Pony Metal Knitting Pins/ Knitting Needles 25cm long - 3.5mm

Product Information

Lace weight yarn is the lightest weight yarn available, it is made up of two plies of very fine yarn twisted together. Lace weight yarn is very thin and delicate, which makes it ideal for creating an airy fabric and intricate projects such as shawls, doilies, and other lacy items. A large crochet hook, at least 6.5 mm, should be used with chunky wool. The larger the hook, the more space you will see between stitches. What size crochet hook should I use for DK wool? Matching knitting needle or crochet hook sizes and yarn can sometimes be a bit more complicated. You should also think about the nature of the project. Sometimes it's a good idea to use a bigger or a smaller needle, depending on the effect that you want to achieve. If you knit a pattern using needles of different sizes, the yarn will develop regular holes known as the “torn stitch” effect. Some patterns use this technique deliberately, but be careful not to create this effect accidentally! What is a good size knitting needle for beginners? Side note: The SWG was only implemented in 1884. Before that, it was the Birmingham Wire Gauge; keep that in mind when you follow historic patterns).

Loom weaving – Fancy trying your hand at loom weaving to make stylish wool hanging? Bulky weight wool can be used to create a lovely tapestry texture.The weight of your yarn is the most important factor when it comes to choosing the right size knitting needle or crochet hook. In general, a basic rule of thumb is: the finer the yarn, the smaller the needle. While these are general guidelines, you might vary your needle sizes to produce certain textures or effects, or to achieve a specific knitting gauge.

Crochet flower daisy chain – This delicate crochet pattern to make a beautiful daisy chain garland is just the thing to get to grips with fingering weight yarn. If you have knitting needles from all over the world or of unknown origins, your best bet for identifying their size is by using a knitting gauge. In this case, use the table below to convert old needle sizes to the new system. For reference, “dpn” stands for “double-pointed needles”. Metric Size (mm)

Knitting Needle Sizes and Conversion

Explaining U.S. knitting needle sizes is a complicated topic and we have to delve a bit into history: With the popularization of knitting in the UK in the 18th century and the industrialization, the shift from handmade tools to mass-produced steel needles occurred. Needles were often also called wires because, by then, most dpns were indeed made out of durable steel wire. And thus they were measured in accordance with the standard wire gauge (SWG). That, of course, does not explain the conundrum of the US needle sizes. Why don’t they follow the Imperial system? To be quite honest, nobody really knows! It remains a fact, however, that from around 1900 US manufacturers started selling their own needle gauges – following no system at all. Or rather, the actual sizes followed (more or less) the Imperial system but the numbers were rising, much like the metric system popular in mainland Europe. There are so many different types of yarn and wool available on the market in a dizzying array of textures, colours and fibres, but the most important thing to look at when buying supplies for a new pattern or project is the weight of the yarn. A large, heavy project like a big blanket will need longer needles (or cables) to carry the stitches. Small projects with relatively few stitches can be knit on any length of needle. The length of a pair of circular needles is measured from the tip of each needle. It includes the length of each needle and the length of the cord between them. The most common lengths are 40cm (16 inches), 60cm (24 inches), and 80cm (32 inches).

Read your knitting pattern. Almost all knitting patterns include a recommended needle size that’s suggested by the pattern designer. This will have been chosen to match the yarn used in the project, so you can achieve similar results. It’s worth noting that your knitting tension may differ from the pattern designer’s, so you may still need to use a different needle size to reach your desired gauge. Straight needles: these are the most common needles around. They are useful for knitting flat objects, and are a good way to get started for beginners.For circular knitting needles, the distinction is mainly a matter of preference. The longer the needle body, the more you can use the needles as leverage but the heavier they are. And of course, whenever you are knitting in the round, the stiff length of the needle itself defines the minimum diameter you can knit with these comfortably – except you are using the magic loop technique (e.g. you cannot knit a 10-inch circle with needles that are 4 in long each). How are knitting needles sized – a short history As a beginner, you should consider the length of your knitting needle. Listen to the pattern you’re knitting to know what to use. Most people find shorter needles more comfortable to hold, but longer needles allow more room for stitches along the length of the needle. On top of that, different materials (e.g. wool, alpaca, or cotton) are also an important factor. Some of these might change their appearance drastically after the first wash. There's one final thing to take into account when you choose needle sizes: gauge. In the knitting world, gauge refers to the number of stitches and rows per centimetre. When you follow a pattern, it should tell you what the gauge is. If your knitting matches the pattern's gauge, then your project should turn out well.