Best Knitting Needles for Your Next Craft Project
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addi Turbo Knitting Needle -
Susan Bates 15111 Crystalites Acrylic 10-Inch Knitting Needle -
Inox / Prym Express Circular Knitting Needle -
Clover Takumi Knitting Needle -
Crystal Palace Bamboo Knitting Needles -
Buyer's Guide
Picking a knitting needle might seem easy since most craft stores stock dozens of styles, but it really can be a challenge. Straight, single-pointed needles work great for basic projects like scarves, but large afghans work better with long, circular needles, and socks or gloves require a set of double-pointed needles. Some yarn is fairly slippery and works best with rougher needles such as bamboo, but natural fibers like wool sometimes work better on slick, metal needles. Still, quality is important, and each of these products was selected for its overall quality, popularity, and availability. Most of these brands also offer needles in a variety of styles and materials to accommodate a full range of knitting projects.
For more information on what to look at in selecting the best knitting needles in 2022, we have listed below the top knitting needles available for you to help you decide what product is best to buy.
What Are the Best Knitting Needles of 2022?
addi Turbo Knitting Needle - Best Knitting Needles Overall
One of the most popular knitting needles available, the Addi Turbo needles are made of nickel-plated brass for a smooth, easy surface. The brand offers a full range of sizes and styles with both single and double-pointed needles, as well as circular needles ranging from 12” to an extra-long 60” needle. For knitters who use multiple sizes of circular needles, the Addi Click system offers a set of circular needles with ten interchangeable tips, while the brand also offers bamboo needles and sharp-tipped lace needles. Note, though, that the needles come in exact metric size, rather than US size. Also, the needles are also considerably more expensive than other brands, but this is offset by the manufacturer’s lifetime warranty.
Susan Bates 15111 Crystalites Acrylic 10-Inch Knitting Needle - Runner Up
Susan Bates is easily one of the most versatile brands available, offering a selection of hard plastic, aluminum and nickel-plated knitting needles. It’s also a relatively inexpensive brand, costing about half as much as the Addi Turbo needles. While Susan Bates also offers a unique set of interchangeable tip points for working with fine, standard, or loose yarns, the Silvalume needles are the made of top-quality anodized aluminum and come in an excellent selection of standard single-pointed needles as well as double-pointed and circular needles. As a bonus, the needles are color-coded by size to make finding the right needle easier. The needles come in US sizes, with the metric size noted as well.
Inox / Prym Express Circular Knitting Needle - Honorable Mention
Originally a North American brand, Inox is now a division of the German manufacturer Prym. They may be sold under either label, but Inox remains a high-quality brand and a popular favorite among knitters. While the brand offers various bamboo or teflon-coated needles, it is most known for its slick metal finish. Inox needles come in metric sizes and are available in all the standard styles from single-pointed to double-pointed and circular needles. Most of the circular needles come in a range of lengths from 15” to around 40”, but one version comes in a rare length of almost 100”.
Clover Takumi Knitting Needle - Consider
The Clover Takumi knitting needles are a special Japanese brand available only in bamboo. The needles come in a good selection of sizes and lengths, ranging from the delicate size 0 up to the unusually-thick size 19. The circular needles come an equally wide range of lengths starting at 9” and going up to 48” at the longest. Clover Takumi also offers a set of interchangeable needles with 12 sizes of tips for 5 different cord lengths, but some knitters have found that the tips come unglued during use. Since the needles are bamboo, the smallest sizes can feel flimsy, but they hold up remarkably well under normal use.
Crystal Palace Bamboo Knitting Needles - Best Knitting Needles
A less well-known brand, Crystal Palace offers a nice selection of bamboo knitting needles to complement the brand’s specialty yarns. Crystal Palace needles come in all the standard sizes from 0 up to 17 for single-pointed versions and three lengths of circular needles from 16” to 35” for, as well as an extra-long 55” circular needle for a small group of sizes from 9 to 15. The circular needles don’t have the smoothest joining, so the stitches may catch on the needles occasionally, but they work well otherwise. Plus, the brand offers a variety of sets that make it easier for beginners to get the full range of sizes together.
Buyer's Guide
Knitting is considered to be the best relaxation activity. Apart from acting as a stress buster, it also helps in boosting our brainpower. And how can we forget about the beautiful garments that can get anyone's attention? However, getting your hands on the best knitting needle set is indeed a tricky task. You will find numerous knitting needles at the local stores, but are they reliable, and can they be trusted to give the best results? To help you clear your doubts, we are here with a comprehensive buying guide on knitting needles that will break down all the factors to consider for getting the most suitable needle set.
What Are the Advantages of Using Quality Knitting Needles?
As we discussed, knitting is indeed a creative art. Thus, if we use the best quality needles, it can enhance our skills and craftwork. Canvas is the best friend of a painter, and similarly, knitting needles are the key to success for knitters. We do not want you to spoil your luxurious yarn by knitting it with cheap quality needles. There are various types of knitting needles that are used for preparing different types of garments. Let's have a look at them.
What Are the Various Types of Knitting Needles?
Straight Needle
The straight needles are the old-age classic pins used for knitting separate parts of any woolen cloth, and then these parts are sewed for making the final garment. In these types of needles, all the cloth weight is supported on the needles. Hence, if you have weak wrists, then it is not the best type of knitting needle for you.
You can use this type of needle for small projects like crafting socks, caps, craft pieces, and other similar items. However, it is not advisable for beginners. For knitting lace, get your hands on special sharp tip straight needles, also known as lace needles.
Circular Needles
This type of needle is the modern version of classic needles. Technically, two straight kinds of needles are connected with plastic or nylon cord. They allow for easy knitting as most of the wool weight is handled by the connecting cable. Besides, you can knit in straight as well as circular directions without worrying about stitching separate parts of the garment after knitting.
It is the best option to choose if you have weak wrists, painful arms, or you are just starting with your knitting craft. You can seamlessly knit large-sized garments like sweaters, shawls, big afghans, scarfs, and more. However, make sure to purchase a needle with a flexible cord or it may knick with the yarn and spoil your project.
Double Pointed Needles
The next type of knitting pointer is the double-pointed needle. It has two-sided tips that help in faster knitting. You usually require four to five double-pointed needles for completing the knitting of a sizable woolen garment. These types of needles are generally smaller and have ridges, a hook on one end, or a U-shaped bend in the middle to prevent them from sliding off.
You can replace a circular cable needle with a conventional double-pointed needle. However, if you are a newbie and learning the knitting art, these needles might not be the best option for you as they can hurt your hand due to the two-sided pointed design.
Interchangeable Needles
Another innovative version of the needle to make knitting more effortless is the interchangeable needle set. You can adjust with cable and needle length as per your need and convenience. It is the best type of knitting needle for newbies and expert knitters. Some products have a click-attached design for connecting the needle, while others might require the needle to be tightened up like a screw to the main cable. Hence, if you tend to lose needles while crafting woolen clothes, this type of needle set will serve you the best.
Which Are the Crucial Factors to Consider While Buying Knitting Needles?
Length
The length of a knitting needle is determined by starting from tip to end without including the safety knob or handles. Besides, there are different conventions for determining the needle length, including the American and the British measurements. You can go for a long knitting needle if you are knitting a large-sized garment. In contrast, the smaller-length needles require more precision with perfection for knitting and are recommended for master knitters. Hence, do not forget to check the length of the knitting needles before selecting the final product.
Number of Stitches
The number of stitches in a pattern is the next crucial factor to focus on for buying the most suitable knitting needle set. For example, when working on circular knitting projects, knowing that it is cast with 30 stitches of lightweight yarn, you can go with a 25 inches long needle. On the other hand, casting those same 30 stitches on a 40 inches circular needle will not work because the stitches must go around the full 40 inches, and there aren't enough stitches to do so.
What Are the Various Types of Knitting Needle Tips?
There are majorly two types of tips found in knitting needles. One is the sharp and pointed tip, also known as the lace tip, while the other is blunt and round-shaped, much safer for hands. Lace tips are specially used for knitting dense wool yarn and garments like sweaters. They are faster in terms of speed than blunt tip needles.
On the other hand, you can use the blunt tip for knitting delicate yarns that easily split like cotton or acrylic yarns. Besides, it is beginner-friendly and can be used without the safety caps. So after clearing your requirements, get your hands on the needle set that is most suitable to your needs.
Knitting Needle FAQ
Q: Which knitting needles are best for arthritis patients?
A: The circular needles are considered to be the best ones for arthritis patients or a person who has a weak wrist and arms. This type of knitting needle is designed in such a way that all the weight of the yarn does not fall on your hands, and you can quickly knit big garments.
Q: Which knitting needles are used for blankets?
A: You can use the size eight circular knitting needles for crafting blankets. They are long enough to hold long and worsted weight yarns.
Q: Can I recycle the knitting needles?
A: Yes, you can recycle the plastic knitting needles for making various DIY crafts. However, most knitting needles are non-recyclable once they bend or break.
