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Learning to Knit: Supplies 2 (Needles)
In order to knit you will need some knitting needles! But before you go out and get overwhelmed with all of the different needles that are out there, I will give you a lesson on knitting needles. Needles are made from different materials, they come in three different types and there are different sizes.
Materials:
The most popular materials that needles are made of are: wood, plastic or metal. Knitting needles are also made from: bamboo, aluminum, glass and steel. Back in the ‘olden days knitting needles were made from tortoise shell, ivory or walrus tusks. Of course needles are not made of these materials anymore; but if you are lucky enough, you may be able to find them in an antique store.
Depending on what the needles are made of will effect the grip that it has on the yarn because of the friction between the two. Metal, glass and plastic needles make for faster knitting, but the stitches are also able to slip off of the needles. With wood, the stitches will not slip like with the other materials, but because of the friction, your knitting will not be as fast.
Types:
There are three types of knitting needles. The first type is two straight sticks that are pointed at one end with a knob of some sort on the other. These needles normally come in 10 to 16 inches long. These needles are used for flat projects.
Boye #6 Needles
Another type of needles are double pointed knitting needles. These needles are pointed on both ends, come in 4 to 15 inches long and are normally sold in sets of four or five. These needles are used for making circular objects, especially smaller circular objects such as socks!
ChinaoGoo Premium Bamboo #3 Needles
The third kind of knitting needles are called circular needles. These have two short ends that are pointed with a flexible cord connecting them. These can be 12 to 60 inches long. These needles can be used by themselves or in pairs depending on what you are making. You can use them to make flat or circular knitting.
Skacel #8 Needles
You can find which needles work best for you by trying different ones out. I personally like working with circular needles since I have small hands and they are easier for me to hold and work with. With sock making I like to use wooden needles since both ends are pointed there is twice the chance that a stitch will slip. So try out different types of needles made from different materials to find out what works best for you!
Sizes:
Depending on what yarn you use, you will need a different size needle. Yarn labels will tell you what size needles are usually used for that yarn (I will go over how to read a label and yarn in a different post). Here is a chart for needle sizes:
Metric Size (mm) U.S. Size
2.0 0
2.1
2.25 1
2.7
2.75 2
3.0
3.25 3
3.3
3.5 4
3.6
3.75 5
3.9
4.0 6
4.2
4.5 7
4.8
5.0 8
5.1
5.4
5.5 9
5.7
6.0 10
6.3
6.5 10.5
6.6
7.0
7.5
8.0
9.0 11
10.0 15
12.0 17
16.0 19
19.0 35
25.0 50
Most needles are labeled with the U.S. size, but yarn and patterns can have one or both sizes labeled. If it does not have the U.S. size; or there the Japanese or UK/Canadian size is listed, you can use the metric size to figure out which needles to use based on this chart.
There are some really nice needle kits. I own a Boye needle kit! It is a little on the pricey side, but if you find a coupon to a store that carries it, use it! If you are seriously thinking about getting into knitting, I would purchase a needle kit. The Boye kit has needle sizes 2 through 15. You are able to use them as circular needles or straight needles. There are cords to make the needles longer or shorter depending on what your project calls for.
Boye KnitMates/NeedleMaster Set
I know this is a lot of information in one post, but because it is a post you are able to go back to it whenever you want to review or figure out an answer to a question. Remember, if you have any questions or want me to elaborate more on a subject or cover a subject please email me or post a comment! Yarn is up next!!
