The Yarn Diary

The Yarn Diary | June 01, 2026

How to Fix Curly Circular Needle Cords | Quick Knitting Fix

Use Warm Water to Relax Curly Circular Needle Cords

Sometimes when you start using brand new circular needles, the cords can be a little unruly. They can get very curly and twisted from being in the packaging, which makes it hard to keep your project flat and can be frustrating to work with.

All you need to remedy this is some warm water. You want the water to be hot, but not boiling. You can use your teakettle and wait until I see some steam, but warming up even just a mug of water in the microwave would work too. Dip the cords into the water for a few seconds, then stretch out the needles and give a gentle tug. The warm water will relax the plastic enough to release the curl. Only do a few seconds at a time! You don’t want to accidentally melt your cords.

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