Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles: Guide and Review

By Jodie Morgan

| Updated:

| Published:

In this review I share the features and benefits of Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles (often misspelled as knitting nedles). They’re popular when looking at a set of interchangeables.

Skeins of hand dyed purple yarn

Note: If you click a link on this page and make a purchase, I may receive a commission, but at no extra cost to you. Learn More.

Don't Know What To Knit Next?

I’ve got just the thing! Subscribe for hand-selected pieces of knit-worthy inspiration delivered to you every Time-Saving Tuesday.

Table of Contents

The Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles Set allows you to have a range of knitting needle sizes and cable lengths.

Photo of Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles from Manufacturer's Website
From Manufacturer’s Website

Denise Interchangeables are used mostly as circulars. There are many types of knitted projects you can take on. Anything from designs for children’s knitted wool clothes, hats, scarves, shawls and Afghans.

Suitable for scarf, accessories or any kind of knitted items. Having the ability to have different needle sizes and cables all in the one set is very handy.

No more having to search through your collection to find the right size! All of the needle tips are clearly defined by color and labelled. More on that below.

Every knitter needs an interchangeable set. They are an excellent addition to your tool collection. They are indeed an investment in a lifetime of crafting happiness! Many positive customer reviews confirm this.

 @frescurasecia working with her Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles
@frescurasecia working with her Denise circulars

Who Invented This Type Of Interchangeable Needle?

I am always impressed by people who come up with design solutions. Lorraine and Bob Linstead, the couple who developed these products were two such people.

Lorraine found herself wanting to knit an afghan, as a present for a neighbor. Using straight needles meant the need for piecing and Lorraine found sewing the knitted strips together, took longer than the knitting.

Her solution was to get her husband to cut the knobs off the end of her straight needles. He made grooves on the cut end, and Lorraine secured plastic tubing to the ends and tied it in with silk thread. People were very interested in Lorraine’s homemade circular needles and wanted some too.

Their first interchangeable set β€œThe Countess” was further developed by the Boye Company to become β€œThe NeedleMaster.”

Lorraine noticed some design flaws; the anodized surface on the aluminum gradually wore off, and the screw in connection tended to slowly unscrew because of the circular motion of knitting in the round. In the 1970s the Linsteads worked on developing a new type of interchangeable knitting needle.

Their idea was to have a needle that locked into place and made from molded plastic. In 1975 they applied for a Patent. Manufacturing of their products started with the machinery that Bob built himself in a small factory.

Lorraine and Bob worked together making and selling these knitting needle kits in the USA and internationally for more than 20 years.

They sold their business to Linda Krag, who still runs the company with her family today. The products are still made in the USA. They also offer crocheting products like interchangeable afghan crochet hooks.

@rachelfahnelbonitz Wash Cloth on her denise needles. Follow for more great pics :)
@rachelfahnelbonitz Wash Cloth on her denise needles. Follow for more great pics πŸ™‚

Features:

Needle Sizes In The Denise Needle Set

The size range is excellent, and includes ten needle sizes- US 5 to US15:

US5 (3.75mm), US6 (4.0mm), US7 (4.5mm), US8 (5.0mm), US9 (5.5mm), US10 (6mm), US10.5 (6.5mm), US11 (8.0mm), US13 (9.0mm), US15 (10.0mm)

The pointed needle pairs are marked with the size and so is the compartment of the storage case. The compact set makes it very easy to put back in place when not in use.

Colors for Needle tips are either gray, brights (multicolored – turquoise, bright yellow, teal, color blue, red or pastels (pastel pink, pastel lavender, pastel spring green). Good thing to mention is a Pink Knitting Kit – Pastels purchase helps to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research.

They also offer Love2Knit, Sharp Short Tips for smaller circumference projects like sleeves, sock. The knitting needle set comes with a diagram of where to place the cables to fit back into the case.

The tiny cord that comes with the kit is a stitch holder and is convenient when moving your work off needles.

Each of the different size tips from US5-101/2 has a 4” (10cm) long shaft. This gives you an excellent hold on the needles. The US11-15 have 4.5” (11cm) shaft.

The plastic is durable and firm. The smooth surface of these interchangeable needles makes for faster knitting. The plastic needles may not be for everyone, and often people have a preference for the material they like.

Fabulous tools for your yarn crafting and a good alternative for people who don’t like metal or wood, bamboo needle tips. Yarns glide over easily without snagging.

A convenient size 17” circular perfect for knitting hats and children’s knits or sweaters can be achieved by using the 4” size needles (5,6,7,8,9,10 and 10 Β½ and the 9” cord length.) So many knitting possibilities.

Sturdy Case Dimensions 1.25 x 7 x 9.5 inches.

Suitable for medium or advanced knitting patterns. Knitting rows will be easy. They don’t have a sharp tip so your fingers are safe!

Assembly Of The Denise Needle Tip And Cord

An excellent feature is that the needle points click on with a twist. Then the needle tip and cord are securely connected. The connections are smooth.

Tips To Help With Connection

If you have a problem with twisting, there is a little hole in the cord where a paperclip or safety pin can be inserted.

Use the paperclip as a key to twist the cable while holding the needle tip to click into place. When using the paper clip open it up slightly and then insert in the hole on the cable. Push it through so the half of the paperclip is on one side of the cord and the other half of the paperclip is on the other end of the cord.

Another handy trick is to use rubber bands to give your fingertips more traction. Just keep flattening the rubber band so that you can wrap it around the cable near the connection point.

Another rubber band used on the needle may also be helpful. More often than not just one on the cable end will help your fingers from slipping.

Flexible Cable Cords

The adjustable cords come in six lengths – 5” 9” 12” 14” 16” 19” (13, 23, 30, 36, 41 and 48 cm).

End Buttons

The kit includes four end buttons which allow for those times when you might want to use the needle size for another project.

The needles can be clicked off and then replaced with the end buttons. This turns the cord into a stitch holder, so handy.

The end buttons make a great end cap for straight needle too.

Cable Extenders

The two extenders mean you can have up even longer cord lengths. By putting the 16″ cord with the 19″ cord, you have 35″.

Since you have two extenders, you could add the 14″, 16″, and the 19″ cords to even make a 49″ cord.

@WingandKey working with her Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles. Follow for more great pics
@WingandKey working with her denise needles.

Benefits:

Here are just some of the advantages:

Speed Up Using Mismatched Knitting Needles

The key to knitting faster is getting your stitches to slide easily from the left needle. Try using a few sizes smaller needle in your left hand.

Knit More Easily If Your Tension Is On The Tight Side

The same idea above can be applied if you have tight tension. This suggestion only works for if you are working in the round, using circular needles.

Found A Mistake? Unraveling Your Yarn Stitches Is So Much Easier

No-one likes finding an error and realizing they have to unravel their work.

When you do find a mistake, the good news is removing the stitches is very easy.

Just remove the tip from one end of the cord and the stitches slide off effortlessly.

Create Even Stockinette Stitch

Stockinette stitch can look uneven if your purl stitches are looser than your knit stitches.

Try using a smaller Denise Interchangeable knitting needle on the purl side of the circular needle.

Experimentation will be required to find how many denise needle sizes you need to go down. Of course, it will vary depending on the type of yarn used and the gauge.

Knit When Traveling

The compact storage kit is about the size of a small hardback book. Lightweight and easy to keep organized. They also offer fabric pouches with pockets to store your items. Save yourself time by not having to search through a bag if you have them loose.

Doing your craft when away is the sort of thing that makes vacations all the more enjoyable! Denise needles are your perfect traveling companion!

Comparable Products To Consider

Key Takeaways and Top Recommendations

This product is worth the investment. There’s a great range of needle sizes.

The quality of the materials and the ease of connection is excellent.

The fact that these knitting-needles are still made in the USA by a family run company is a refreshing notion in today’s world, where some products are mass-produced and low quality.

It is a smart buy, click that add to cart button and I highly recommend them for your projects. Be sure to check shipping cost for your area. They offer free shipping for orders over $75 in the USA only.

Remember if you purchase their Pink Project products like the Pink Knitting Kit – Pastels, this helps to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research.

Hope you found this information guide helpful! Do you like using these needles? I’d love to hear about your experience. Looking for inspiration, search #knitdenise on instagram, youtube and pinterest.

If you are interested in crochet, shop their supplies for a crochet hook set.

About The Author

Jodie Morgan From Knit Like Granny

Jodie Morgan (Author & Founder)

jodie@knitlikegranny.com | Lives In: Regional Australia

Author: Jodie Morgan is a passionate knitter and blogger with 40+ years of experience currently living in regional Australia. Taught by her mother and wonderful grandmother β€œMama”, she fell in love with crafting from a young age. When she’s not knitting, you’ll find her enjoying a cup of coffee with cream, or sharing helpful resources and tips with the online knitting community. Get to know Jodie and the team on our meet the team page.

Crunchbase | Flickr | LinkedIn | MuckRack | Ravelry | Twitter

Don't Know What To Knit Next?

I’ve got just the thing! Subscribe for hand-selected pieces of knit-worthy inspiration delivered to you every Time-Saving Tuesday.

Comments

    • To connect the needle tips to the cable, hold the black end of the cord with one hand and hold the needle tip in the other. Place the black section inside the needle tip and then give a quarter turn. You will feel the two ends connect. Cheers Jodie πŸ™‚

      Reply
  1. I have a problem when knitting a large shawl. The extenders disconnect frequently when I’m moving the stitches round the cable, and i have to pick up a pile of dropped stitches. They just don’t stay locked.

    Reply
    • Hi Ayesha. How frustrating! One does not want to be loosing stitches as you knit. Interestingly another customer on the Denise website has had a similar problem with the extenders. She thought it was due to her extenders being old so got new ones, but found they too came apart. Perhaps it would be a good idea to contact them via their contact form https://www.knitdenise.com/pages/contact-us and let them know what you are experiencing. I am sure they would be happy to help you. Let me know how you get on. Cheers Jodie

      Reply
  2. I have used these for years.
    I once had a problem with a broken connection on a cord. I contacted Denise with a photo, and received a very prompt reply by email *and* a replacement + several additional small cords.
    Am awaiting delivery of a set of short sharp tips.

    Reply
    • Hi Monica. That’s wonderful to hear that Denise’s customer service were so helpful. Thanks so much for sharing your experience of these needles. Cheers Jodie

      Reply
    • Hi Susan. That’s great to hear. Can you share what you love about Denise Products and why you prefer them? Cheers Jodie

      Reply
  3. I love love love the ease of connection. I haven’t used extenders, so I haven’t had any disconnections so far. I have heard it as a complaint so I do get nervous when I use them.

    Reply
    • Hi Kelly. Thanks so much for sharing your love of the connections of the Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles. That’s great to hear you haven’t had any problems. Let’s know how you get on with the extenders. Cheers Jodie

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Jodie Morgan Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.