I prefer the non bamboo circulars( I love bamboo straight needles though). I have a pair and they drove me crazy. Had the same problem, too crinkly-twisty wire, hard to shift yarn, said the heck w/ it and bought metal/aluminum Boye /Susan Bates etc ones, much better. You can use 14" needles, your work will be crowded that's all. I did a shawl last yr on circulars, ended up w/ 143 stitches across( a triangle shawl w/ fringe) turned out great.

http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/...ngleShawl.html

Jennifer