Choose Your Knitting Needles Based on Your Preferences

Needles are your main tool and are a very personal choice. The type of needles you choose has a substantial effect on the finished project and as a beginning knitter on your knitting experience as a whole.  As a beginner, don't let displeasing needles spoil your knitting experience!  Each needle type feels different in your hands so it’s important to try several different types to see what your preferences are and what works best for the project you are working on.

The different Types

Knitting needles are grouped into three general types: straight, circular and double-pointed. You can read a general discussion about the uses for each of these types of needles here.

They also come in various thicknesses from 0.75mm to 25mm and you will need a variety of thickness to be able to get gauge. Gauge is important and I talk more about it here.

Manufacturers are not standardized as far as identifying thicknesses go.  A US size 8 needle in one brand will not be the same thickness as a US size 8 in another brand.  Not only do different brands vary in size, but also the material the needles are made from will affect the thickness. You will definitely need to buy a gauge card to help you sort things out. These are usually made of plastic or metal with holes punched in them that correspond to the standard metric sizes.  Generally, they will have the U.S. equivalent for each size printed on the card and often the U.K. equivalent as well.

The different Materials

Needles are made of several types of materials including aluminum, nickel-plated aluminum, bamboo, birch, walnut, ebony, casein (a milk protein), and various plastics.

Here is the good and the bad on several different materials:

Wood
The Good: They are lightweight, quiet, feel warm in your hands; have slightly rough surface which grips the yarn when knitting so you work more slowly and have more control over the stitches.  This is good for beginners or advanced knitters working on complex patterns.
The Bad: Availability can be limited and they can be expensive. They may break or splinter; some people don't like the slow knitting.

Bamboo
The Good: These are also lightweight and quiet; they feel warm in your hands and they are easily available in most shops and they are reasonably inexpensive; surface grip can also slow your knitting speed, but this can depend on the brand.
The Bad: Like other wood needles, these can break or splinter at the tips, and some people don't like the added surface grip that can slow down your knitting.

Aluminum
The Good: Easily available in most craft shops; can be very inexpensive; smooth, they have a slick surface that allows you to knit very quickly with minimum resistance.
The Bad: They may make a clicking sound while you knit which can be annoying for some people; surface can scratch and the color can fade over time; the metal can feel cold and they are rather inflexible, some knitters (particularly those with arthritis or carpal-tunnel syndrome) might find them uncomfortable.

Nickel and nickel-plated aluminum
The Good: The nickel plating makes the surface even smoother than aluminum, which equals speedy or slippery knitting; they are very lightweight.
The Bad: Depending on the brand, they can be expensive; like other metal needles, they can make noise while knitting; and, the rigidness of the metal can be annoying for people with arthritis or sensitive hands.

Swallow Casein
The Good: These are made of a natural milk protein; they are available in a wide range of colors; they feel warm in your hands; their surface is smoother than wood but not as slippery as aluminum; they bend and flex and are generally very quiet while knitting.
The Bad: Although these needles are made from organic materials, Swallow casein needles can look and feel artificial; also, because they are only manufactured by one company, availability can be limited.

Balene

The Good: These very flexible knitting needles are made of milk protein and are ideal for knitters with arthritis; they are warm and smooth to the touch.  They have concave points and many knitters really love them.

The Bad: Some people find the plastic texture too flimsy; their availability is very limited, so you may have to order online.

Bryspun
The Good: Bryspun flexible knitting needles are made of a special plastic and are very popular for knitters with arthritis; they are warm and smooth to the touch.
The Bad: Many people find the plastic texture too flimsy; their availability is very limited, so you may have to order online.

Pony Pearls
The Good: These are made of cellulose acetate and come in a wide variety colors.  They have a fairly smooth surface for quick knitting.
The Bad: Sizes 0-8 are reinforced with steel wire, which can rattle around inside the needle while you're knitting and this can be distracting plus the wire adds extra weight to the needles.  Also, although these are cellulose, they aren't as flexible as Bryspun or Balene needles. 


You may think that you'll only need one pair of needles in each size. But, truthfully, you can never have too many duplicate sets of needles. Needles do get lost, and if you like to work on more than one project at a time you'll need plenty of needles standing by.

A yarn is a yarn, but which yarn?

Choosing which yarn to use for a knitting project is one of the main concerns I hear in my knitting classes.  Honestly, you can knit with any fiber that is a continuous length and flexible enough to wrap around the needles.  But, of course you're not going to knit a garment with just anything!  In order for your project to be a successful one, you should enjoy the process and like the material you are working with.  

Eventually you will begin to see how the yarn, shape of the garment you're making and stitch pattern you are using will work together to produce a successful project.  At the beginning of your knitting life, though, when you are making basic two dimensional shapes like scarves or blankets, its OK to let the yarn you fall in love with be the primary focus of your project. However, if a sweater is what will be on your needles then there is a bit more you will want to consider when choosing the yarn for it. Much of the time you might be working from a pattern and that will make your yarn selection simpler since you will likely use the yarn called for in the pattern.

If you find a yarn you really love, and want to make it into a sweater, then you will need to depend on the recommended gauge of the yarn to guide you in deciding the type of sweater that yarn will become.  Recommended gauge, also called 'tension', is listed on the yarn label along with recommendations for knitting needle size, and crochet hook size. It's given as a number of stitches and rows over 4 square inches or 10 square centimeters. This is important information to have, particularly when you are deciding if the yarn you are considering will work as a substitute for something else called for in a pattern you like.

However, if the yarn you are considering knits up to a gauge that might work for your intended project that doesn't mean it will be a good choice.  The same goes for two yarns have the same gauge, it doesn't necessarily mean that they can substitute for each other successfully. If they have different characteristics, texture, drape, fiber, and color, the final garment will look and feel different from what you expected, and might not suit the garment, or the intended recipient of your knitting efforts.  Imagine a summer cardigan made out of super bulky yarn.  How about a scarf that is made out of a material not suitable to wear next to your skin.  Or a cashmere sweater for your 8 year old nephew who will likely spill barbecue sauce on it as soon as he puts it on. Not pretty, or practical, is it?

Buyer beware: it isn't easy to predict what yarn in a ball will look like when it's knitted up. This is especially true of novelty yarns. Vibrantly colored hanks may look beautiful when on display, but be just the opposite of what you expected when knitted up. Plain traditional yarns will often surprise you by knitting up into a fabric you love and never expected.

Keep in mind, the drape and feel of your knitted fabric will vary greatly depending on the particulars of the yarn you choose; how tightly spun it is, the fiber its made of, and the dye used to color it.  Ideally you should check to see whether the yarns you're interested in have been knitted into a sample swatch. Most yarn shops knit up sample swatches or entire sweaters in the yarns they carry so that you can see what they look like worked up.  If this isn't the case for the yarn you want, buy one skein and knit it up into one huge swatch, or several smaller ones.  Really play with it, incorporating different stitch patterns and different knitting needles to see what the yarn's potential is.

If you want to work cables and stitch patterns, a smooth plied yarn in a solid color gives your stitches a sharp look, and will show your effort the best.  Novelty yarns will not usually showcase complex stitch patterns, but instead hide them.  In general, smooth plied yarns in a solid color are best for patterns where you want the knitting to stand out. Novelty yarns are best when you want the yarn to stand out, and in this case look best in plain stockinette or garter stitch.  This is true for variegated yarns too, very simple stitch patterns are best, lots of texture with tricky stitch techniques do not show up well, so why put in all the effort if no one is going to see it?

Also, keep in mind, novelty yarns can be tricky to work with.  The wilder the yarn, the more challenging (and depending on the yarn, maybe impossible) it will be to rip out stitches, or fix mistakes.

To sum up, when choosing the yarn for your knitting project, ask yourself (or the nice lady at the yarn shop):

·         Does it pill?

·         How is it laundered?

·         Is it colorfast?

·         Will it stretch?

·         Is it easy to knit with?

·         Does it work with the pattern I've chosen?

·         What size needle will it work best with?

·     If there is no one to ask, buy one ball, skein or hank and swatch!

Whatever yarn you choose, you're going to be seeing a lot of it, so make sure you like it and that it works for your intended project so it will be worth your knitting effort.

Knitting Needles – What enquiring minds want to know

One of the most common questions I answer for new knitters in my los Angeles area knitting classes is what type of needles should I buy.  My answer is, whatever type you prefer.  To which of course, I get an exasperated look.  What Kind of an answer is that?!

So let me elaborate.  A little.

But, before I do, let me just say something you already know, all people are different.  Knitter’s are people and they too are different.  Even when you have two new knitter’s using the same yarn and needles, they each produce totally different results.

Which is one of the primary reasons the type of needles you should use depends on personal preference. 

Other factors involved in choosing needles are, and there could be more, material they are made of, if they are straight, circular, double pointed or jumper needles, length of the needles, the yarn you will knit with them, and the object you are making.

With all these variables, then, how do choose the best ones?  Well, my dears, try them all!  Of course, knowing a little about each type and what they are for will help you choose, but, still try them all.

Ok, let me continue … onward, to the needles:

The first consideration is the material the needles are made from.  Knitting needles can be made from, and are, just about any material – even glass!  The most common materials used for making knitting needles are metal (aluminum, stainless steel, brass), wood (birch, mahogany, bamboo, even composite), and plastic.  Then there are less common materials like glass and bone.

All types of knitting needles, straight, circular, double points etc.. can be made from any of these materials.  Here your choice will be affected by your preference (surprised?) and the yarn you will be knitting with. 
Metal knitting needles generally don’t have too much flex.  They are quite rigid.  They generally have a smooth slippery finish which works well with yarns that are not too slippery like wool.

Wood knitting needles have some degree of flex, with the exception of the hard woods like birch.  They often have a smooth finish, but not always.  Sometimes they have a slightly rougher finish that works well with slippery yarns like silk. 

Plastic needles have a lot of flex.  They are lighter than metal and wood knitting needles, except for maybe bamboo which is very light too.  The finish on plastic needles can vary from very smooth to slightly less so.  If you knit acrylic yarn with plastic knitting needles, you may create static electricity. 

Next, you’ll consider the type of knitting needles:

You’ll develop a preference for a specific type too. 

Before I get into describing the different types of needles, I want to point out that they all come in different sizes (the diameter of the needle) and lengths.  The size and length you choose will be determined by the yarn you will be using.  Ok, and your preference.

Generally, thinner yarns = thinner knitting needles, fatter yarns = fatter knitting needles.  But not always, it really depends on the fabric you want to make.  Denser fabrics are made by using much thinner needles in relation to the thickness of the yarn.  Less dense fabrics are made by using fatter needles in relation to the thickness of the yarn.  A fabric that is not too dense or too loose is achieved by matching the thickness of the yarn and needle. 

Choosing the length of needles is determined by the project and, yes, your preference.  It would be difficult to knit something that is 20” wide has a lot of stitches on 10” inch long straight needles.

Straight knitting needles, also called single point knitting needles, come in a variety of lengths, the most common being 10” and 13”.   These needles are used primarily for back and forth knitting, or knitting flat pieces.  In the case of sweater, the back, front(s) and sleeves are all made separately and then sewn together.
Circular knitting needles are incredibly versatile.  They are my preference.  Anything you can knit with any other type of needles can be knit with circular knitting needles – even things you would knit with double pointed knitting needles, like socks.

Jumper  knitting needles are straight needles with flexible ends.   Sort of like circular needles that had the cable cut at the mid point.  These are useful for knitting items that have a lot of stitches, like an afghan, for example.  They allow the bulk of the fabric to rest in your lap while you are knitting.  They are good for those that want to knit large flat pieces, but hate circular needles.

Double pointed needles are used to knit tubes, think hats, sweaters, socks.   They are much easier to work with than it seems at first sight.

If you knit a lot, and make a variety of things, you will eventually end up with a lot of, and a variety of knitting needles.