Knitting 101:Knitting needles;Type of yarn to be used.

Hallo beautiful people,today I would like to talk about the various knitting needles and crotchet hooks available in the market.This article will be very beneficial for a beginner who is not quite certain of which types and sizes of needles to use in a given project.Here is an insight on that.

Single-pointed needles
These needles are usually slender,with a point at one end and a knob on the other which prevents stitches from slipping when knitting.
They vary in length and diameter and are usually used in pairs.The size of a stitch is therefore determined by the diameter of the knitting needles you are using as it affects the length of yarn drawn through the previous stitch. Therefore to get large stitches use large needles and chunky yarn and for finer knitting, use small yarn.

Small and large single-pointed needles

    

                    Chunky yarn

   

                    Small /fine yarn

The single-pointed needles are usually made of different materials e.g bamboo,steel and plastic.If you are looking for knitting needles that won’t bend  I would advice you go for bamboo or plastic knitting needles.
They are used to knit scarfs, tops,bags,snoods,cowls etc.

Double-pointed knitting needles.
They are tapered at both ends which allows one to knit from both ends.They come in different sizes and lengths and are usually used in sets of four or five.Three or two needles are used to hold the stitches while one needle is used to create new stitches.The double pointed needles are commonly used to knit in the round and can be used with either chunky or small yarn depending on the size of needles you have.They can be used to knit socks,skirts,cowls,tops,snoods and many more.

   Large double pointed needles

            Small double pointed needles

Circular needles
These come in different lengths,sizes and materials and are composed of two pointed straight tips connected by a flexible cable/cord allowing it to be used to knit in the round and also for flat knitting.These tips may be connected to the cable permanently or may be detachable allowing one to change the needles and either use larger or smaller needles than the one he/she started knitting with. Before buying circular needles ensure you know the length and diameter  of the needle you need for your project since the circular needles that can be used to knit a sweater may not be the best ones to use when knitting a hat as they vary in length.

                       Circular needles

Knitting in the round with circular needles.

Cable needles
They are used to knit cables.
They come in different shapes,sizes and materials.

Crotchet hooks
They come in different sizes and materials and they have a hook at one end.You will choose the size of yarn to use depending on the size of the crotchet hook,for chunky yarn use large crotchet hooks and for small yarn you should use small crotchet hooks.The size of the crotchet hooks vary based on the material, brand and country of production.The size is also determined by the diameter of the shaft and the shaft will determine how large your stitches will be.

                         Crotchet hooks

How to choose the right size of hook:
Look at the label on any yarn, there will be a suggested hook size and an estimated number of stitches per inch.For yarn that is locally made in Kenya there is no indication of the suggested hook size so make sure you use small yarn with the small needles and the chunky yarn with large needles.
You can do a gauge swatch by knitting a swatch with the stitch pattern you are to use for your project,wash your yarn and let it dry then measure your stitches.You may have to repeat this until you find the right size of crotchet hook needed for your project.

Tapestry needle.
Tapestry needles are the sewing needles with one blunt end and a big hole on the other end.They are basically used to sew in loose ends,fix a button on your knitted item and to generally accessorize your knitted item.The big hole makes it easy for one to put yarn into the needle and the blunt end prevents one from pulling thread when sewing in loose ends.Can be made of steel or plastic.

Tapestry needles

Thought conditioner:Beauty awakens the soul to act.