Square Pegs for Round Holes?

When I first heard about square knitting needles I thought someone was pulling my leg. Square knitting needles? Seriously?!
But yes, they are a thing. There are knitting needles with a square cross section, often called “cubic needles”. They definitely feel different in your hand than round needles. They may not be for everyone, but for my hands the cubic needles feel more comfortable especially at smaller needle sizes and make for a more relaxed knitting experience. I feel that I can loosen my grip because they don't roll around as much.

I’ve tried the cubic needles made by KnitPro, called “Cubics“, both the metal and the wooden version. Since I generally prefer wooden needles it’s no surprise that I prefer the wooden cubics, too.

Cubic needles come in the same needle sizes as the round ones. The diameter is measured across, from corner to corner of the cross section. The size of a stitch depends on the needle’s circumference, and since a square and a circle of the same size have different circumferences you need to choose either a different needle size for your cubics or accept getting a different gauge. That can be a great thing if you need an in-between size that’s not available for round needles.

The list above compares the circumferences of various needle sizes.

To replace a round needle by a cubic needle I choose the needle size which comes closest in circumference.

For needle sizes between 3.5 and 5 mm, going up half a millimeter for cubics is a good choice. In most cases there will still be a slight difference, which sometimes comes in quite handy.

For example, a 3.5mm cubic needle is in between a 3mm and a 3.5mm round needle. I love to use that needle size for those stranded gradient cakes that are much easier to get in Europe than smooth gradients. For this type of yarn the cubics give me exactly the gauge I want.

If you have never tried cubic needles before, maybe see if you can borrow some from a friend and give them a try?