Knowing Which Knitting Needles to Use

by: our staff

Of all of the questions that people new to knitting tend to have, the question of which knitting
needle to use has to be very close to the top of that list if it isn’t outright at the top of that list
already. When you take a look at all of the knitting needles available in a store that sells
knitting supplies, there are so many different things that must fly through your head. Between

the sizes and types it can be quite intimidating at first to see all those and choose just one or
two types, but hopefully by the time you get to the end of this article you will be very well aware
of which knitting needles you should use in some basic situations.

The first thing you need to keep in mind when it comes to this topic is that there is actually no
incorrect answer. There is no incorrect answer because each needle will knit each type of
cloth pretty well, so don’t feel too much pressure about having to make the right choice right
away. However, that having been said, there are two main things you need to keep in mind

when choosing the proper knitting needle to use. The first of those things is the personal
preference you might have and the second one is the material that you are knitting.

When you are first starting off in your knitting experience, the best needle to start with in terms of
personal preference would probably be a straight metallic knitting needle. This is because
straight knitting needles are general needles used for all kinds of projects (i.e. they are the
typical knitting needles you see that have a point at one end and a cap on the other) and the
metallic version of those needles is the most general in terms of keeping people’s knitting
together. Wooden needles and double-pointed needles are somewhat more specialized in
nature, so it is perhaps best to avoid these until you are more proficient with knitting overall.
Eventually, however, you will develop a preference for one type of needle over the others and
this preference will factor in greatly to what your final decisions on knitting needles for specific
projects are.

In regards to the second criterion, namely the project that you are working on, you will find that
some projects are better for some needles. For example, if you are making a large rectangular
cloth project, then you will want circular needles for the project. This is because circular
needles allow you to prevent the bunching of your knitted substances and therefore make it
easier for you to see if you happen to miss any stitches within the overall garment. Missed
stitches show up painfully well on things like cloths and blankets, so circular needles are
usually called for. This is just one example of many of the particularities of a specific type of
needle working better for a specific project at hand. More information on what each needle is
good for can be found out from your local arts and crafts store.