Needle size decides gauge, but material, tip and shape decide how the knitting feels and how fast it goes. Needles are sold in many forms, and a few basic categories cover nearly every project.
Material
| Material | Feel | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Bamboo | Warm, slight grip, lightweight | Slippery yarns such as silk, cotton, rayon, and beginners |
| Wood | Smooth, warm, a little grip | Most yarns, lace in fine yarn |
| Aluminium or nickel-plated metal | Fast, slick, slightly cool | Sticky or woolly yarns, speed, long rows |
| Acrylic and plastic | Light, slightly flexible | Large sizes, budget sets |
| Carbon fibre | Light, smooth with some grip | Long sessions with bulky projects |
The same stitch on a slick needle slides further, so stitches can fall off the tip more easily but rows are knit faster. On a grippy needle the yarn is held in place, which suits slippery yarn, but the work can drag.
Tips
A tip can be blunt or pointed. Lace, cables, and any stitch that goes through several loops at once work better with a sharper tip, such as a slightly tapered one. Blunt tips are good for chunky yarn, stockinette, and anyone who finds splitting the plies of yarn frustrating. A long taper is handy for decreases through tight stitches and for picking up stitches along an edge.
Shape: straight, circular, double-pointed
- Straight needles are a pair with a stopper on one end. They are fine for flat pieces such as scarves and small panels, but long rows of a wide piece are heavy in the hands.
- Fixed circular needles have two tips joined by a cable. They work both flat and in the round, and the weight of the knitting rests on the cable rather than your wrists. For hats, cowls and sweater bodies they are the most useful single item.
- Interchangeable circular sets have tips that screw onto cables of different lengths. They are more expensive at the start but cover every length and size.
- Double-pointed needles come in sets of four or five and are used for small tubes, such as sleeves, socks and the crown of a hat.
Choosing cable length
For working in the round, the circumference of the piece must be longer than the needles with the cable. A cable that is too long will stretch the stitches around the ends.
| Project | Cable length |
|---|---|
| Socks, mittens (magic loop) | 80 to 100 cm |
| Hats | 40 cm, plus DPNs for the crown |
| Cowls, small sleeves | 40 to 60 cm |
| Adult sweaters | 80 to 100 cm |
| Blankets, shawls | 100 to 150 cm |
Magic loop lets a long cable do the work of short needles: draw out a loop of cable between halves of the stitches.
Size
Needle sizes are given in metric millimetres and US numbers. A 4.5 mm needle is a US 7, a 5 mm needle is a US 8, and a 6 mm needle is a US 10. The needle database lists the metric, US and UK for each size, and it is a good place to check equivalents in a pattern written with another system. Patterns give a size as a starting point. Swatch first, since gauge depends on your tension, and go up or down until the gauge matches.
Which set to buy first
For a first purchase, a pair of 40 cm fixed circular needles in 4 mm and another in 5 mm cover hats and cowls, and an 80 cm circular in a 5 mm or 5.5 mm covers most sweaters and scarves. Add a set of double-pointed needles in the size you use most.
A full interchangeable set is worthwhile once you have three or four projects in a range of sizes. Look for joins that are smooth to the touch, where the cable meets the needle; a ridge there catches the yarn.
Matching the needle to the yarn
| Yarn | Suggested needle |
|---|---|
| Cotton or linen | Wood or bamboo, to grip |
| Merino and soft wool | Any, metal for speed |
| Mohair and fuzzy yarn | Wood, with a rounder tip |
| Silk blends | Bamboo |
| Acrylic | Metal or wood |
| Cotton for lace | Metal with fine taper |
Comparing with the hat designer
The hat designer in the tools section asks for a gauge and a head size and returns a cast-on count and the number of crown decreases. If you choose a needle size and knit the swatch first, you give it a number that matches your real fabric, and the finished hat matches the head measurement.