquare <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/cfNeedles/Needle_List.cfm?ID=300313&amp;media=blogpost&amp;utm_source=media&amp;utm_medium=marketing&amp;utm_campaign=blogpost" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.knitpicks.com/cfNeedles/Needle_List.cfm?ID=300313&amp;media=blogpost&amp;utm_source=media&amp;utm_medium=marketing&amp;utm_campaign=blogpost</a></li>
<li>Knitter's Pride Cubics <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0076TFF08" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/Knitters-Pride-Cubics-Interchangeable-Needles/dp/B0076TFF08/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1517857551&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=knitters+pride+cubics</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-05T19:17:11.933Z
2018-02-05T19:17:11.933Z
Amy
<p><a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/living-with/crafting-with-ra/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">everydayhealth.com</a> has a list of tips on knitting with arthritis. For needles:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Occupational therapist Theresa Leto, DHS, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at the University of Findlay in Ohio and a knitter, recommends bamboo knitting needles because they create less friction between needle and yarn. Other options include needles that are modified to prevent your work from slipping off the end, such as circular needles. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Other tips including warming your hands before working, keeping a looser grip, wearing gloves, and switching between projects to avoid repetitive strain.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-21T22:36:32.173Z
Bamboo is generally considered to have more friction than other types of needles. I've used bamboo, metal, wood, carbon fiber, and plastic needles. The metal, wood, and carbon fiber were all slicker than the bamboo, although the type of yarn matters too.
dstinard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-10T02:11:01.400Z
2018-02-10T02:11:01.400Z
prosepraise
<p>I ended up buying every size wood needles and every length cables from Knitpicks.  I also find that taking breaks and flexing my fingers every 20 mins helps, and applying arnica cream after I’m done.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-19T20:26:44.023Z
2018-02-19T20:26:44.023Z
MilesGram
<p>I would also look at the join between the needles and the cable between them. I often find that lower-grade needles have abrupt changes in size between the two, and advancing my stitches onto the right needle sometimes requires significant gripping and pushing. Of course, this is tension-dependent to some degree.</p>

<p>On better-designed (and more expensive) circulars, the cable-to-needle join is much smoother, and advancing stitches is considerably easier for me. Whenever possible, try to see and hold the needles before committing to a purchase.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-09T14:10:18.207Z
2018-02-09T14:10:18.207Z
jcarlson
<p>I have arthritis in my hands and the smaller length needles are a little hard to hold onto. Would longer needles help, if they exist? Is there anything else to consider, such as needle material (wood vs. metal vs. plastic) that would make gripping the needles easier?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-17T11:11:16.560Z
It would be useful to know what exactly you mean by 'longer', as that's very subjective.
walrus
<knitting>
What features should I look for in circular knitting needles to make them easier to use with my arthritis?
Cher Belle Lewis
# What features should I look for in circular knitting needles to make them easier to use with my arthritis?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-01-14)

I have arthritis in my hands and the smaller length needles are a little hard to hold onto. Would longer needles help, if they exist? Is there anything else to consider, such as needle material (wood vs. metal vs. plastic) that would make gripping the needles easier?

**Tags:** knitting

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It would be useful to know what exactly you mean by 'longer', as that's very subjective.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-04-20. Score: 2

In 2017 Prym introduced needles designed to work well for people with difficulty knitting, you could try those.

They're plastic, triangular in cross-section and have a tiny ball on the tips. I have not used them, but talked to some people who did. The consensus was that there is nothing special in them for abled people (and the ball at the tip surprisingly doesn't impede knitting), but one person, who had a broken wrist and was slowly returning to knitting at the time said they were wonderful, she was finally able to work more than a few stitches and the physical therapy could progress better because of them.

The needles are called Prym Ergonomic, here's an [Amazon search for them](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=prym%20ergonomic%20circular&sprefix=Prym%20erg%2Caps%2C491&crid=S6VKMUJ935EJ)
And this is what they look like:
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/wWucY.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/wWucY.jpg)


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-02-05. Score: 2

Wood needles would have a little better grip. Using square needles might be helpful if you can get used to the shape. There are only a couple of brands carrying square-shaped wooden circulars that I know of, and they both come from the same manufacturer. Both come in interchangeable or fixed circulars.

* KnitPicks Foursquare <http://www.knitpicks.com/cfNeedles/Needle_List.cfm?ID=300313&media=blogpost&utm_source=media&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=blogpost>
* Knitter's Pride Cubics [https://www.amazon.com/Knitters-Pride-Cubics-Interchangeable-Needles/dp/B0076TFF08/ref=sr\_1\_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517857551&sr=8-1&keywords=knitters+pride+cubics](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0076TFF08)


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### Answer by username_4 on 2018-02-10. Score: 1

[everydayhealth.com](https://www.everydayhealth.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/living-with/crafting-with-ra/) has a list of tips on knitting with arthritis. For needles:

> Occupational therapist Theresa Leto, DHS, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at the University of Findlay in Ohio and a knitter, recommends bamboo knitting needles because they create less friction between needle and yarn. Other options include needles that are modified to prevent your work from slipping off the end, such as circular needles.

Other tips including warming your hands before working, keeping a looser grip, wearing gloves, and switching between projects to avoid repetitive strain.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Bamboo is generally considered to have more friction than other types of needles. I've used bamboo, metal, wood, carbon fiber, and plastic needles. The metal, wood, and carbon fiber were all slicker than the bamboo, although the type of yarn matters too.  

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### Answer by username_6 on 2018-02-19. Score: 0

I ended up buying every size wood needles and every length cables from Knitpicks. I also find that taking breaks and flexing my fingers every 20 mins helps, and applying arnica cream after I’m done.


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### Answer by username_7 on 2018-02-09. Score: 0

I would also look at the join between the needles and the cable between them. I often find that lower-grade needles have abrupt changes in size between the two, and advancing my stitches onto the right needle sometimes requires significant gripping and pushing. Of course, this is tension-dependent to some degree.

On better-designed (and more expensive) circulars, the cable-to-needle join is much smoother, and advancing stitches is considerably easier for me. Whenever possible, try to see and hold the needles before committing to a purchase.


---

