Here at Crafty Llama, we offer such a vast range of different knitting needles that it can be difficult to keep up with and understand exactly what each one is for. It can be so overwhelming to try and choose what knitting needle might best suit your project, that’s why we have decided to create this little guide to make it abundantly clear how to use each type of needle. Selecting the right tools can transform the experience from one of despairing frustration to effortless creation. Have a quick read to refresh your mind on the ever-growing world of knitting needles; you may even learn or discover something new!

It is important to note that selecting the right kind of needle for you is highly subjective and there is no right answer, it is important to try a variety of different types and find what works for you. When judging different needles, it is important to consider the comfort and usability of the tools as well as the speed and efficiency with which you can knit with them. Also, consider the fact that when using different yarns/fibres, different needle materials may be better suited to different textures. 

Knitting Needle Materials

Steel

Wood/Bamboo

Needles made from wood or bamboo tend to be warmer to the touch, are very lightweight and offer a slight grip on the stitches. This helps to control stitch size and maintain an even tension, this is especially useful for beginners or if you are using a particularly slippery yarn. However, this may slow down an experienced knitter or someone who is used to how easily stitches fly off steel needles, so it is a matter of preference.   

Types of Knitting Needle

Straight Needles

A pair of straight needles is the most classic option for knitting; they are a universally recognised symbol of the world of knitting. You can produce flat fabrics by knitting across the row and then turning the work to continue. 

Straight knitting needles are perfect for flat pieces such as scarves, dishcloths and blankets. You can also produce flat garment pieces that can be stitched together to create a three-dimensional garment shape.          

Double Pointed Needles (DPNs)

DPNs appear very similar to the classic straight needles, although, as the name suggests, they feature a point at both ends of the needle and come in sets of 4 or 5 rather than in pairs. DPNs can be used for knitting in the round in small circumferences; 3 or 4 of the needles are used to hold the stitches in the round so the last stitch joins back to the first. The final needle is then used to knit across each of the other needles continuously in the round. This circular knitting creates a tubular fabric rather than a flat one. 

DPNs are ideal for small circumference projects in the round, such as gloves, mittens, socks and the top of hats. They are the only kind of needle that you can use to decrease to a point, like the top of a hat worked bottom up.    

Flyers

Flyers are essentially flexible DPNs, they do look slightly more abstract than the traditional straight needles and DPNs, but they are remarkably useful. Since the flyers are flexible, you can achieve the same result as DPNs but only using 3 needles: 2 to hold the stitches and 1 to knit across. This is particularly useful for items like socks where you can easily isolate and work half the stitches. The flexibility also allows for greater comfort than the very rigid DPNs, especially on smaller circumferences. 

Flyers can be used for the same purposes as DPNs, so any small circumference knit, although they are particularly beloved by sock knitters.   

Fixed Circular Needles

Fixed circular needles are comprised of 2 shorter needle tips joined end to end with a flexible cable. This is essentially another way of creating a tubular knit, much like the DPNs but with only 1 tool. Circular needles have the advantage of creating much larger circumferences than can be achieved on DPNs. Whole garments can be constructed in the round, using different methods like the raglan jumper construction where the work is split and then picked up again later. They can be used to knit backwards and forwards in the same way as a pair of straight needles, with the longer cables capable of holding many more stitches than the longest straight needles. 

Fixed circulars are incredibly versatile; they can be used to knit three-dimensional shapes in the round but can also be used like straight needles to knit flat pieces. This makes them perfect for so many projects, from complex three-dimensional garments and huge blankets to simple flat-knitted pieces or socks.  

Interchangeable Circular Needles

Interchangeable circular needles work in exactly the same way as fixed circular needles, the only difference is that the needle tips and cables can be taken apart and recombined. This is incredibly useful as you only need to own one of each tip size and cable length, then you can create whatever length and gauge circular needle you want. If you use a lot of different gauges and cable lengths then interchangeables are a lot easier and cheaper than buying and storing every iteration of fixed circular. 

Exactly like fixed circulars, interchangeable circular needles are incredibly versatile. They can be used to knit three-dimensional shapes in the round but can also be used like straight needles to knit flat pieces. This makes them perfect for so many projects, from complex three-dimensional garments and huge blankets to simple flat-knitted pieces or socks.

So that covers our different types of knitting needles and the materials they are made from, it’s a lot of information to take in at once, but I hope it has provided some clarity. I have personally found the best way is to just try it out, you will soon find out if it works for you! Enjoy trying out all of our different kinds of needle; I hope you find the perfect tools.

Happy knitting, 

Kiera x