Choose Your Knitting Needles Wisely!

As with any hobby you need patience, direction and the correct tools. Knitting is no different and one of the most important pieces of kit to get right are the needles.

By Sam Russell

In this brief article we aim to just give a basic understanding of knitting needles, their sizing and what you need to look out for.

Size IS important................

Knitting needles come in different sizes. It is important to know the size of your knitting needles because their size  is related to the size of your stitches and, implicitly, to the appearance of the finished work.

 Knitting needles are given different numbers according to their measure. Do not think of their length! It is important how big round the needles are. However, these numbers can differ from one country to another. For example, a knitting needle of 3.75 mm is number 5 in American measurement and number 9 in British measurement, or you may see on the bag of the knitting needles you buy it is simply written as a 3.75 mm needle.

 Notice that the American measurement has low numbers for needles with smaller diameters , and the numbers can go up to 50 for a larger diameter like 25 mm, while the British measurement has high numbers for low diameters and the numbers decrease  when it comes to high diameters like, for example, 000 for knitting needles of 10 mm , Therefore, you need to look up  a knitting needle conversion chart to ensure you end up with the correct needle size.

To confuse you still further if you have  a 4.5 mm knitting needle, in that case the size number coincides, with both countries calling it size 7.

Understanding Gauge ............

In knitting, there is the concept of gauge and it means the number of stitches in a given length. This concept is related to the pattern you have and, if in your pattern it says there are supposed to be , for example, 5 stitches to  an inch and you can make only 3, than you should and need to change the size of your knitting needles. Each pattern requires that you knit a certain number of stitches using a particular yarn and a specified needle.

 However, it is not necessary to stick to the yarn or the needles specified in the pattern, but it is important to get the correct number of stitches per inch in order to have the right size, length and other characteristics of the pattern.

Different Kinds ..........

You can also choose between circular needles and straight needles. Some people prefer circular needles because they are more comfortable to use and you can knit both in the round or back and forth like straight needles. You can find circular knitting needles, double point knitting needles and also single pointed knitting needles made of different materials such as steel, wood or bamboo. There are also different types of knitting needles like Addi knitting needles, Clover knitting needles, Misc knitting needles, Crystal Palace, Rosewood and HiyaHiya

To find out more pay a visit to a good knitting or haberdashery store & ask for advice.