Choosing the Right Knitting Needles

Darn Pretty Needles
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Knitting needles come in a variety of styles and sizes, and choosing the right ones for the job at hand can eliminate a lot of frustration. There are several choices when it comes to the materials they’re made from, which can be either aluminum, plastic or wood such as Rosewood, Ebony or Bamboo. Each different style has it’s own purpose and your pattern instructions will indicate the size and type of knitting needles required for your specific project.

Single Point Knitting Needles

exotic woods These are the type that we've probably all seen our grandmothers use and the ones most people get started with when they first begin knitting. They consist of a long, pointed rod for holding your stitches, and a larger, often bulbous knob on the opposite end to prevent your stitches from sliding off the back. They’re used for creating items such as scarves and sweaters (or other garments) that are made up of flat pieces which are sewn together later.

Double Pointed Knitting Needles

Double pointed knitting needles are used in a set of four or more, usually to knit smaller, tubular shaped items such as socks, hats and mittens. These are shorter than the single point variety previously mentioned and the beauty of using these knitting needles is that they knit up in the round and there are no seams to sew. You knit continuously, around and around, so you are always working on the "right" side of the pattern and never get to the end of a row, giving your items a smooth, seamless construction. Get started today

Circular Knitting Needles

circular image 1 These consist of two short needle tips that are connected by a flexible nylon cord and are used for making seamless circular items that are too large for the double pointed knitting needles. The length of the nylon cord will vary depending on the size of your item and ideally, it should be slightly shorter than the total distance around the circumference of your project. These needles are also good for knitting large, flat items such as afghans or sweaters.

Addi Click Set
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You can buy inexpensive circular knitting needles but if you plan on doing a lot of knitting then we suggest you invest in a kit such as the Addi Click Interchangable Needle Set. They're more expensive but worth it, since you won't have to buy a lot of different sizes and lengths for your various projects. The kit contains various sizes of needle tips, several lengths of nylon cord that can be connected together to achieve different lengths and comes in its own storage case.

Cable Stitch Needles

for making cables You’ll want to have one of these at hand when knitting a pattern that involves cable stitches. They are quite short, approximately 3 inches in length, with points at both ends and they come in different shapes. While one style is perfectly straight, another has a kink in the middle that looks like a "V" shaped bend and yet another is in the shape of a "J". These inexpensive needles are an important addition to any knitter’s collection of tools.

Sizing

This really just refers to the diameter needed to get the correct gauge required by your pattern. Sizes range from 0-50 for US sizing and 2.1-25.4 for British sizing. You will need the smaller needles when knitting with finer yarns, to make things like baby knits or delicate, lacework and such. Larger ones are used for things like chunky sweaters and scarves, and the really large size are used to create a very large, loose knit. Your pattern instructions should indicate which size you will need but remember to always knit a gauge swatch to check your tension. You may need to change the size of your knitting needles from those recommended in the pattern, in order to get the correct measurements.

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