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LOVE TO
KNIT
A Division of
LoveToSew.com |
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All About Knitting:
Knitting Needles... Know Your Needles
A knitting needle is a hand tool to produce
knitted fabrics. They are not sharp like a sewing needle.
There are two purposes for knitting needles. The long shaft
holds the active stitches of the fabric, to prevent them from unraveling,
and the tapered or pointed end is to form new stitches. This is all
done by the hands.
The different size needles are determined
by their radius and then by the length. The size of the stitch is
determined mostly by the radius of the knitting needle used to make it.
This means if you want a larger stitch, you will want to use a larger
knitting needle.
Knitting needles come in different types.
The most common is a pair of long straight needles. They can be made
from aluminum, plastic, or wood. Wood or bamboo knitting needles seem to
be the easiest and most convenient type of needle to use for basic
knitting. The wooden knitting needles just seem to make the yarn slide on
and off the needles smoother and easier. (At least that's my opinion.)
Once I found them, I never went back to aluminum needles again.
Although they are more in price.
Knitting needles can also be round to make projects
like socks and mittens. There are many different shapes, sizes, and kinds
of knitting needles to be found. Beginners should just try a simple
inexpensive pair to start out with. If you find you like knitting
and want to knit more, then try different kinds until you find the one
that you you feel most comfortable knitting with.
by Judi Harris
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