Different Kinds Of Knitting Needle For Your Knitting Projects
It is not really identified when the art of knitting originated, but several artifacts have been discovered, dating back to the 11th century. These items originated in Egypt and are dated between the 11th and 14th century, and carry a similarity to socks.
One thing is certain, with the selection of knitting needles available today; knitting has been fully developed and has shifted to a creative art. Knitting needles have developed from simple sticks to the different assortment available on the market today.
Single Point Needles
These needles have a point at one end, and a cap at the other, which keeps the stitches from slipping off. They are great for making flat items, such as scarves, shawls, table runners, and afghans. The cap allows multiple stitches to be worked at the same time, such as for an afghan, without the fear of stitches falling off the end.
Double Point Needles
Double point needles are used to make small circular garments, such as socks, mittens, or the sleeves on jackets or sweaters, or other items that benefit from a seamless finish.
The garments are worked with a set of 4 needles. The stitches remain permanently on 3 of the needles, and the forth needle is used to knit into the stitches, transferring them to the 4th needle as they are worked. In patterns you will usually see them referred to as dp needles.
Circular Needles
Circular needles are not created as a full circle. They are two needles, connected by a cord, usually a nylon type fiber. They allow a larger circular garment, such as a large sweater, to be worked in a seamless product. The connector cord will hold many stitches, without the bulk that would normally happen when using double pointed needles. They also come in handy when transporting your unfinished items, as the stitches won't fall off the needles as easily.
Circular needles can also be used to make large blankets, which would otherwise need to be completed in sections and then sewn together. The circular needles allow a great number of stitches to be cast on, and then the item can be knitted back and forth in much the same manner as using flat needles.
Cable Stitch Needles
Cable stitch needles have a curved section in them, so the stitches can settle in the indentation as cable stitch is worked. The stitches need to be moved from side to side when working cables and the indentation allows easy identification of the stitches being manipulated to produce the cable effect. Knitting needles are made in a variety of materials: plastic, wood, bamboo, metal, and acrylic. Which type you use comes down to personal preference.
Gauge
When knitting a garment, it is immensely helpful to know from the onset whether the finished item will fit. This is where gauge comes in. To check for gauge, a swatch is knitted to predict the size of your knitted item. Generally a swatch of 10 stitches long and 10 rows high is worked. The swatch can then be placed on a flat surface, and measured to see how many stitches equal one inch. Once established, the number of stitches in an inch is multiplied by the number of inches needed, and you can estimate how many stitches need to be cast on.
For example, if gauge measures 4 stitches per inch, and your garment needs to be 25 inches, you will need to cast on 100 stitches. This will avoid the disappointment of finishing a garment, only to have it not fit as intended. For a garment where stitch count is crucial to the pattern design, the needle size can be adjusted so that the swatch test results comply with those specified in the pattern. In this case, moving to larger or smaller sized needles would adjust the stitch size without having to make complicated adjustments to the pattern instructions.
One thing is certain, with the selection of knitting needles available today; knitting has been fully developed and has shifted to a creative art. Knitting needles have developed from simple sticks to the different assortment available on the market today.
Single Point Needles
These needles have a point at one end, and a cap at the other, which keeps the stitches from slipping off. They are great for making flat items, such as scarves, shawls, table runners, and afghans. The cap allows multiple stitches to be worked at the same time, such as for an afghan, without the fear of stitches falling off the end.
Double Point Needles
Double point needles are used to make small circular garments, such as socks, mittens, or the sleeves on jackets or sweaters, or other items that benefit from a seamless finish.
The garments are worked with a set of 4 needles. The stitches remain permanently on 3 of the needles, and the forth needle is used to knit into the stitches, transferring them to the 4th needle as they are worked. In patterns you will usually see them referred to as dp needles.
Circular Needles
Circular needles are not created as a full circle. They are two needles, connected by a cord, usually a nylon type fiber. They allow a larger circular garment, such as a large sweater, to be worked in a seamless product. The connector cord will hold many stitches, without the bulk that would normally happen when using double pointed needles. They also come in handy when transporting your unfinished items, as the stitches won't fall off the needles as easily.
Circular needles can also be used to make large blankets, which would otherwise need to be completed in sections and then sewn together. The circular needles allow a great number of stitches to be cast on, and then the item can be knitted back and forth in much the same manner as using flat needles.
Cable Stitch Needles
Cable stitch needles have a curved section in them, so the stitches can settle in the indentation as cable stitch is worked. The stitches need to be moved from side to side when working cables and the indentation allows easy identification of the stitches being manipulated to produce the cable effect. Knitting needles are made in a variety of materials: plastic, wood, bamboo, metal, and acrylic. Which type you use comes down to personal preference.
Gauge
When knitting a garment, it is immensely helpful to know from the onset whether the finished item will fit. This is where gauge comes in. To check for gauge, a swatch is knitted to predict the size of your knitted item. Generally a swatch of 10 stitches long and 10 rows high is worked. The swatch can then be placed on a flat surface, and measured to see how many stitches equal one inch. Once established, the number of stitches in an inch is multiplied by the number of inches needed, and you can estimate how many stitches need to be cast on.
For example, if gauge measures 4 stitches per inch, and your garment needs to be 25 inches, you will need to cast on 100 stitches. This will avoid the disappointment of finishing a garment, only to have it not fit as intended. For a garment where stitch count is crucial to the pattern design, the needle size can be adjusted so that the swatch test results comply with those specified in the pattern. In this case, moving to larger or smaller sized needles would adjust the stitch size without having to make complicated adjustments to the pattern instructions.
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