Which material for knitting needles—we’d love to hear your preferences here

Hi everyone,
Since I was just looking for info for the thread on cubic knitting needles, I found another article linked right below the text about square knitting needles.

It’s about the materials used to make knitting needles.
I’m sure everyone knows about metal knitting needles, and wood and bamboo too, but plastic/acrylic was somehow new to me.

http://www.topp-kreativ.de/kreativzirkel/handarbeiten/strickstube/tipp+stricknadeln+holz+metall+oder+doch+acryl+was+eignet+sich+fuer+wen+.5490.0.htm
There’s even a chart showing which material is best suited for whom, or rather, for which needs.
Which do you prefer?
What do knitting needles need to be like so you can work well with them?

Hi muetzekatze,

I recently read up on the different materials when I ordered the cubic knitting needles, and I was amazed that there’s always something new out there.
I ended up ordering a whole cartload of different kinds to try out—to see where the differences lie and which ones suit me best.
I wanted new and longer ones for shawl knitting anyway :-) and when my sweetheart says, “Go ahead and order them...” *whistles*

Normally, I try to use wooden needles (preferably the Symphony or Dreams from KnitPro). The same goes for crochet hooks, by the way.

However, I don’t like them as much when it’s too hot—they squeak for me—so I usually use metal needles instead; at least that’s how it’s been so far.

Another downside of wooden needles: if you leave them lying on the sofa and sit on them, they break.
Also, my little one recently chewed off the tip of a wooden crochet hook ;-) He probably thought he was a beaver, but luckily it didn’t hurt him—he didn’t swallow the tip.

My thin sock needles are also already pretty bent; that can happen with wood, too (I’m guessing they’re made of bamboo—other types of wood might have broken by now).

Also, sometimes I get a small step on circular needles between the needle and the cable where the yarn gets caught. But that probably happens after a relatively long period of use, and needles are, after all, everyday tools that need to be replaced every now and then.

Nevertheless, wood has been my favorite material so far because it’s also very light—you can barely feel it in your hand—it’s quiet and doesn’t rattle, and my favorite reason: I often knit and crochet when I’m out and about. People often laugh at that and dismiss it as “eco,” so of course you have to go all out with eco-friendly wooden knitting needles. :-)

About my new needles: the cubic needles are made of rosewood. I’ve only tested them briefly. I was just curious, after all :-0 I found the feel in my hand took some getting used to because they’re angular, and my stitches were often a bit tight around the angular parts of the needle. But I plan to knit a shawl with them soon, and maybe then I can tell you if that’s changed.

I also ordered an acrylic needle (called “Trendz” by KnitPro). They look really great (they come in awesome bright colors) and are super light. I ordered a thicker size, which I mainly want to use for skirts and hats. So even at size 6 mm, it’s still incredibly light and was also quite affordable compared to the other models. Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about knitting with it yet—I haven’t tried it.

They’ve since become my secret favorite: carbon fiber knitting needles (KnitPro Karbonz). Thanks to the carbon fiber, they’re just as light as wood and feel comfortable in the hand, and they have a beautifully shaped brass tip. At first, the tiny gap between the carbon and the brass tip bothered me a little. But only with purl stitches, which tend to catch there slightly. You do get used to knitting the stitches right at the tip of the brass, though, and then this doesn’t happen. At the end of the needle, there’s a brass ferrule that transitions into the cable. The transition here is smooth—no snagging of the yarn. Another advantage, of course, is that the needles are supposed to be virtually indestructible. I haven’t been able to test this yet after two weeks of use, though, and I didn’t really want to put them to the test ;-)

Actually, I had intended to order a needle set where the needle tips and the cables of various lengths are separate, so you can connect them depending on what you want to knit. However, these sets are only available starting at a needle size of 3.5 mm, and I also needed sizes 2.5 and 3. That’s why I decided to go with a few different options instead.

My conclusion: Any needles I buy in the future will probably be made of carbon (though, of course, there might be something new on the market by the time I place my next order)—unless the Cubic needles really win me over when I knit a few more pieces with them.

I hope I’ve sparked your interest in different materials even more :-)
Maybe my experiences will help you decide which material to choose the next time you buy needles.

Best regards

Nici




 

One more little off-topic comment:

Just read this and thought it was great:

My husband thinks I'm the slowest knitter in the world.
A "I'll be right there, I just need to finish knitting this row"
can easily take an hour  *grin - so true*

I currently have bamboo or carbon knitting needles, and I really enjoy knitting with them.