The picks
Best US Size 17 Knitting Needles
Twelve and three-quarter millimeters. The top of the band, where the weight of the needle itself becomes the thing you are choosing.
By Sawyer V. · Published October 17, 2026
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The short answer
US 17 is 12.75mm, the top of the super bulky band. Buy a bamboo or lightweight wood fixed circular rather than steel, because at this diameter the weight of the needle itself is what tires your hands, and a jumbo stitch slides off a slick surface on its own. Buy 29 to 32 inches of cable for a cowl or a throw and 40 inches for a full blanket. No interchangeable set we list reaches this size - all three stop at US 15 or below - so a fixed circular is the purchase either way. And check your ball band first: most yarn sold as super bulky names 8 to 10mm, not 12.75mm, and only jumbo category 7 yarn genuinely asks for this needle.
| # | Product | Best for | Length | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular Needle, US 17 (12.75mm), 29inBamboo at 12.75mm on a 29in cord - the lightest tip at this size, which is the specification that matters most here. | One jumbo needle, most projects | 29in | Fixed circular | $15.85 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 2 |  ChiaoGoo Wooden Circular Needle, US 17 (12.75mm), 32inLightweight wood tips on a 32in clear tube - ChiaoGoo builds its jumbo sizes differently, and the difference is the point. | A throw, an afghan, anything wide | 32in | Fixed circular | $23.36 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 3 |  Clover Takumi Bamboo Single Point Needles, US 17 (12.75mm), 10inTen-inch bamboo straights - the only Takumi straight that reaches jumbo, and short enough that you should know what it suits. | A jumbo cowl or a short scarf, knitted flat | 10in | Straights | $18.26 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 4 |  ChiaoGoo Red Lace Circular Needle, US 17 (12.75mm), 40inSurgical stainless at 12.75mm on a 40in memory-free cable - the fastest and the heaviest thing on this page. | Fast knitters who want sharp tips at a jumbo size | 40in | Fixed circular | $24.39 - View on Amazon |
| 5 |  Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular Needle, US 15 (10mm), 29inBamboo at 10mm - the needle most super bulky labels name, and the one to buy if your band does not actually say 17. | Super bulky yarn that is not quite jumbo | 29in | Fixed circular | $11.50 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
| 6 |  ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Interchangeable Set (Complete, 5in tips)The best interchangeable set we list, and it stops at US 15. No set we list reaches 12.75mm. | Every size except this one | Tips US 2-15 | Interchangeable | $216.80 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of October 20, 2026 |
Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular Needle, US 17 (12.75mm), 29in
Clover · Best for one jumbo needle, most projects
Bamboo at 12.75mm on a 29in cord - the lightest way to hold a jumbo stitch, which matters more here than at any other size.
- Size
- US 17 (12.75mm)
- Length
- 29in
- Material
- Bamboo
- Format
- Fixed circular
- Line
- Takumi bamboo circulars, sold in 16in to 48in lengths
Who it suits
Anyone knitting a jumbo cowl, a chunky throw or a first arm-knitting-adjacent project with actual needles.
Why it is here
US 17 (12.75mm) bamboo, 29in, from the Takumi circular line. At 12.75mm the needle itself is as thick as a pencil, and over a blanket-sized project the difference between a bamboo pair and a steel pair is something your wrists register within the hour. Bamboo also grips, which matters more here than at 9mm: a jumbo stitch is the heaviest loop in knitting and it will leave a slick needle unaided.
What you give up
Twenty-nine inches is roomy for a cowl and short for a full blanket. Bamboo at this diameter is also stiffer than people expect - it does not flex the way a thin bamboo needle does.
Specifications from Clover USA - Takumi circular knitting needles. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ChiaoGoo Wooden Circular Needle, US 17 (12.75mm), 32in
ChiaoGoo · Best for a throw, an afghan, anything wide
Lightweight wood tips joined by a clear hollow tube - ChiaoGoo's own answer to the weight problem at jumbo sizes.
- Size
- US 17 (12.75mm)
- Length
- 32in (80cm)
- Tip material
- Lightweight wood, semi-sharp tips
- Cable
- Clear hollow plastic tube at size 17 and larger
- Lengths offered
- 24in, 32in and 40in
Who it suits
Anyone casting on something more than about 30 inches across in jumbo yarn.
Why it is here
US 17 (12.75mm), 32in (80cm), wooden tips with semi-sharp points. ChiaoGoo publishes that at size 17 and larger its circulars are made of lightweight wood joined by a clear, hollow plastic tube rather than the steel cable used on the finer sizes - a deliberate weight decision at exactly the size where weight starts to hurt. Sold in 24in, 32in and 40in.
What you give up
The hollow tube is less flexible than a memory-free steel cable, so it takes a little while to relax. Wood tips are also blunter than the Red Lace steel, which you notice on tight decreases.
Specifications from ChiaoGoo - circulars product line. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Clover Takumi Bamboo Single Point Needles, US 17 (12.75mm), 10in
Clover · Best for a jumbo cowl or a short scarf, knitted flat
The only Takumi straight that reaches jumbo - ten inches, which is short for the gauge and is why it suits a cowl rather than a blanket.
- Size
- US 17 (12.75mm)
- Length
- 10in
- Material
- Bamboo
- Format
- Single point - flat knitting only
- Lengths offered
- 10in is the only length Clover lists at No. 17 and No. 19
Who it suits
Anyone who flatly prefers straights and is making something narrow.
Why it is here
A pair of 10in bamboo single points at US 17 (12.75mm). Clover lists 10in as the only length it offers at No. 17 and No. 19, which tells you what the format is for. At 12.75mm you get roughly two and a half stitches to the inch, so ten inches holds about 25 stitches - a scarf, a cowl panel, a cushion front. Not a blanket.
What you give up
Twenty-five stitches is the practical ceiling, and the weight of the fabric hangs off your wrists rather than sitting in your lap. For anything wide, a circular is not a preference, it is a requirement.
Specifications from Clover USA - Takumi single point knitting needles. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ChiaoGoo Red Lace Circular Needle, US 17 (12.75mm), 40in
ChiaoGoo · Best for fast knitters who want sharp tips at a jumbo size
Steel tips at 12.75mm on a forty-inch memory-free cable - fast and precise, and the heaviest needle on the page.
- Size
- US 17 (12.75mm)
- Length
- 40in (102cm)
- Tip material
- Surgical stainless steel, satin-sheen finish
- Cable
- Memory-free multi-strand steel, nylon coated, red
- Model
- 7040-17
Who it suits
Anyone who finds wood and bamboo drag, and anyone whose project is both wide and worked at speed.
Why it is here
US 17 (12.75mm) stainless tips, 40in (102cm), model 7040-17, on the memory-free multi-strand steel cable with a nylon coat. The cable is the real argument: at 40in it holds a full-width blanket, and the memory-free construction means the cord does not coil and fight a heavy fabric. The satin-sheen steel also moves stitches faster than wood does.
What you give up
This is the heaviest needle here by some way, and at 12.75mm that is a real cost over a long project. Slick steel is also the worst surface for a jumbo stitch that wants to slide off.
Specifications from ChiaoGoo - circulars product line. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Clover Takumi Bamboo Circular Needle, US 15 (10mm), 29in
Clover · Best for super bulky yarn that is not quite jumbo
Bamboo tips at 10mm on a 29in cord - grip where you need it most, because a super-bulky stitch slides off smooth metal.
- Size
- US 15 (10mm)
- Length
- 29in
- Material
- Bamboo
- Format
- Fixed circular
- Cord
- Flexible soft cord, seamless join
- Sold as
- One needle, one size per pack
Who it suits
Anyone who bought a jumbo needle because the yarn looked thick and found the fabric came out gappy.
Why it is here
US 15 (10mm) bamboo, 29in. Ten millimeters sits mid-band in super bulky, which is where most category 6 yarn labels point. The reason it is on this page is that US 17 is genuinely too big for most of the chunky yarn sold as super bulky: at 12.75mm, Bernat Blanket produces a loose, holey fabric rather than a dense one. If you are reading this because a yarn looked thick, check the band before you buy the bigger needle.
What you give up
Not actually a US 17, so if your pattern or your ball band names 12.75mm this will give you a tighter fabric and a smaller finished piece.
Specifications from Clover USA - Takumi bamboo knitting needles. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Interchangeable Set (Complete, 5in tips)
ChiaoGoo · Best for every size except this one
Thirteen pairs of surgical stainless lace tips on memory-free red nylon-coated steel cables, with a lifeline hole through every tip.
- Tips
- 13 pairs, 5in (13cm), US 2-15 (2.75-10mm)
- Tip material
- Surgical-grade stainless steel, lace point
- Cables
- Multi-strand steel core, red nylon coating; 2 x 14in, 2 x 22in, 2 x 30in
- Notable
- Lifeline hole in each tip; memory-free cable
- Also included
- Stitch markers, two keys, needle gauge, stoppers, connector, case
Who it suits
Nobody shopping for a US 17 - which is the point of listing it.
Why it is here
Tips from US 2 to 15 (2.75-10mm). This is the widest-reaching set on the site and it still stops two full steps short of 12.75mm; the addi Click Turbo also ends at US 15, and the Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe ends at US 11. There is no interchangeable path to this size, so at US 17 you are buying a fixed circular or a pair of straights whether you own a set or not.
What you give up
Worth owning for everything below jumbo. Just do not buy it expecting it to cover the needle this page is about.
Specifications from ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace set specification. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Where 12.75mm sits
The Craft Yarn Council's super bulky band (category 6) runs 8 to 12.75mm, so US 17 is the ceiling rather than a middle option. Above it the sizes stop being standardized and start being novelty: US 19, US 35, US 50 and the arm-knitting end of the scale.
| US size | Metric | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| US 13 | 9mm | Super bulky - Wool-Ease Thick & Quick |
| US 15 | 10mm | Super bulky - the mid-band default |
| US 17 | 12.75mm | Top of super bulky, bottom of jumbo |
| US 19 | 15mm | Jumbo - roving and loop yarn |
| US 35 and up | 19mm+ | Arm-knitting territory |
That ceiling position is why this page exists at all: best US size 15 knitting needles tells readers 12.75mm is where the band ends, and until now had nowhere to send them next.
The yarns that actually name US 17
Fewer than people assume. Most yarn sold as chunky or super bulky names 8mm or 9mm on the band. Twelve and three-quarter millimeters is a jumbo-category number.
| Yarn | Weight | Needle on the band | Published knit gauge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernat Blanket Extra | 7 Jumbo | 12.75mm (US 17) | 5 sts x 7 rows / 4in |
| Bernat Blanket | 6 Super Bulky | 8mm (US 11) | 8 sts x 13 rows / 4in |
| Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick | 6 Super Bulky | US 13 (9mm) | 9 sts x 12 rows / 4in |
| Bernat Alize Blanket-EZ | 7 Jumbo | No needle - worked with fingers | Not published |
Best yarn for arm knitting covers the genuinely jumbo yarns, and best chunky yarn covers what most people actually have in their hands when they go looking for a big needle.
Weight becomes the deciding property
At every finer size, needle material is a question of glide and preference. At 12.75mm it is a question of mass. The needle is as thick as a pencil, and you are almost always knitting something large with it.
- Bamboo and lightweight wood are the right default. ChiaoGoo makes this explicit: at size 17 and larger its circulars switch to lightweight wood joined by a hollow tube rather than the steel cable used lower down.
- A jumbo stitch is the heaviest loop in knitting, and a slick needle sheds them when you set the work down.
- Steel buys you speed and sharp tips, which is a real benefit if you knit fast - and costs you the most weight, which is a real cost over a blanket.
- Grip matters more as the stitch gets bigger, so the material argument that is marginal at US 4 is decisive here.
No set reaches this size
| Set | Tip range | US 17 included? |
|---|---|---|
| ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Complete | US 2-15 (2.75-10mm) | No |
| addi Click Turbo | US 4-15 (3.5-10mm) | No |
| Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe | US 4-11 (3.5-8.0mm) | No |
This is not an oversight by the manufacturers. Interchangeable tips need a screw join inside the needle, and at jumbo diameters with jumbo stitch weights that join is a weak point. Fixed circulars have no join to fail. If you already own a set, buy a single fixed circular at this size and do not go hunting for tips that do not exist.
Cable length at two and a half stitches to the inch
- 16in - too short for almost anything at this gauge.
- 24in - a cowl, a cushion cover, a narrow wrap.
- 29in to 32in - the sensible single purchase: a lap throw, a generous cowl, a wide scarf.
- 40in - a full blanket. At roughly two and a half stitches to the inch, a 48in blanket is about 120 stitches of very fat fabric, and it needs the room.
Circular needle cable lengths has the full mapping. The thing worth repeating here is that stitches stretched tight across a short cable distort your gauge reading, so if you swatch on a cord that is too short, the number you measure is not your gauge.
Buying without getting the wrong needle
- Buy on the millimeter figure. US 17 is 12.75mm. Some listings round it to 12mm or 13mm, and a 12mm needle is a genuinely different needle.
- US 17 is not US 15 and not US 19. The steps up here are large: 10mm, 12.75mm, 15mm. One step is a visible change in the finished fabric.
- Check whether the listing is a pair or a single. At this size, straights are sold as pairs and circulars as singles, and the photographs do not always make it obvious.
- Watch the cable material. At jumbo sizes some makers switch from steel cable to a plastic tube; that is a deliberate weight decision, not a cheaper product.
- If your pattern says 'arm knitting', you do not want a needle at all - best yarn for arm knitting covers that.
Questions people actually ask
What size is a US 17 knitting needle in mm?
US 17 is 12.75mm. The sizes either side are US 15 at 10mm and US 19 at 15mm, so the steps at this end of the scale are large - nearly three millimeters in each direction.
What is the largest standard knitting needle size?
In the Craft Yarn Council's weight system, 12.75mm (US 17) is the top of the super bulky band. Larger needles exist - US 19 at 15mm, US 35, US 50 - but they sit in jumbo and arm-knitting territory, where the scale is not standardized in the same way.
What yarn do you use with size 17 needles?
Jumbo, category 7, or super bulky where you deliberately want an open fabric. Bernat Blanket Extra publishes its gauge on 12.75mm. Most yarn sold as super bulky names 8 to 10mm instead, and at 12.75mm it makes a loose, gappy fabric with no body.
Do any interchangeable sets include US 17?
None of the three we list. The ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace Complete and the addi Click Turbo both stop at US 15 (10mm) and the Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe stops at US 11. Interchangeable tips need a screw join, and at jumbo stitch weights that join is a weak point - so a fixed circular is the purchase here whether you own a set or not.
Are bamboo or metal needles better at 12.75mm?
Bamboo or lightweight wood. At this diameter the needle itself has real mass, and you are usually knitting something large. ChiaoGoo makes the same call in its own range, switching to lightweight wood at size 17 and larger. Steel is faster and sharper, and heavier in a way you notice over a blanket.
What cable length do I need for size 17 needles?
Twenty-nine to thirty-two inches as a single purchase, and forty inches for a full blanket. At roughly two and a half stitches to the inch, a 48in-wide blanket is about 120 stitches of very bulky fabric - a short cord will stretch it and distort your gauge.
Is US 17 the same as 12mm?
No. US 17 is 12.75mm. A 12mm needle is a separate size that some European brands sell, and three-quarters of a millimeter at this gauge is a visible difference in the finished fabric. Buy on the exact millimeter figure.
Can I use size 17 needles for arm knitting projects?
Not really - arm knitting uses no needles at all, and yarns designed for it, like Bernat Alize Blanket-EZ, are worked with the fingers. US 17 is for jumbo yarn that still wants a needle, which is a different and more controllable fabric.
Sources
- Craft Yarn Council - Standard Yarn Weight System
- Clover USA - Takumi circular knitting needles
- Clover USA - Takumi single point knitting needles
- ChiaoGoo - circulars product line
- ChiaoGoo TWIST Red Lace set specification
- addi Click Turbo set specification
- Knitter's Pride Dreamz Deluxe interchangeable set - retail specification
- Yarnspirations - Bernat Blanket Extra specification
- Yarnspirations - Bernat Blanket specification
- Lion Brand - Wool-Ease Thick & Quick specification
- Yarnspirations - Bernat Alize Blanket-EZ specification