Hi.  I am a knitting newby.  So far I have made 4 scarves and have three in progress, all for Christmas presents for grandchildren and daughters-in-law.   But sadly, I get bored easily and want to make an afghan for myself. 

 My problem is:  what needles do I use?  I have found that I really don't like scarf needles unless it is a narrow scarf for a child, and the 14" needles aren't much better when knitting a wider scarf. I am having problems being able to spread out my work on the needle so I can admire my stiches, or more often  check for mistakes so I can fix it before it's too late.  Should I be using circular needles,  especially for the afghan?  What size cables do I use, the widest I can find?  I'm not sure how to change directions but I guess I can figure it out.  Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.