So you've decided you want to learn to knit. That's great! But now what? If you were like me you spent hours browsing online trying to find where to start, what to make, what to buy. It can get a little confusing and overwhelming ... Trust me I've been there. In fact, sometimes I still am. So I have decided to do some of that work for you and came up with a little series called: So You Want To Knit.
Now I just want to say I am not a seasoned knitter and I don't know everything about knitting. In fact, at the time of this post I was still a fairly new knitter. Which is part of the reason I wanted to start this blog and series. I wanted to have a place to share some of the knitting patterns I have come across that I hope to make someday. As well as someplace to store all the great tutorials and videos I used to teach me how to knit. And now, I get to share them with all of you! Now enough about me ... lets get on with the reason you are here.
The first thing you need to know when learning to knit is what kind of needle and yarn to use. There are so many different sizes and styles of needles and just as many types of yarn, it can get a little confusing. So lets go through some of them now.
Needles
There are many different sizes and lengths of needles and they can be made up of many things, metal, bamboo, plastic, aluminum and ebony to name a few. You will determine what is best for you as you learn to knit and settle into your knitting style. I prefer the bamboo needle when just starting out as it grips the yarn better so the stitches won't slide around as much or fall off.
Straight Needles:
These needles are the most common, and are sold as a pair with a point on one end and a knob on the other to prevent your stitches from falling off. Straight needles are mainly used for flat knitting. With straight needles you will knit on one side and then turn your knitting around and knit on the other side and then repeat. They come in a few different lengths with 10"/25.5cm and 14"/35.5cm being the most popular. The longer the needle the more stitches will fit. So this comes into consideration when choosing needles for your patterns.
Circular Needles:
Unlike their name, these needles are not actually circular. They are two smaller length straight needles, tapered at the tips, and joined with a flexible cord. You can use circular needles to knit in the round [this knit is a continuous, spiral that you do not have to turn. It seamlessly joins together to create a tube] These are used when making items like hats, sweaters and cowl scarves or wide items like blankets as they can hold more stitches then the longer straight needle.
Double Pointed Needles aka dpn:
These are exactly like it sounds they are straight needles with points on both ends. They are usually sold in sets of 4 or 5. They are mostly used to knit circular items that are to small to knit with circular needles such as socks and mittens. They are trickier to work with, so most knitters wait to use those until they become more comfortable at knitting.
Cable Needles:
There are a few different types of cable needles. Some are a U or J shape and some are straight double pointed needles with a small bend in the middle. These are used to hold stitches either in front or back of other stitches to twist them around to create a cable effect. The diameter of the cable needles should be the same as the other needle you are using.
All needles come in a wide range of sizes. U.S sizes [0- 50] and Metric sizes [2.00mm - 25.50mm] The general rule is the smaller the number, the thinner the needle, the smaller the stitch will be.
Here is a chart with the full list of sizes.
Yarn
When choosing what yarn to use for your project your options are endless. There are many types of yarn to choose from, natural fibers like Wool, Alpaca, Cotton, Mohair and Silk to synthetics like Acrylic, Rayon and Nylon. Smooth and textured, thick or thin and in as many colours as you can imagine.
Yarn is grouped into seven basic categories and organized by weight from lace to super bulky. This will help you choose the right type of yarn for your projects. The Yarn weight will determine how many stitches it will take to knit 1 inch. As a general rule the thinner the yarn the smaller the needle.
Below is a chart to show you a little more detail of the yarn categories.
I hope this helps you understand a little more about choosing the right needle and yarn for your projects.
Be sure to check out the other topics in the series "So You Want To Knit"
Reading Yarn Labels
Knitting Gauge
More to come!
Happy Knitting!
Want to comment on what you just read? Have a question about Needles and Yarn? Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below.
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