Wool, Wool-blends, Synthetics and Knitting Needles

There are as many different types of yarn out there as you could imagine and it does get confusing. When one is first learning to knit I would highly recommend that you choose a worsted weight yarn that is synthetic and less expensive. When you have your skills honed you can try using some of the wonderful wool yarns that are available. There are also some beautiful wool blends. I bought a wool/alpaca blend for a fisherman’s sweater and it worked up beautifully. Do go to the sheep and wool shows in your area. Look and feel the different fibers that are available. If you are like me, you’ll want to buy them all.

Much of this information I gleaned from the pages of Patternworks catalogue. Patternworks is a wonderful company run by dyed in the wool knitters. I have ordered from them for many years and I have never been disappointed. You can view their products at: www.patternworks.com

I get absolutely nothing for this endorsement, so you know that I really mean it when I say I love this company!

The weight of the yarn refers to the thickness of the strand. The yarn weights are:
Fingering – A fine yarn used for making baby wear, socks, and light weight sweaters.
Lace – Another very fine weight of yarn used in the making of fine baby wear and scarves.
Sport – ( 6 sts=1 inch) - A good weight yean for just about any project except those calling for very fine or very thick yarns.
DK - (5 ½ sts=1 inch) – Medium weight yarn, slightly less bulky then worsted weight yarn. Good for sweaters, hats, scarves, socks and novelties.
Worsted (41/2 to 5 sts = 1 inch) A thinker, warm yarn for use in making heavier sweaters, hats, gloves, and scarves.
Heavy Worsted (4 to 4 ½ sts = 1 inch) – For throws, heavy sweaters, shawls, and bags.
Bulky (3 to 31/2 sts = 1 inch) – Bags and very heavy sweaters.

Knitting needles come in several different types.
Straight needles come in sizes 0000 to 50. For most projects you will use sizes 3-8. These numbers refer to the thickness of the needle. The larger the number, the thicker the needle. Straight needles vary in length too. They are can be as short as 9” and as long as 14”. I prefer the 14” needles for most projects.
Circular needles come in the same sizes (0000-50) as straight needles. Circular needles can be as short as 16” or as long as 60”. I find that for most projects involving circular needles I use 16’ or 29’ circular needles.
Double pointed needles can be used in place of circular needles. They come in the same sizes (0000 to 50) and can be as short as 4” or as long as 10”. I use 7” needles for most of the projects I do.

Crochet hooks come in sizes A thru S. This refers to the thickness of the hook. For most projects you’ll use the smaller hooks.

Knitting needles and crochet hooks can be made from many various materials, everything from plastic to wood. While the wooden needles are very pretty I prefer the metal needles. The wooden needles tend to break if they carry any weight. Yarn tends to “stick” to plastic needles making it hard to slip stitches off your needle. The metal needles allow easy movement of the stitches and that makes knitting so much more enjoyable.

Small round place markers come in very handy and you’ll need quite a few of them. If you run out you can make a place marker by tying a strand of contrasting yarn in a loop and using it for a place marker. It will work just as well as the plastic kind.

Stitch holders, the kind that look like big safety pins, are very important for holding cable stitches.

Several point protectors.

A good tape measure, but if you are like me you’ll lose them so you might want to get a couple.

I would recommend that you stick to the synthetic yarns for children’s sweaters etc. as they can be easily washed and dried. Save the more expensive wools and blends for your special projects.