by Annalou Mack

Created on: May 17, 2009

Knitting is one of the few hobbies that require very little equipment. If you have a ball of yarn and a couple of knitting needles, you are in business. It is true there are other items that can be used, but the basics are yarn and needles. To have the greatest enjoyment and relaxation from knitting you need to choose the best equipment. This article will give you a few tips on picking the knitting needles that are right for you.

Tip # 1: Pick a set of needles that are right for the project you want to knit. The three main types of needles are straight, single-point; straight, double-point; and circular.

1. Straight, single-point needles - have a point at one end and a cap, marked with the needle size, at the other. Straight needles are used for back-and-forth flat knitting and are the needles that most beginners start knitting with. Scarves, vests, shawls, afghans and most sweaters are knitted on straight needles. Needles come in different lengths, so choose a set that is long enough to comfortably hold the amount of stitches needed for the project.

2. Double pointed needles - If you want to knit mittens, gloves or socks, you should look for double pointed needles. They come in sets of four and are used for seamless knitting. Double pointed needles are also used for finishing garments such as at the neckline of a sweater.

3. Circular knitting needles - are very versatile and can be used for both flat knitting and knitting in the round. They consist of two straight needles connected with a flexible plastic cord. Circular needles are good for hats, skirts, coats, sweaters and dresses. The shorter lengths may be used for sleeves and round neck ribbing. Afghans are much easier to knit on circular needles because the large number of stitches needed fit better on the longer circular needles than on straight needles.

Tip # 2: Pick needles that are appropriate for the yarn you are using for your project.

As a general rule (not hard and fast) thicker yarns are worked on larger needles and smaller needles are used for thinner yarn. Needles are numbered according to the thickness of the needle. For American needles, the higher the number, the thicker the needle and vary in size from 0 up to 50. As you can guess, the larger needles make larger stitches and the smaller needles make smaller stitches. Check your yarn label because the needle size is usually recommended.

A smoother needle is better for yarn with a lot of texture and the opposite for a smoother yarn.

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