What are your favourite knitting needles made of? Why do you like them so much?
I have been using different needles for my knitting projects and I have found that my metal knitting needles are the best for my taste. The yarn slides with ease, they are easy to clean, and they don’t “stick” to my fingers and yarn. I am curious to hear about your favourites too.
Funky Air Bear 
Bamboo are my favorite. I like how my stitches never fall off accidentally.
Nice! I’ve never tried bamboo. My next needle purchase will be bamboo. 🙂
I’m a metal needle fan…
Nice! Me too 🙂
My bamboo needles are my favorites! I like to knit lace and I really like the control I have with the bamboo needles – the yarn slides just enough but not too much!
Really good point. I am yet to try bamboo needles. Thanks for your input
I mostly use bamboo needles and I love them! Sometimes I find that a brand new pair of bamboo needles will “stick” a little at first, but usually they get smoother after you’ve knitted a project or two.
Metal needles can be kind of rough on my fingers (once I got a blister!) and the yarn slips off if I’m not careful! My size 1 & 2 needles are metal though because I’ve found bamboo needles that thin will bend/break.
Interesting. Now I can’t wait to try bamboo needles 🙂
Thank you
I tend to use more medal then plastic. I just like how my projects knit up better. I don’t split the yarn with medal
This is an interesting point. That’s what I’ve found. I have to say that I am not a big fan of plastic. They tend to “stick” too much. And if I’m knitting on a warm day, my hands get too “sticky” too. I don’t like that feeling. With metal, I have found I have traction and they are slippery at the same time. If that makes sense. 😀
makes total sense. even when I need a pair of circulars I tend to buy medal ends. I knit year round and especially in the summer i get the sticky hand problem also
I’m glad to hear I’m not alone 😀
The other thing with plastic they are just not sturdy enough for my liking. With large projects I have snapped needles and had that knitters panic when it happened.
Great point. I also like my needles sturdy. I don’t like if they bend, let alone snap. That must be a terrible feeling. Especially when you have 100+ stitches midway through a pattern.
I have sat and cried when its happened. Afraid to move the project to lost any stitches
I can only imagine. I would be devastated.
Luckily it doesn’t happen often.
My KnitPro Symphony wooden interchangeables are the best. I use them for everything these days. All my straights are pretty much neglected because these are so versatile 🙂
Great to know! Thank you 🙂
I only use bamboo because of their light weight which helps me caused rheumatisme. It is also possible to buy in cherry wood but they are very expensive.
That’s a good point. I like light weight needles too.
I love my KnitPro Symphony wooden interchangeables. My second love is for metal needles. 🙂
You’re the second person who has mentioned these needles here. I will look for them 🙂
Thank you 🙂
You are welcome. 🙂
I love metal, buuuuuuuut then I prefer the lightness of plastic. But Ive had them break mid-row and thats not fun. Ive used bamboo, and dont love them. I think maybe it was that they werent good quality and would catch the yarn sometimes. I bought the Addi metal interchangable and they are brilliant!
Ouch! Breaking a needle does not sound like fun. It’s never happened to me but I can only imagine how frustrated I would be.
I’m a fan of metal too 🙂 Thanks for your input
I used to have only metal needles and found nothing wrong with them, until I tried bamboo and wood. And I recently treated myself with the Caspian straight needles pack from KnitPicks. When they arrived, I immediately switched needles on the sweater I was knitting, and what a difference it made. Everything became lighter and easier. I was doing intarsia with 18 bobbins dangling on the back of my work, so having lighter needles made a major difference, and the work moved much faster. You really must try bamboo or light wood.
That’s a great piece of advice. I am now really convinced I should try bamboo. Maybe wood too. With wood I am always afraid it may split at some point haha I know it probably won’t happen but I can’t help but think about that.
Thank you for your advice.
I’m torn between nickel needles and bamboo…just depends on the project!
Yes, I guess so. Good point. I am knitting a toddler sweater right now but it feels so heavy. Maybe switching to lighter needles will help lighten thing up. 🙂
Bamboo for me too, the only problem is my interchangables slowly untwist which catches a stitch constantly, drives me mad!
Oh I never thought of that. That’s a good point. That would drive me crazy too. Thanks for sharing.
Knit Pro Symphonie every time. Either the straight needles (my preference) or the interchangeable circulars. They’re wood. I also like some Brittany wood needles I have in 6.5mm. I only use metal or bamboo if I don’t have another needle to use
🙂 http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=symphonie+knitting+needles&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=28688651340&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14578408669685830818&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_59xo2rm9l3_b
Nice! Thanks for sharing the link 🙂
Another item on my wish list. Check! 😀
I grew up with metal needles (except for a pair of bright orange gigantic jumbo-sized plastic ones that I can’t imagine my mothers ever used, but clearly they made an impression!) but recently bought a set of bamboo straights and a set of bamboo circulars, very cheap, through Amazon and I love them. You don’t get that buzzy feel you sometimes get with metal. And I don’t get static shocks from the bamboo ones either! And the came in a little roll up case too – total bargain. I don’t get achey hands either now and they’re nice to use in winter in my very cold house as they retain the heat from your hand, but not in a hot and sticky way! Yet to use them in the height of summer, admittedly!
Another point for bamboo in my books. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I was imagining these orange jumbo needles 😆
I’m a big fan of wood and bamboo. They slide when they need to and stay where they’re put. My favorite brands are Addis and Knitpicks. I like Knitpicks because you can get them in cool colors, and they’re super sharp. I like Addis because they’re a simple, no nonsense kind of needle that fades into the background. They’re so great, you don’t notice they’re there. I also am a big fan of circulars, even when I’m knitting flat. They’re easier on the back and shoulders.
So great to know. Thank you for sharing. I really like the idea of having colourful needles 🙂 It would make knitting even more fun 😀
I’ve been lucky enough to knit with plastic, bamboo, wood, and metal. I have to say theres a time and place for each. The plastic and fresh new bamboo needles are awesome for newbie knitters as mentioned previously, the stitches hold and don’t slip off. However, once you’ve got a good speed going there’s not much that beats good metal circular needles. I LOVE my Knitpicks interchangeable sets. I will say unless I have a loosely spun yarn those are my favorites. I like the sharp points. Now, if I’m knitting socks, I like shorter bamboo dpns. I’ve tried knitting socks with the magic loop on metal circs and still I’m fond of my shorter bamboo dpns. I hope that wasn’t too much info but there just wasn’t one needle for everything, or every yarn. My thought? Go try’m all! 😀
Thank you for sharing! That certainly was great advice. I agree, until you try them all, you don’t know what works best for you. I have also found metal works great for me. And it also depends on the yarn. Some acrylic yarns “stick” to everything. Quality of yarn is definitely essential. I find that cotton is less sticky on metal. But overall, I do tend to walk away from plastic. They are giving me that static feeling that I really dislike.
Thank you for your input. Very helpful!
I agree! Acrylic tends to stick. It’s great for easy care baby gifts but I really prefer the easy of knitting with natural fibers. Anything with a little wool in it is a plus for my stressed thumb joints. What are you working on now? I’m in the middle of another “Owlie Sleep Sack.” Are you on Ravelry and if so would you like to connect through their site? I’m loving their pattern data base!
Absolutely! Natural yarns beat any other in terms of knitting experience. I like them too 🙂
At the moment, I am trying to finish a baby blanket (pure wool) that I started to crochet way too long ago 😀 It’s a really nice raspberry colour. Here’s what it looked like a few months ago and I haven’t made much progress since. 😆
https://funkyairbear.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/autopilot-blanket/
I am on Ravelry and I’d love to connect. I don’t have much there but I love browsing for patterns. It’s such an addictive website. I love it. Hope to connect with you there.
http://www.ravelry.com/people/funkyairbear
I like long straight metal needles for most knitting and I have Knit-Pro Nova interchangeable metal circular needles for when I need circular ones and Addi really short 20cm circulars for socks because then you can just knit and knit without stopping. But I do like the feel of my expensive Pony rosewood 6mm and 10mm needles. They are light and smooth. Not sure I would like them for thinner needles and they have very long points which makes knitting slower but they are working well with my mohair yarn.
Thanks for sharing! This is very helpful. Rosewood needles sounds like something I must try. Glad to hear you like them.
What a delight… your blog. I have enjoyed venturing through your selections of info and beautiful creations. I would say bamboo are my favorite knitting needles. Also, thank you for stopping by Papa’s Frog and taking a peek and liking a recent post.
Thank you 🙂 I love your blog 🙂 thank you for stopping by and commenting on mine 🙂