Knitting needles come in all shapes, sizes, and
materials. There are straight ones,
circular ones, flexible ones, double pointed ones. They come in metal, wood, bamboo, acrylic, plastic,
etc. There are long ones, short ones, and
various lengths in between. So, which
needle is the best? The answer is ….. it
depends.
It depends upon your personal preference, your knitting
style, and the yarn that you are using for any given project.
To discuss all of the various types of knitting needles
would be too voluminous; a novel really.
Since there is not likely to be a Pulitzer nomination forthcoming for
blogging about knitting needles, this will be a high level look at using different
needles for various situations. Besides,
if it was a really long story, you wouldn’t read it.
I learned to knit on my mother’s straight steel needles as a
child. That is probably why I prefer
using metal needles. I have tried bamboo
and birch, but truthfully, not a fan. Although
I have long since switched to using circulars most of the time, I will still
revert to mom’s old needles when appropriate.
I like the coolness of metal, and the ease in which the yarn slides
along the needle. By contrast, my friend
Linda prefers the warmth of the birch needles.
Quite frankly, given the speed in which she knits, I’m surprised she
hasn’t started a fire with those wooden sticks.
I tend to knit tightly, but generally achieve gauge with the
recommended needle size for the yarn and/or project. This may be due to the fact that the yarn
tends to be more slippery on metal needles.
My friend Vivian decided to pick up knitting again, having not done so
since childhood. She is a continental
knitter, and found my metal needles too slippery for her knitting style, so she
went the birch route to help her with gauge.
Now that she has been actively knitting for several years, she finds
that metal needles are working better for her.
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| Regular Addi vs. Lace Point |
The type of yarn also plays a factor in determining which needle
is best for the project. For example, I
was knitting a stole with mulberry silk lace and found it to be very slippery
on my regular metal needles. Stitches
were frequently dropping off the needles, and since it was a lace pattern, I
was constantly picking up and correcting stitches. Not a lot of fun. So I purchased a set of lace points that are
more pointed than the regular, and have a coating to keep the yarn from sliding
quite so much. I found them to be much
more efficient for the task at hand.
Another factor may be how tightly the plies are twisted in
the yarn. My friend Jane and I were both
working on projects with yarn that contained cotton and in both cases, the yarn
was loosely twisted. The plies were
easily separated, and I found that a more rounded point was better for keeping
the plies together on each stitch. Jane
found the opposite was true for her.
A couple of years ago, I was in a conversation with Joan
prior to our monthly Guild meeting. We
were both making the Karner Wrap with a lace weight yarn from Americo
Originals. Joan was extremely frustrated
with her project as she kept losing stitches due to the stitches sticking
together on the needle and accidently knitting them together. I had started the project with my regular rounded
point Addi’s and soon switched to the lace point version when I also became
frustrated with the stitches sticking together.
The sharper points easily separated the strands and eliminated the
problem. When I suggested this to Joan,
she was not prepared to spend more money on another set of the same sized
needles. I have long since completed the
project, but the last time I checked with Joan, she had put hers aside due to
frustration.
There are two basic rules when it comes to choosing knitting
needles:
Rule #1 – There are no rules. It is personal preference. Metal is not better than wood, nor vise
versa. Choose the needle that you like
to use, and not necessarily the one that your friend likes to use. We all knit
differently.
Rule #2 – If you are struggling with the project, then
perhaps a different type of needle is required.
If you knit so tightly on wooden needles that you are fighting with each
stitch, then try using metal to loosen up.
Or switch to birch if you knit very loosely. Knitting is both stimulating and relaxing at
the same time, and should be enjoyable. If
you are struggling with a particular yarn and getting frustrated, it’s time to
try a different needle. Finding the
right tool for the job can change everything about it.
I have a rather large knitting needle stash, but will still
purchase other needles when the situation warrants it, or I just prefer
something new – like ChiaoGoo red cables.
Ooh-la-la!
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| The Needle Stash minus those in projects with a portrait of my grandmother, the woman who could literally knit in her sleep. |
Needles are expensive, but so is your time and peace of
mind. You’ve heard of yarn tasting,
right? Wouldn’t it be great to attend a
needle tasting where one could try different types of needles with various
types of yarn? That way, you would have
an introduction as to which type of needle works best with each yarn for your
knitting style. Hmm, could be on to
something here.
Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in the novel on Knitting
Needles where we will discuss a comparison between straight, including double
pointed, and circular needles!
