by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: May 11, 2009   Last Updated: June 19, 2009

To many, the sight of a shop shelf stacked with different kinds of knitting needles can be confusing. With the commercial production and innovative introduction of new types of knitting needle, how is a new crafts person to choose the most suitable needles? This article goes into the pros and cons of different types of needles, in an effort to make this clearer and help new knitters to make wise choices. After that, the knitting part is easy.

*Size.

*Length.

*Set of four needles or circular needle?

*Types of needle.

*Color of needles.

*Cable stitch needles.

Size.

The size of needle required is always noted on the pattern you choose to knit. Look at the pattern closely and choose the size stated. Knit a small sampler to see how your knitting compares with standard knitting, as this helps you to decide if the gage of your knitting means you should choose a larger or smaller needle. One thing to look out for here is the sizing method used. There are two types of knitting needle sizes and if metric ones are bought and the pattern does not show metric, ask the store for a metric conversion of needle sizes.

Length.

Many knitters prefer longer needles. The length of the needle should be determined by the size of the item you are knitting. If you knit a large sweater on small needles, you will find you will struggle to see all the work on the needle. Longer ones allow you to stretch out the work and spot areas where you may have problems. Conversely, shorter needles are more suited to knitting smaller items and are less cumbersome.

Set of four needles or circular needle?

For knitting items in rounds, the traditional method was to use four needles with points at each end. These allow you to work in rounds though are found to be difficult by beginners. If you are working on small items such as socks, then the small two ended needles are ideal. However, with the invention of round knitting needles, which are basically two needle ends, attached to each other by a nylon string, these make the work less cumbersome. The disadvantage of these is that you will also need to take into consideration the size of the project and buy ones with the appropriate length of nylon so that your work will not be stretched or squashed during the knitting process.

Types of needle.

The most common types of knitting needles are made from the following materials:

*Wood

*Bamboo

*Rosewood

*Metal

*Plastic

Wooden needles tend to be a little

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>