A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing Knitting Needles
There are so many different types of knitting needles out there that it can feel like an overwhelming choice when you’re first learning to knit. Here are our top tips for ensuring that you choose needles that will make your first projects as easy and successful as possible.
Start with straight needles
Straight needles (or knitting pins) are used when knitting items that are flat. Think squares, scarves, blankets, mitts and anything else that can be joined with a seam. You will probably want to experiment with knitting in the round eventually, but when you’re first learning, straight needles are a great option.
Go for wood or bamboo
Wooden or bamboo needles are nice and light, they feel warm and comfortable in the hands and they grip yarn better than metal needles. This means that you are less likely to drop stitches or have the needles slide out of your hands. Loose knitters tend to find they knit tighter on wooden needles, which can make the stitches look neater. The slight downside is that they can be easier to break (especially smaller sizes) or they can splinter. This normally only happens after a lot of use though, and splinters can usually be fixed with a nail file or sandpaper. Wood and bamboo needles tend to be relatively inexpensive, so they are easy to replace if necessary.
A note on size
When we talk about needle size we are referring to the diameter of the needle, which is usually given in millimetres (it could also be given as just a number - check our handy Needle Size Conversion Chart for more information). The diameter you should choose depends on the yarn you are planning to use. - normally you want a smaller needle size for finer yarn and a larger needle for thicker yarn. If you’ve already purchased yarn, check the ball band or packaging for a suggested needle size. If you haven’t got yarn yet then you should look for dk or worsted weight yarn and pick a needle that is around 5mm or 5.5mm. You can find more information on yarn weights and suggested needle sizes in our Guide to Yarn Weight.
Straight needles also come in different lengths. Beginner projects tend not to be too big, so shorter needles are best as they are much easier to handle and manoeuvre than long ones. Around 25-30cm is a good size to start with.
We’ve chosen to stock Knit Pro Basix needles as our preferred ‘beginner’ needle. They are affordable and sturdy needles made from beechwood, which are really easy to use and really comfortable in the hands. We also include them in our beginner kits.
