Choosing the Type

Circular, straight, and double-pointed knitting needles all have their pros and cons. If you want to start out with more "traditional" knitting needles, we recommend straight needles. Over time, give all of these styles a try and see which ones work best for you.

For fans of circular needles:
“If you do end up preferring circulars, I highly recommend investing in a nice set of interchangeable-tip needles early, before you end up with the same rat's nest of different lengths and sizes that I have (half of beginning a new project for me is just finding the right needle to start. ).”
-Gretchen from ballstothewallsknits.com

Knitting Needle Guide

• The most commonly used needle is the straight needle, they are easy to use and perfect for knitting pieces flat – back and forth.
• Double-pointed needles are used in sets of four or five, these are used to knit in the round.
• Circular needles – two needles joined by a flexible cable are also commonly used to knit in the round.
• They are also great for knitting garments or shawls flat if the project has a huge number of stitches.
• You can buy interchangeable needle sets with cables and needles in various lengths and sizes, which are great for small projects like socks to large projects like blankets.
• The standard length for straight needles are 25 cm, 30 cm, and 35 cm, and 20 cm to 100 cm for circular needles.
• The best length for you to use will depend on your project.
• Crochet hooks are also useful to have as they can be used to pick up dropped stitches, weave in yarn ends, and add edgings to your knits.
• Check out this post to learn how to pick up stitches in knitting.

1. Straight

Perfect for any beginner knitters are straight single-point needles that come in pairs and can allow you to create large, flat pieces of work (flat knitting…knit row by row and not in the round).

They come in a range of lengths and different materials – from wood, bamboo, plastic, and metal.

The KnitPro Ginger Single Point Needles are a good pair of knitting needles.

An excellent choice for a beginner, or an experienced knitter who is in need of new knitting needles.

Or the Knitter’s Pride Dreamz Single Point Needle 35 cm if you prefer a pair of metal knitting needles.

Perfect for small projects or larger projects

And of course the Addi Bamboo Straights Single Point Needles 25 cm if you want a pair of bamboo knitting needles.

2. Double Pointed Needles

Double-pointed needles (abbreviated dpn) are sold in sets of four or five, and they enable you to knit in the round.

Circular needles

Circular needles usually take the shape of 2 needle tips, around 5 inches long, attached with a bendy plastic cable. There are lots of variables here. You get different sizes of needle tips, different lengths of needle tip, and different lengths of cable.

The typical cable lengths are 16, 24, 32, 40 and 47 inches. Shorter cables will be suitable for hats, and longer cables will work well for sweaters and cardigans. Longer cables can also be used knitting smaller items using the Magic Loop technique.

Circular needles are an extremely versatile tool and are really useful for most types of knitting. You can knit flat fabric with them, like you would with straight needles, and you can knit in the round with them, like you would with DPNs. These are very flexible tools, but as you can imagine, with all the different needle sizes and cable lengths, that is a lot of different combinations to buy. That’s where a special type of circular needles come in handy, interchangeable needles.

Best Knitting Needles

• Clover Takumi Straight Needles – Best Bamboo Straight Needles
• Chiaogoo Red Lace – Best Sock Knitting Needles
• Hiya Hiya – Best Circulars
• Karbonz – Best Double-Pointed Needles
• Addi Lace – Best Lace Knitting Needles
• Lykke Deluxe Set – Best Wooden Interchangeable Set

Clover Takumi Straights

Check Price on Amazon

Made from Bamboo these single point needles have a slight grab. These are great needles for beginners, because the stitches don’t slip off easily.

• Lightweight
• Smooth to touch
• Won’t catch your yarn
• Comfortable to hold
• Renewable resource

• Some customers found the surface splinters

Chiaogoo Red Lace

I love these needles. They’re the best knitting needle for socks using the magic loop method. The red nylon cables have stainless steel wire inside, don’t have memory and are sturdy.

The join is smooth and doesn’t snag the yarn. Stitches glide over the stainless steel surface of the tapered, sharp tips. Used for both flat knitting and knitting in the round, circular needles give flexibility.

• Lightweight
• Cable doesn’t kink
• Excellent range of needle sizes

• Don’t like the feel of metal? These aren’t for you

Hiya Hiya: Best Circular Needles With Good Sharp Tips

Like Chiaogoos, these stainless steel circulars are excellent for knitting projects in the round like sweaters, hats, cowls, and blankets/afghans.

• Flexible plastic cords
• Smooth join between tip and the cable
• Available in many sizes
• Lightweight

• A few people found the plastic cable had memory

Knitter’s Pride Karbonz Double-Pointed Needles