Abstract: Knitting needle especially for circular knitting machines, having a shock-absorbing shank. The knitting needle is torsionally twisted through a certain angle in the region of its butt. The torsional twist, on the one hand, takes up the clearance in the needle trick of the needle carrier, and on the other hand, permits springing of the needle in the region of the butt, by its impact on the raising or sinker cam of a cam box system, which leads to damping the impact force. This springing of the needle also diminishes the angle of the twist, thus enabling the effecting of a line contact of a corresponding part of the butt with the cam edge. The friction between twisted needle stem or shank and its trick prevents the throwing off of the needle, thus reducing the stress to which the needles and the cam edges are exposed. The reduction of the impact force also reduces still other forces which affect the needle in the needle trick.