Different Types Of Knitting Needles and Their Uses

Different Types Of Knitting Needles and Their Uses

Welcome friends to this post. we will be teaching you the different types of needles for hand knitting. You will also learn the characteristics, and in which garment or part of the fabric, you should use each type of needle.

There are many styles, materials, and sizes of knitting needles, where you must correctly choose the type of needles to use or in the same way when you buy your first needles or if you collect for your collection.

That is why it is essential to know the type of knitting needles to use since just using an appropriate size or diameter defines the quality of your fabric, and this is one of the details you should know because most of them can define your project. Below are the various types of knitting needle and their uses.

What are the Different Types of Knitting Needles Available?

1. Straight Knitting Needles

This type of needles comes together in two points; in each needle, it has a tip at its ends and a stop at the other. This kind of needles is ideal to use for the first time since they are simple and easy to use.

Sizes and Materials

In these needles, the most popular sizes are 9 to 14 inches long, but you can also find longer or shorter, depending on your preference and the garment you are going to knit.

They are made of different materials steel, aluminum, plastic, bamboo, and wood, which are the most common in straight needles. It should be noted that each material has advantages and disadvantages; it can also vary depending on where it was manufactured or the brand.

Now talking about the thread, you should use, everything will depend on the material the needle is made of. It should be known that if you notice that the stitches slide easily on the needle or the contrary, do not slide along the needles, and you should try another type of material.

The Best use for Straight Needles

To use straight needles in the best way, you should use them in small projects or in flat work, for example, Scarves, furniture ornaments, Afghan squares, and in the case of knitting small sweaters divided into parts.

2. Circular Knitting Needles

If you are looking to knit a round project, I recommend using circular needles. Its structure is very flexible, which will help you to weave long stretches. In addition, using this type of needles needs a little more knowledge than straight needles.

Sizes and Materials

The size of these needles varies between 16 and 48 inches in length, they are the most common, but you can find them in shorter and longer lengths, in the same way, the needle cable can vary in different thicknesses.

The material with which the circular needles are made is steel, aluminum, plastic, bamboo, and wood, and they are the most common, this in the case of the needle part.

The material in which the cable portion is made varies from nylon and coated steel, and these two types are the most popular.

It should be noted that most of these circular needles have memory; this means that it makes your job difficult when knitting.

The Best use for Circular Needles

The most appropriate use for these circular needles is to carry out round knitting projects, for example, sweater, caps, hoods, and socks.

You can also use this type of needles in flat projects, for that what you have to do is knit back and forth, moving the work from one end to the other. Examples of projects that you should use are shawls and blankets.

3. Interchangeable Circular Knitting Needles

These needles are the same as normal circulars in size and materials, and the difference is as follows:

  • If you want more flexibility when knitting with circular needles, you must use the interchangeable ones.
  • The needles are similar to normal circulars; the exciting thing about interchangeable ones is that they are separated into pieces to be able to change the needle size or the length of the cable.
  • Another outstanding feature is its adaptability, and it can be used as straight needles when placing needles in the cables at one end and the other place plugs.
  • These interchangeable needles come in individual pieces, which are joined with a screwed piece; in other cases, they use another method to join the pieces; it all depends on the brand.

As you can see, the benefits are better than circular needles, but they do the same function in terms of the use that should be given when knitting.

4. Double Pointed Knitting Needles

The double-pointed needles are which are popularly known as DPN, are widely used in small projects. This type of needles can be achieved in sets of 4 to 6 needles.

In some projects, one of these needles usually comes with a flexible or curved part in the middle of the needle; with this, it allows you to work with fewer needles, to be able to move your fabric.

Sizes and Materials

The size of double-pointed needles varies between 5 and 8 inches in length, where short needles will help in small projects (knitting socks), while the longer ones are more used for large projects (knitting hats).

In the same way that the other needles are made of steel, plastic,bamboo, aluminum, and wood.

The Best use for Double Pointed Needles

Double-pointed needles are mostly used for knitting socks, but you can also use them to make fabrics such as mittens, gloves, and hats.

They can also be used to knit sweater sleeves. It should be noted that to use these double pointed needles, and it is necessary to practice so you don’t make many mistakes, but it is an excellent option to weave small projects.

5. Auxiliary Knitting Needles

These auxiliary needles are specifically for holding stitches when making fabrics where others are woven while holding stitches. The characteristic that can be seen is very peculiar since it looks like double-pointed needles, but in these, there is a certain curve in the center, which helps hold the points.

Sizes and Material

  • Normally this type of needles comes to the same size and a few inches long since it only serves to hold few stitches in a short time.
  • To choose a suitable auxiliary needle, you must use the same size as standard needles or the same diameter.
  • The type of needles that can be found are metal, plastic, bamboo, glass, and wood.

The Best use for Auxiliary Needles

As I told you before, the main feature is to hold specific points while knitting others, an example: Knitting braids or fantasy stitches.

Which Knitting Needle Should You Use?

To answer this question, I must tell you that the essential thing about knitting needles is in the tips, which will give you a big difference. For example:

Sharper tips help you perform more precise work on the stitch, mainly if you use fine thread.

Now, if you use needles with a round point, these will be more effective when using thick and bulky threads, also with them, you can teach children to knit.

You have to remember that sometimes you will need a specific type of knitting needle, depending on the garment and what you are going to do in a project. At the same time, on other occasions, you must use the one you prefer, for that you will have to look for what you have and you will find the better option. In conclusion, the knitting needle you use does not matter, but what you are going to knit.

I hope this information helps you, and you can find the needle you need to weave your project. Remember to share this post would help me a lot and leave your comment if you need more information.

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6 Comments

  1. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

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