Pro-Tip Tuesday
As a knitting instructor, I get this question all the time. There’s no single answer to this question, rather, it triggers a barrage of questions of my own:
Are you a loose knitter or a tight knitter?
A loose knitter may be better off with bamboo or plastic – something with a bit of friction
A tight knitter may prefer metal, to allow his or her stitches to slide more easily
What kind of yarn are you using?
If you use a slippery yarn, like silk, you may be happier with a “grippy” needle.
If you use a grippy yarn, like wool, you may be happier with a slick needle.
What are you making?
I nearly always recommend circular needles to people knitting anything wider than a scarf (or hats, socks, gloves, you get the picture).
What have you used before? Did you like them?
If you learned with 14” long metal needles and were comfortable with them, by all means, keep using them, unless you really want to try something else.
There’s no reason for a beginner to buy needles in a range of materials, unless you really want to. It’s more important to spend your knitting money on yarn and on the correct size of needle
Inevitably, if you keep knitting, you’ll have all the needles. Trust me.