The 3 x 3 Knitting Needle Guide

There are a lot of different types of knitting needles to choose from today. These are made from a variety of materials as well.

Common materials used ot make knitting needles are:

Wooden needles: surface is rough but they are lightweight. Many people think that these needles are environmentally friendly because of the fact that they are made of wood, the most popular choice being bamboo because of how fast it can grow.
Metal needles are usually made out of aluminum. These are quite smooth allowing stitches to easily glide through the material. They are also very hard to break. This type of needle is great for experienced knitters who want to do a quick project.
Plastic or acrylic needles are also inexpensive, flexible, and lightweight. Usually these are colored differently depending upon their size. They are sold together as sets.

There are essentially 3 different types of knitting needles that you can choose from include:

Circular needles are inflexible. They have short ends and are connected together with a long cable that holds the stitches in place. Many people like to use circular knitting needles because they are able to hold together hundreds of stitches and they are also convenient as the cord can lie on your lap as you are working on your knitting project. These are used for flat and circular knitting patterns.
Double pointed (Dpns) are short, straight needles with tapered ends. You can add stitches from either end of the needle. These are used to knit such things as socks and sleeves. For these tubular projects you are going to need to use 4 or 5 needles at once (1 to do the stitching while the others hold the stitches in place). The cable needle is a specialized type of double pointed needle (DPN). These are shorter than double pointed needles and they have a dimple in the middle of them.
Straight needles are long and straight. On one end there is a cap to keep the stitches from falling off the end and on the other end it is created in the same way as a sewing needle. Whenever you are using straight needles to do flat knitting you will need to work with 2 knitting needles. The Brittany Straight Birch Knitting Needles are a good example of straight needles.

Your knitting project will go off without a hitch with the right combination of material, type and size of knitting needle.

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