You have decided to start knitting and the time has come to buy some knitting needles.
You are faced with the terms: circular needles, straight needles, double-pointed needles, but also the different materials available on the market!
How to find your way around?
In two articles, I'll help you unravel the knitting jargon and help you find your way around!
Metal, bamboo, wood… the composition of knitting needles
If you thought that only the size of the needles mattered, you will soon realize that you are wrong!
The material used to make your knitting needles will have a real impact on your knitting style. It has been proven, with swatches showing, that an experienced knitter can achieve a different gauge using metal needles than wooden needles!
I'll even tell you that depending on the polishing of the needle, you can have a different result! So a wooden needle from brand x will not necessarily be the equivalent of a wooden needle from brand y.
Let’s start with my favorite material: metal.
1. Metal knitting needles
Benefits
- they slide so they allow you to knit faster
- they are solid (don't ask me as I know)
- they can be cheaper than wood (which is not always the case because personally, I use Signature which are metal needles from airplane hulls. And the price is around 40 euros per pair – if you're lucky enough to avoid customs because they're produced in the United States.)
Disadvantages
- they are cold to the touch
- they are noisy
- they are not flexible
Aside from these pros and cons, you'll find different finishes on metal needles. Some finishes are matte and tend to snag. Others have a shiny finish. Some may have a nickel finish (some do). Addi en metal).
As you will have understood, I like metal needles because they glide well and it allows me to have a more fluid knitting but also because they are solid! I don't count the number of times I've sat on my needles and when it's wood, it breaks!
2. Knitting needles in bamboo
Benefits
- they are sharper than wooden needles (but less so than metal needles)
- they are light
- they don't make noise
- they are not cold to the touch
Disadvantages
- they are fragile
- they stick more easily
- they are not sharp enough
I would say bamboo is my favorite after metal needles.
Especially for knitting silk. Because they grip quite well, and it's easier to manage tension when knitting very fine silk with bamboo than with metal. But this is obviously just a matter of perspective.
On the other hand, I don't like them at all for picking up stitches or knitting pure wool because they don't slide enough and aren't sharp enough.
I discovered knitting needles two years ago now. Tulip Knina at the H+H show in Cologne and I admit I was seduced by the finish. They spin on themselves, they glide well for bamboo needles, they are sharp (but not sharp enough for me – I had actually made a return to the brand to point out the fact that they could be a little sharper). So for me, they are a good alternative to metal needles for those who are fans of metal, it's a shame they are so hard to find.
On the other hand, a peck from a small parrot and we no longer talk about the tips of bamboo needles...
As there is no question of forgetting them on the sofa
3. Knitting needles in drink
Benefits
- they are warm to the touch
- they are light
- they are not noisy
- they are prettier than bamboo
Disadvantages
- they are fragile
- they hang on
- they are not sharp enough
- they are more expensive than bamboo (and again, it will depend on the finish and the brand)
The characteristics of bamboo and wood are relatively identical. However, I would say that wooden needles are slightly heavier.
They are just as fragile as bamboo needles so will not survive being beaked by a parrot, sitting on them or even sometimes falling to the ground point first.
When I started knitting again, I invested in the kit Knit Pro Symphony and they were my favorites for a long time before I moved on to metals with Hiya Hiya.
I gave up on them because I found they didn't slide enough, but what really made me give up on these needles was the fact that the cable doesn't rotate on itself!
4. Aplastic knitting needles
Benefits
- they are light
- they are cheap
Disadvantages
- they don't slip, it's a real penance to slide your stitches on these needles
- they stick to your hands
- they make an unpleasant noise when the thread slides
- they break easily
As you will have understood, I do not like plastic needles at all, they have all the possible and imaginable disadvantages.
And frankly, if you want a good knitting experience and you don't have a lot of money, it's better to buy a pair of cheap metal or wooden needles rather than plastic needles!
That's it for today. I hope this information has already helped you clarify certain things and guide you towards this or that subject.
But of course that's not all, next week I'll help you distinguish the difference between straight, circular, double-pointed needles, etc.
If you want to know a little more, I share my knowledge with you in the YouTube video below.
If you would like to share this article with others, please feel free to share it via social media (just click the buttons below).
See you next week,
Christelle
