Ask five knitters what the best knitting needles are and you'll get five answers — the choice is personal. But three decisions are not: the size, which follows from your yarn; the type, which follows from what you're knitting; and the material, which is where your own hands get a say.
A Norwegian version of this page is available on Strikketips.no
If you're buying your first needles
One wooden or bamboo circular needle, 16 or 24 in40 or 60 cm long, in the size your first yarn's label recommends. A circular works for flat knitting and for knitting in the round, and wood's grip is forgiving while your tension settles. Add sizes and lengths as your projects need them.
Wood, bamboo, metal or carbon fiber?
The material decides how firmly the stitches sit on the needle. We think that is the property that matters most while you learn — the rest is preference. How we'd sum them up:
| Material | Grip | We'd suggest it for |
|---|---|---|
| Wood and bamboo | More | Beginners, loose knitters, and slippery yarns like silk or viscose |
| Metal | Less | Knitters with even tension, tight knitters, and grabby yarns like rustic wool |
| Carbon fiber | Between the two | Knitters who find wood too grippy and metal too slippery |
Grip is a trade-off: it keeps stitches from sliding off by accident, and it makes them slide less willingly when you want them to. If you're unsure, start with more grip. In our experience it is easier to speed up with secure stitches than to rescue stitches you never noticed falling off. Material can also move your gauge slightly — see gauge errors.
Circulars, DPNs, straights or interchangeables?
- Circular needles: two tips joined by a cable. They knit in the round and flat. Short ones — 16 in40 cm — are for hats and sleeves; 24–32 in60–80 cm for sweaters; 32–40 in80–100 cm for sweater bodies and magic loop.
- Double-pointed needles (DPNs): short needles with a point at each end, in sets of four or five. For tubes too narrow for a circular — socks, mitten thumbs, hat crowns.
- Straight needles: for flat knitting only. They work fine for scarves and other simple flat pieces. The whole weight of the work hangs off them, which is why we reach for a circular even for flat pieces once they get heavy.
- Interchangeable sets: loose circular tips and cables that screw together, so one set covers many sizes and lengths.
Which needle size for which yarn
Needle diameter decides the size of your stitches, and so your gauge. Start with the size your pattern or yarn label gives, knit a gauge swatch, and go up or down from there. For each yarn weight, the Craft Yarn Council gives this needle range:
| CYC category (yarn type) | US sizes | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| 0 Lace (Lace) | US 000–1 | 1.5–2.25 mm |
| 1 Super Fine (Fingering) | US 1–3 | 2.25–3.25 mm |
| 2 Fine (Sport) | US 3–5 | 3.25–3.75 mm |
| 3 Light (DK) | US 5–7 | 3.75–4.5 mm |
| 4 Medium (Worsted) | US 7–9 | 4.5–5.5 mm |
| 5 Bulky (Bulky) | US 9–11 | 5.5–8 mm |
| 6 Super Bulky (Super Bulky) | US 11–17 | 8–12.75 mm |
| 7 Jumbo (Jumbo) | US 17 and larger | 12.75 mm and larger |
US sizes, millimeters and old UK sizes don't always line up one-to-one. When a pattern uses a different scale from the one on your needles, the needle size conversion chart translates between them, and the yarn weight chart gives the gauge range for each category.
Looking after your needles
- Keep them in a case or roll with pockets, rather than loose in a drawer, so the tips don't get bent or damaged.
- Dry metal needles if they get wet.
- Keep wooden needles out of heat and direct sun, like anything made of wood.
- Use point protectors on work in progress so stitches can't slide off in your bag.
Frequently asked questions
Should beginners choose wood or metal needles?
We'd start with wood or bamboo. They have more grip, so stitches are less likely to slide off while you're still finding your tension. Once your knitting is even, try metal and see which you prefer.
What size knitting needles should a beginner buy?
Buy the size your first pattern or yarn label asks for. For a first project in worsted-weight yarn, the Craft Yarn Council's range for its category 4 (Medium), which includes worsted, is US 7–9 (4.5–5.5 mm).
Why use circular needles for flat knitting?
The work rests in your lap instead of hanging off two long needles, so your arms don't carry the weight. The stitches sit on the cable, so a wide blanket fits on a needle that is shorter than the blanket.
Are interchangeable circular needles worth it?
If you knit a lot, we think so: you screw tips onto cables instead of buying a new fixed circular for every combination of size and length — one 16-inch (40 cm) and one 32-inch (80 cm) in each size adds up fast. If you're not sure knitting will stick, buy single circulars for your first projects.
Needle ranges per yarn weight, and US needle numbers with their metric equivalents, follow the Craft Yarn Council's Standard Yarn Weight System and its knitting needle size chart.