How to Choose Knitting Needles

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Michelle and I am here today on behalf of Expert Village. We're going to learn how to knit a scarf for beginners and while we are doing that we'll also go over some basic tips that you need to know to get started in knitting. Now that you have your yarn, we're almost ready to get started. But we are going to need some needles. There are very many different varieties of knitting needles that you have to choose from. While it is important to pick a knitting needle that works well with your yarn, I would say that the absolutely important thing is to pick a knitting needle that you're comfortable with, that works well with you. So let's look at some of the choices that you have. These are circular needles, they are excellent for knitting in the round and they also are absolutely vital if you are going to make something that is very, very long like a blanket. Or, if you want to knit your scarf lengthwise rather than width wise. Here, we have a set of four double pointed needles, these also are excellent for knitting in round, but I would use these for a smaller project like a sock. These knitting needles are the kind that you're probably more used to traditionally seeing except maybe a little shorter. This is really whether you want the short ones or the long ones, just a matter of personal comfort. I prefer working with the long ones, you use the ones that you prefer. However, if you are going to use the short ones, you will be limited on how wide you can make your scarf. If you wanted to make a little wider, use the longer pair. And if you wanted to make it really clunky, find a pair like this that is a little bigger around and remember that the smaller the needle you use, the more stitches will be required to make the same size that you would get from less stitches with a bigger needle. So keeping that in mind, pick a needle that you would like to use to make your scarf and then we will get started."