Are you ready to start knitting? Well we may have gotten you interested but if you still don’t have any of the supplies you can click on any of the products below and start ordering whatever you still need!
When you first decide you want to learn to knit, you run out to the store, head to that yarn section and bam! you have no idea what you are supposed to be buying… Your pattern calls for circular needles, but there aren’t any round needles on the shelf! Or it says “on straight needles” but every needle on the shelf is straight. Here’s a small guide to the different needles and their uses.
Circular needles are two needles that have been joined together at one end to make one long knitting needle, usually with a flexible wire or plastic joining them together. These needles are used for various projects, from blankets to hats to socks. They can be difficult to use at first but make wide projects simpler to complete.
These needles are the basic straight needle with, what I call, a “stopper” on the end. You can find them with flat metal ends, balls, squares and other shapes to keep the yarn from sliding off the end of the needle as you knit. They are used mainly for scarves, blankets and patches, as well as for jewellery knitting. These needles can be used for knitting hats, socks and sweaters as well, but these projects often require you to sew the ends more so than if you used circular or double pointed needles.
Double Pointed needles:
Often abbreviated to “dpn” in patterns, these needles will often come in packs of 4 or 5 and are commonly used for smaller projects such as socks or baby hats. (personally, I use mine as a cable needle as well…) These needles are often referred to as “sock needles” as well. These can be used for an variety of projects, but for sheer convenience sake, its easier to simply use longer needles for the larger projects, rather than 3 of the double pointed if you are knitting back and forth. These needles are often used for round projects (socks, hats, baby booties)
Needles come in various sizes both length and width. The larger the number, the wider the needles. These sizes effect the size of your project and the thickness of the yarn you use. You could ignore these factors, but then you might be disappointed when that sweater for your mother turns out 2 sizes 2 big because you followed the pattern but didn’t factor in the yarn thickness or the needle size…