A knitting needle is a hand tool to produce knitted fabrics. They are not sharp like a sewing needle. There are two purposes for knitting needles. The long shaft holds the active stitches of the fabric, to prevent them from unraveling, and the tapered or pointed end is to form new stitches. This is all done by the hands.
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About Knitting Needles
The different size needles are determined by their radius and then by the length. The size of the stitch is determined mostly by the radius of the knitting needle used to make it. This means if you want a larger stitch, you will want to use a larger knitting needle.
Knitting needles come in different types. The most common is a pair of long straight needles. They can be made from aluminum, plastic, or wood. Wood or bamboo knitting needles seem to be the easiest and most convenient type of needle to use for basic knitting. The wooden knitting needles just seem to make the yarn slide on and off the needles smoother and easier. (At least that’s my opinion.) Once I found them, I never went back to aluminum needles again. Although they are more in price.
Knitting needles can also be round to make projects like socks and mittens. There are many different shapes, sizes, and kinds of knitting needles to be found. Beginners should just try a simple inexpensive pair to start out with. If you find you like knitting and want to knit more, then try different kinds until you find the one that you you feel most comfortable knitting with.
by Judi Harris
Types of Knitting Needles
There are a few different types of knitting needles and every knitter should try as many as possible to see what she is most comfortable using. As with most crafting supplies, the price and quality vary greatly, but great needles can be found at a decent price.
Metal Knitting Needles – These are usually aluminum and can be found at any crafts store like Michaels or AC Moore. The problem with metal is that the yarn tends to slide more than you want it to, which often leads to stitches slipping off the needle. They also have the uncomfortable trait of being cold when you’d like them to be warm and hot when you’d like them to be cool.
Wooden Knitting Needles – These are probably the best bet for any knitter, both quality and price wise. They get warm as you use them and are very easy to find in any size at both chain craft stores and small yarn shops.
Bamboo Needles – These are the most expensive kind, but if you’re looking for that extra special needle, here it is. They have all the same great quality of the standard wood needs, but they also have the added bonus of being just smooth enough that yarn slides across the needle, but not so much that it falls off, like metal needles.
Plastic Knitting Needles – They usually are cheaply made, the yarn simply will not move on these needles and most knitters stay away from them. They can only be found in chain craft store and even then the selection is pretty limited because so few knitters are interested in them. Not recommended at all. If you’re tempted, keep in mind wooden needles are usually only a dollar or two more, but are priceless in the frustration they will save you over the plastic ones.
by Sarah Carbone
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