What Type of Needle are You?

As knitters, we all have our preferences as to which needles we like to use. But our needle type and style could also be determined by the variety of yarns, colors, and textures, as well as patterns and stitches available for projects. Each type and style will create a more comfortable experience when knitting our projects.

Well, each project really does require specific needles. I, myself, love working with straight aluminum needles, but I was recently working on a project with circular needles. Not that I haven’t worked with them before, but sometimes I feel a little intimidated by them. And for this project I was working on I found it very easy and practical.

So let us look at the different types and styles of needles available. There are a couple of types of needles. The types include aluminum, wood, and plastic. The styles are straight, circular, and double-pointed. So depending on the project and your comfort in using them, it can be the way you can determine which style and type of needle to use. Let us make a list.

WOOD Wooden needles come in bamboo and can be pricey, but their beauty can create a more colorful experience. And with the rainbow of colored wooden needles, it can be more interesting to knit with. But they can be more delicate and can break easily. I found that repeated use for knitting projects using the same needles did wear out the tips. This being said, for a while, it was all that I used, I felt more of control because there was less slipping than aluminum which made it comfortable to work with. Since there is less slippage, there's less of a chance of losing stitches.

METAL OR ALUMINUM Metal or aluminum are great for faster knitting. They are smooth and produce a very smooth tension. They don't wear out at the tips, but they can be very slippery. I feel that they make knitting move smoothly, but hold on to your stitches, your stitches could flow right off the needles. They are my preference, but I am learning to be more flexible

PLASTIC Plastic needles are the least expensive and they are great for teaching someone how to knit. I taught my six-year-old granddaughter how to knit with 8-inch plastic needles. They are the least durable because they tend to bend easily and can get out of shape, but they also have a smoother feel when knitting. Not as much as aluminum but more than wood.

Now, this brings me to styles of needles. There are straight circular double pointed and interchangeable circular. Your choice would most likely be determined by the project you're working on.

STRAIGHT Straight needles are a great choice for small and light projects. There are different sizes and lengths depending on the pattern and stitches for your project.

CIRCULAR Circular needles are great if you're making a very heavy project or using a pattern requiring a large number of stitches. Circular needles are a needle, about 4 inches long attached to a cable. Circular needles are also perfect for anything knitted in the round such as hats or seamless sweaters. They can come in interchangeable kits where the cable screws out to change your needle size or length.

DOUBLE POINTED Again, double-pointed come in any type but they are just that, pointed on each side. They are also good for knitting circular items, especially hats.

To conclude, all of these styles come in wood, aluminum, and plastic and no matter which needle you use, knitting is a rewarding experience.  So what type and style needle do you like to knit your projects with?