Length really does matter

In talking about my scarf project, I mentioned that the needles I was using were 13" long.

This is an average length for straight needles, but long for DPNs. But I need this length in order to knit -- with my hands about 7" apart, a 5" DPN just wouldn't work.

There are, however, two problems with this.

One is that the thinner the needles get, the bendier they get. 5mm works fine. 2.5mm? Not so much. Since I've always got one of the needles gripped halfway down, there is a lot of flex between my grip and the tip of the needle. And flex means that stitches tend to jump off.

In my less-efficient model of knitting -- grip one, left hand at tip of needle to manipulate stitches, right hand halfway down and getting the needle where it should be; grip two, left hand halfway down so I can throw the yarn with my right hand; then back to grip one for pulling the needle through and completing the stitch -- I generally have to do the making-a-stitch motion several times before it sticks. Even with my left hand there to guide the stitches, because the right needle is gripped so far down, the "bring yarn through old stitch" movement has the tip bending enough to let the new stitch sproing off.

And I call this less efficient because there is more transfering of needles between hands. It is, however, the best method I've found for dealing with thin needles and fingering- or sock-weight yarn. The "standard" English method that I use still has my right hand several inches below the tip of the needle, enough for it to flex in the bad ways, yet I don't have the right access to the stitches. (Worsted-weight yarn, especially wool, doesn't need me to handle the stitches much, because I can just work with the needles. But with fingering-weight yarn, I need to be able to handle the stitches as much as the needles.)

The other problem is with circular needles ... but I shall have to get into that later, as there is a cat that needs my attention.