Choosing Knitting Needles
Recently knitting has become my new old hobby. Old because I dabbled in it as a child. New because I have a renewed interest in
it. I’ve had to purchase knitting
needles recently as I don’t have the sizes required for the projects I am
working on. I used to think that
knitting needles only came in metal – the ones my mother had that I grew up
using. But recently I’ve discovered and
bought other types – mainly due to not being able to find the right size in the
metal ones.
But which type do you choose if you have a choice? And in what length? In this post I’ll go though the positives and
negatives of each type to help you decide.
Plastic
These can be entirely made of plastic, or reinforced
internally with a metal rod inside the plastic.
If they are reinforced, they can rattle a little bit as you knit but I
haven’t found the noise to be annoying.
They have a nice smooth surface that makes the yarn slide over easily –
perhaps not as slippery as polished metal, but personally I haven’t noticed
much of a difference. They aren’t as
cold as metal but they won’t last as long as metal. Plastic degrades over time – and while you
will probably get many many years of use out of plastic knitting needles, you
might not be able to pass them on to the next generation.
Metal
3.5mm metal knitting needle with a length of 25cm Great for small projects like scarves |
Bamboo
Bamboo is the opposite of metal as far as knitting needles
are concerned – they are cheaper, warm to the touch, grip the yarn (good for
beginners, not so good for proficient knitters), have a bit of flex and can
break .
Length of Needle
Needles tend to be available in a shorter size that I would
say is more manageable, and a longer size that in necessary for bigger projects
such as an adult man’s jumper. The
shorter ones are nicer to use if you can – they are easier to transport, you
are less likely to hit the person next to you with your needles, and you can
use them sitting in bed without worrying about hitting the doona. That said longer needles are a must for bigger
projects such as an adult man’s jumper. You
can try to squeeze all the stitches on shorter needles but it really is worth
the money to invest in a larger set of needles for these projects as with a bit
more space to see what you are doing properly you are less likely to make
mistakes and stitches are less likely to fall off.
My Advice
It all comes down to your budget. If you can afford it, buy a length of needle
to suit your project. If money is tight,
buy the longer needles as they are suitable for a wider range of projects. As for material, again budget comes into
consideration – but that aside I would choose metal knitting needles. They are the most durable and will last a
lifetime (or two or three – I just received my Grandmother’s metal knitting
needles after she passed away and they are showing no signs of age – her plastic
ones didn’t fare as well and were thrown away).
And when you gain just a little bit of experience you will appreciate
the yarn sliding easily along the needles.
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