We all have a favourite set or type of knitting needles – it might be the super smoothness of your metal Zings, the warmth and strength of carbon or the feel of wood.
However, sometimes they might not be the right ones for a particular project.
For example, if you are using a very smooth yarn like some cottons or a slippery yarn with a lot of viscose you might find your favourite metal needles are not a great choice because your stitches slip off a little too easily.
On the other hand, some “stickier” yarns may grip more than you like on some bamboo or wood needles.
This doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with your yarns or needles, simply that the make up of some yarns suit some needle materials better than others.
The interaction between needles and fibers can have a bigger impact on your project than whether you are likely to drop a stitch or that your knitting feels a little tighter than normal. It can have an affect on your tension. If your stitches slide very easily for example the loop of each stitch will be a different size to a yarn and needle where the stitches drag – even if you are using the same sized needle. This is because the drag or lack of it affects how each stitch is pulled as you knit. It is a very small thing but can make a significant difference to your tension.
Because of this, if you are struggling to get the right tension for a project it is worth trying a different needle material as well as a different sized one.
If you have got needles of the same size in different materials in your collection, it is a useful exercise to try different yarns with them to discover what works best for you.
Also look out for KnitPro Comby Sampler sets that contain interchangeable needles in different materials to help you decide which generally feels most comfortable for you.
Remember that because all our hands are different to each others’ what suits you best could well be different from the other knitters you know.
