These are like circular needles but they aren't connected. I love circular needles because one loose one doesn't get lost and you can, indeed, put more stitches on them without dropping stitches when putting the work down. But these look like circular nylon needles, except the skinny shaft is about 12-15" long and there is a circle on the end --Susan Bates, size 8. I've seen these before but have no idea what their special use might be unless they are simply a variation of the rigid aluminum needles. (Sorry, I don't know how to post a picture.)