Top tip for beginner knitters: What knitting needles are the best to start knitting with?

What knitting needles are the best to start with?

I could literally talk about this for hours and I am not exaggerating!I will give you a short answer now, and then if you want to learn more about my opinions, you can keep reading.

Short answer: 4mm, bamboo, 25cm in length

Long answer:

Now, I know you most likely know this but as a teacher, you can’t really assume what people already know when you are teaching. Unless you have taught them the fact they need to know already and you are certain they have understood it, you can’t assume that they know that fact to begin with. I am wasting your time and explaining this to you because I am about to explain to you what a knitting needle is and what it is used for and I really wanted you to know why…

A knitting needle is a straight rod with a tapered end that creates a blunt point (don’t be fooled, they can still nip you when you are rummaging around in your knitting bag), the purpose of them is to transfer stitches from one needle (the holding needle) over to the other (the working needle). The tapered point allows this to happen with more ease.

A misconception of knitting needles is that they are round but you can get squared knitting needles which have 4 flat sides. Some people believe that these are more comfortable and easy to use, I have yet to try them but when I do I will let you know.

So with all of this in mind, you need to consider the following features when choosing your knitting needles:

·        Material

·        Diameter

·        Length

·        Shape

Let’s start with materials

I love working with bamboo, not just because of the feel and because the stitches move beautifully from one needle to the other, but because they bend ever so slightly with your wrist as you use them which some people find more comfortable. You can get plastic needles which can do the same thing but I prefer bamboo aver plastic as the plastic can be too grippy, and bamboo is polished.

Metal needles are very popular for their durability as they will last longer than bamboo or plastic. There are different types of metal used, the most common one being aluminium. The biggest advantage to metal needles are that they can have a more pointier end (I know, the technical language is just amazingly technical) which can be very helpful with thinner yarns but at the same time, you can be more likely to split thicker yarns……..so…yeah….

Next thing to think about is the diameter of the needle. You need to check what size diameter works with yarn you have chosen BUT if you are choosing your needles first and you have no idea what you want to knit or start with, I would recommend using 4mm needles. This is because works well with double knit yarn which is a very common yarn type for beginners as you can make so much with it.

Now, this is the most important part in my opinion, the length of the needles. When I first started knitting on my own in my teens, I bought my own pair of needles that were 4mm in diameter and 35cm in length and they were the hardest things to work with because they were too long. I just kept knocking them, they would catch in my sleeves, now granted I was younger and smaller but because I was only putting 20 or so stitches on them, they were just so silly to be using. So I traded them with my mum for a pair of beaten up and slightly bent 4mm, aluminium needles which were 25cm in length and they were an absolute game changer. It is really important that you have an idea of how many stitches you will be casting on, if you cast your stitches on loosely using double knit yarn, you could fit maybe 65 stitches onto a 25cm length needle, if you are a tight knitter (which means your stitches are tighter and might be harder to move on the needle) you could fit up to 90 stitches onto the same type of needle. I personally think it is very unlikely that you will be casting on 90+ stitches for your first knitting project so 25cm is the best place to start.

Finally; shape. It is 100% personal preference. You can get round, square or triangular knitting needles, all of which are ergonomic (comfortable and easy to use) and all of which vary in price. Even round needles can be expensive due to the branding and the material so it really is dealers choice.

If you have stuck around for all of that, well one you! Clearly you are an eager beaver and you want to find a pair of needles that suit you so I hope you found this useful, below is a short summary of my overall thoughts for a beginner who isn’t sure what type/size of needle to buy and doesn’t want to spend too much:

·        4mm, aluminium, 25cm length – Pony and Whitecroft essentials are both good brands for this type of needle

If you are willing to spend a bit more:

·        4mm, bamboo, 25cm length – KniPro hands down in the best one for this!

If your still not sure what needles are best for you, below is a needle guide to help you identify which needle is suitable for what yarn and what project.

I hope you found this useful and as always, happy knitting!