KnitPro Nova interchangeable knitting needles review

An unsponsored review of the new KnitPro Nova needle sets with close-up pictures of all the important details.

The KnitPro* Nova needles rank very highly among my all-time favorite needles. The coated metal stalks are just so slick, while the medium-sharp tips facilitate knitting simpler patterns with speed and precision. Recently, the Indish company decided to revamp the whole range and I reviewed this new iteration of the Nova interchangeable knitting needles for you!

For this review, I bought the “Grande” set but there are smaller sets available. You can buy the Nova needles here on Amazon or on Etsy (<- that’s where I bought my set and found a nice bargain).

*(KnitPro was previously known as Knitter’s Pride in the U.S. They changed the name in 2025)

Contents of the set

The bigger sets come in a nice big, sturdy pouch made of fabric (it feels a bit like suede). Rubber bands secure the needles, while there are further compartments on the right side for all the accessories. I really like the way the cables are secured with this little press-button band. It just makes so much sense!

All in all, you get:

• 14 interchangeable knitting needle tips (starting at 3.00 mm up to 17 mm)
• 6 stainless steel swivel cables (40, 60, and 80 cm)
• 4 cable keys
• 2 cable connectors and 8 cable stoppers
• 20 stitch markers
• 2 tapestry needles
• 1 tape measure and one pair of scissors

Now here’s what I really like about all the accessories: They are not individually packed in little plastic bags anymore. A lot of needle brands still produce so much unnecessary plastic and KnitPro seems to make a conscious effort to reduce waste. A little paper envelope that does the same job.

Setting that aside, I am impressed by the choice of the accessories. The tape measure looks nice and it also measures correctly (far from normal, contrary to what you might think). I also like the choice of stitch markers. They are thin enough to not distort your gauge, while still making sense (I just wish they were a bit more colorful). They are the exact same ones I normally use as well. Perfect!

I also like the fact that plenty of cable keys are included. That’s always one of my big pet peeves. An essential item for operating any interchangeable knitting needle system that basically costs less than 1 cent, gets easily lost or misplaced, and some brands only add one or two of them to a big premium set. Why?

There are also two cable connectors included to create longer cables. I wish these were a bit shorter because the connection they create is a bit too long and stiff, in my opinion.

On the negative side, I’d have to mention that the cable stoppers are still made out of plastic without a true socket. They break so easily and it’s actually hard to screw them in. ChiaoGoo or HiyaHiya show how that can be solved in a better way. The scissors are also rather on the lower quality spectrum but they work, I guess.

I would also argue that having just one size of stitch markers and tapestry needles doesn’t quite make sense for a set that ranges from 3 to 17 mm. The stitch makers won’t fit around the bigger needles, while the tapestry needle will be too thick for the smaller sizes.

Close-up of the needles

As I said, there are altogether 14 pairs of needle tips included in the biggest set and I do have to say that is quite something for the price point. You get to choose between 4 and 5-inch tips (I always pick 5″). I also really like the fact that they cover the lower end of the size range quite thoroughly. So you have 3.00, 3.25, 3.5, 3.75, 4.00, and 4.5 mm.

Nothing is more annoying than when you read a pattern from a different country and it requires 3.25 mm needles and you don’t have that size available despite getting a set that supposedly was to solve all your future needle size problems. Or, just as common, that 3.5 mm is missing!

On the negative side, one has to mention that the KnitPro Nova interchangeable knitting needles are not available below 3.00 mm. While there certainly are fixed circulars in smaller sizes, KnitPro doesn’t offer interchangeable needles in size 2.00 or 2.50 mm. So, if you are a fan of that size range that automatically means you are left with HiyaHiya or ChiaoGoo as your only option.

All needles are coated with some white bronze (?) which makes them very fast to knit with. As far I was able to find out, this coating contains no nickel. The stitches glide across quite effortlessly. Personally speaking, this has always been my favorite needle for speed knitting. They are even better than the addi needles if you ask me. Only slightly so but still.

I really like the fact that KnitPro decided to use a very bold font for printing the size on the needles. Often, the text is so small that you cannot read it without magnification. Something that always puzzled me because the core audience of any knitting needle is typically 60+ and not twenty-something – with all the little ailments that come along with that age.

Now sadly, it’s only printed on. This means it will rub off over time. I guess, it has to do with the coating. Any engraving would damage it and cut right through.

And talking about rubbing off. Please be aware that the coating will come off over the years as well. It will not happen tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow but it typically won’t hold a lifetime. It might also change colors slightly.

Here’s my take on this: With the coating, the needles are faster than stainless steel needles. Without it, you can still continue knitting with them and they will be about the same. For me, needles are tools and no long-term investments. If a tool fails, one replaces it. Thankfully, these needles are fairly inexpensive and you can buy the tips separately as well.

It’s a bit like razorblades. Would you rather get modern ones that will have to be replaced periodically? Or would you rather use an old-fashioned shaving knife that makes cutting the skin so much easier and won’t create as much precision? But of course, there are fans of either side and I leave the decision up to you!

Let’s also zoom in on the tips as well. The tips are very well crafted with a nice round tip. The taper is moderately long and the tip is polished to a sheen (nothing even remotely will catch your skin).

Together with the medium taper, these tips are perfect for standard knitting stitch patterns such as stockinette stitch, garter stitch, moss stitch, seed stitch, etc. They might be a bit too blunt and short for advanced lace knitting or complicated cable patterns but for all standard applications, I feel they are just about right!

Unlike other brands, Knitpro/Knitter’s Pride only offers this single-tip option. There is no sharper version available (well, there are the Nova Platina or the Mindful collection but those are separate product ranges). As a result, you can definitely notice how the tip is much blunter than the sharp addi, ChiaoGoo, or HiyaHiya needles.

This can be a pro or a con. If you often push the tips, you probably don’t want stiletto sharp tips. If you enjoy complicated patterns with a finer gauge, it’s probably exactly what you need. Again, the decision is up to you. I can tell you that I quite enjoy these tips for knitting simpler sweaters in the round.

Close-up of the joins

The big weak point of almost all interchangeable knitting needles is the join where you screw the tip into the cable. Previously, this was a spot where KnitPro ranked on the lower end of the spectrum but with the revamped Nova set I do have to say that I am quite impressed. They really upped the ante.

In fact, I would go as far as saying, these joins are possibly currently among the best on the market. While the gap itself still faintly catches the fingernail, it’s the whole rest of the very well-designed transition toward the cable that turns knitting with them a joy.

This continued onwards towards the socket of the swivel cables. Another area where a lot of other manufacturers have major issues (especially ChiaoGoo). These swivel cables are possibly the best currently on the market.

In my experience, the knitting glides across both joins very effortlessly and the yarn never really catches. You can just continue pushing stitches towards the tip without constantly cursing.

If you screw the pieces together properly using the cable keys, I personally also have very few problems with the joins coming undone. This will depend a bit on your knitting style and the needle length you picked relative to your hands but I would say they are quite secure overall.

Close-up of the cables

Another area where KnitPro decided to improve things is the cables. Previously they only had rather thick plastic cables and now they include coated stainless steel cables in all their Nova sets.

These will never curl and yet are quite flexible. Since they are quite a bit thinner than the ChiaoGoo red lace cables, they are also quite a bit better for (traveling) magic loop and other applications where you have to pull the cable through stitches.

Now, we could talk a bit about the color. I am sure that black looks very nice but most knitters try to avoid using black yarn or black tools for a reason: it can quickly become quite hard to see the important details.

I also wish they’d included one longer cable (say 120cm) into the big sets. While you can certainly use the cable extenders, I would still argue that 120cm is a very common size for shawls and knitting blankets where most knitters don’t want to use a crutch. Doubly so, if you are knitting with 3.00 mm needles where these extra metal bits often catch the yarn.

Summary of my KnitPro Nova review

All in all, I have to say that I am quite impressed with this update: The joins are much better, the cables are much better, the pouches finally spell “quality”, while the tips and the coating are just as good as before.

The sets are typically sold at a very competitive price. Here in Austria, I can get a deluxe set for around 50-55 € (so 55-60$) on Etsy. And I wouldn’t even say they fall short compared to their competitors anymore in the quality department.

Do I wish 2.00 or 2.50 mm needles were included? Yes? But then again, I long ago forgot about the idea that an interchangeable needle set will solve all your problems. Maybe for a beginner but I certainly need a lot more options and have favorite tips for different projects and yarns.

What I really love about the Knitpro needles is that their whole product catalog is so big and that these needles are interchangeable with all other sets they offer. You can use the same cables to knit with the Karbonz needles, the Mindful needles, the Dreamz, Zing, etc. They even work with all Lykke and KnitPicks needles. Unlike with so many other brands, the possibilities are sheer endless.

I definitely knit with these needles very frequently and they are well-suited to my personal style of knitting (continental). This update made me love these needles even more.

that was my review of the KnitPro Nova interchangeable knitting needle set. Comment below if you still have any questions!