There are three types of knitting needles:
- Single point needles: Needles with a point at one end and a knob on the other. If you’re a beginning knitter working on scarves, single point needles are the only type you’ll need.
- Circular needles: Two short needles attached at the ends with a thin, flexible cord. You’ll need circular needles to knit large items, such as blankets, as well as large tubular shapes, such as the body of a sweater.
- Double point needles: Short needles with points on both ends. They’re used for making small tubular shapes, such as sleeves or mitten fingers. Double point needles come in sets of four or five, and you knit with the whole set at once.
Each of the three types of needles comes in a number of sizes, lengths, and materials.
Table of Contents
Needle Size
Needle size refers to the diameter of the needle. In general, bigger needles work well with thicker yarns, whereas smaller needles are better for thinner yarns. In most countries, needle sizes are labeled in millimeters. The United States uses a comparable but less obvious numbered system.
| U.S. Size | Diameter | U.S. Size | Diameter | |||||
| 0000 | 1.25 mm | 9 | 5.5 mm | |||||
| 000 | 1.5 mm | 10 | 6 mm | |||||
| 00 | 2 mm | 10 1/2 | 6.5 mm | |||||
| 1 | 2.25 mm | 11 | 8 mm | |||||
| 2 | 2.75 mm | 13 | 9 mm | |||||
| 3 | 3.25 mm | 15 | 10 mm | |||||
| 4 | 3.5 mm | 17 | 12.75 mm | |||||
| 5 | 3.75 mm | 19 | 15 mm | |||||
| 6 | 4 mm | 35 | 19 mm | |||||
| 7 | 4.5 mm | 50 | 25 mm | |||||
| 8 | 5 mm |
It’s usually easier for beginners to work with thicker needles, size 11 or larger. Experienced knitters have many needles of different sizes for use with different yarns and projects.
Needle Length
Straight needles typically come in two lengths: 10″ or 14″. Consider both of the following when thinking about what length needle to buy:
- What you’re knitting: A knitting needle can’t produce a piece of fabric any wider than the needle is long. For example, though both 10″ and 14″ needles are fine for knitting a scarf 6″ wide, only the 14″ needles can knit a scarf 12″ wide.
- Portability: Short needles are much more portable, since they fit in most handbags.
Needle Materials
Needles can be made from aluminum, wood, bamboo, or plastic. As a beginner, you should start with wood or plastic needles, which are less slippery (so stitches won’t slip off the needle as often). As your skills improve, you may want to try other materials.
Additional Knitting Tools
There are a number of helpful knitting tools besides needles. Some, such as scissors, a tape measure, and safety pins, you may already own. The others you should buy since they’re all useful and inexpensive.
- Stitch holder: A pin to keep stitches from unraveling if you have to set them aside for a while
- Row counter: A little counter that slides onto your needle to help you keep track of what row you’re on
- Needle gauge: A series of calibrated holes for measuring the size of your needles
- Point protectors: Small covers for the ends of your needles to keep them from breaking
- Stitch markers: Plastic rings that you can slip onto your needle to mark a particular place in your knitting
- Tapestry needle: An oversized plastic or metal needle with a blunt point and an eye big enough to thread yarn through (it’s used to weave in the ends of your yarn at the end of a project, or to sew up a seam)
- Crochet hook: A stick with a hook on the end, used for picking up dropped stitches (see How to Fix Common Knitting Mistakes)
