Don’t you just hate trying to knit with circular needles? Wouldn’t you just rather cram 200 stitches on straight needles?
Well until I discovered this trick – Me, too. I was watching a DIY show called Knitty Gritty (http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_dkng) and I found this tip.
Boil your needles and that will straighten out the cord. There is one little thing though, don’t boil wooden or bamboo needles! Just dip the cord in boiling water. If you submerse the needles the finish probably will be damaged. This is the voice of experience. I got brand new bamboo needles, stuck them in the nuke chest (microwave) in a dish of water, the needle fell in and I had to rewax my needles. Ugh! But my cord is straight!