You Decide!

You Decide! 

September Tech Talk: How to Choose Your Tool, Knit Edition Part 1 

Which type of knitting needle is better? It depends because the needle we use depends on a lot of factors, including what type of yarn you’re using, how much you’re manipulating stitches (e.g., cable, lace), how do your hands feel (pain), how hard is it for you to get gauge, and so on. We’re always happy to help y’all choose needles but we thought you could use some tips. 

While there are plastic or acrylic needles on the market, Yarnivore prefers wood or metal. We should also note that not all “wood” needles are actually made from wood, some are, in fact, bamboo. We can hear some of y’all, whaddaya mean “some are bamboo”? Isn’t bamboo a wood? No, bamboo isn’t wood, it’s technically a grass. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll loosely categorize bamboo in the wood category for today. Also, not all metal needles are made from the same material. Needles can be made with brass, steel, aluminum and with various finishes, including nickel. Today, we’re grouping all of these together as metal. 

Let’s talk about the common concerns knitters have when choosing knitting needles. 
How do the needles feel? Wood is warmer to the touch and more flexible than metal needles. Knitters with hand issues (e.g., carpal tunnel or arthritis) may prefer wood needles because they’re a bit more comfortable to hold. 

How do the different materials affect gauge? Wood has more texture or grip on your yarn, so it produces more even tension. For this reason, many of us will use wood needles on stockinette or garter stitch, because tension inconsistencies are more obvious. This is especially true if you’re a loose knitter and you’re having trouble with even tension. On the other hand, if you’re a tight knitter, we recommend metal needles because metal needles are so slippery, which helps you manipulate stitches.

How blunt or pointy is the tip?  Think of the tips as a spectrum. Generally speaking, wood needles have blunter tips than metal needles. However, some wood needles are pointier than others and some metal needles have blunter tips. Depending on how you feed your stitches up the left-hand needle, you may want a blunter tip. This is best for knitters who use the pad of their right pointer finger to stabilize the left needle while they move stitches towards the tip (we often call these knitters “pokers” or “pushers”). We know some people <cough, you know who you are> who have pierced their skin with pointy needles, making their finger bleed. If this is you, opt for a blunter tip. After all, we have standards about bleeding on yarn. 

On the other hand, if you’re a tight knitter and/or working more complicated stitches, like cables or knitting two or more stitches together, a pointy tip will make your life much simpler.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing blunt or pointy tips is splittiness. Some yarns are more prone to splitting and some knitters really dislike splitting their yarn. If this is you, then choose a blunter tip. 

Which type is more durable? Metal needles tend to be more durable than wood. It’s not that wood needles aren’t sturdy, it’s that they’re more likely to break if you sit on them or if your pupper or kitty decide to use them as a chew toy. Also, wood needles, especially bamboo, are more likely to get scratched or roughened. 

A couple of random thoughts on needle materials: Some needles, like bamboo, are more sustainable than others. This is because bamboo grows so fast. Also, some needle materials are noisier than others. Metal needles make that classic clicking sound. If you’re trying to minimize clicking, we recommend wood needles. 

While we could generalize about whether a knitter should use a certain type of needle, we recommend that you experiment. Why? Because you may want different needle characteristics for different types of projects and yarns. For example, if you’re using a tightly twisted Acrylic yarn, you may prefer metal needles for their slip and pointiness. On the other hand, if you’re working in garter stitch with Alpaca, you may want a wood needle to help your tension. If you need help choosing a needle, we’re happy to talk about your concerns and make a recommendation but we hope this information gives you confidence in deciding which needles are best for your project. ????

There’s not enough space here to also talk about needle style (i.e., double point, single point, and circular), so we’ll cover that in a future newsletter. Much of what we talked about today can also apply to crochet hooks, but hooks have other characteristics, like handle types. We’ll also talk hook tech at a later date. 

P. S. Crawl Passports & Bags are not available yet, but you can pre-order them here, on the phone or in-store! Passports are $20 and we have a limited number of Crawl bags for the earliest birds! Once we receive the passports & bags, we'll notify folks who have pre-ordered and also update our website and social media (@YarnivoreSA on FB/Insta). 

P. P. S. Chaos Fiber will be in-store the first two days of Crawl (Oct 11-12) and Bad Frog Yarn will be in-store Oct 13. 

Shop News - Featured Yarn: Universal Yarn Offbeat            

Snuggly soft and full of multi-color joy, Offbeat is a blend of acrylic and alpaca designed especially for autumn and winter. This self-striping yarn features heathered bands of color that crisply change as you work. Enjoy Offbeat in an assortment of projects, from garments and accessories to timeless home decor.

Offbeat is a dk (#3) weight blend of Acrylic and Alpaca. It has 586 yards in a 150g cake (no winding needed!) and is machine washable. 

The Best Little Yarn Crawl in Texas, October 11 - 20, 2024. Passports are $20; early birds will also get a Crawl bag! Pre-order yours now online, over the phone or in-store!

Chaos Fiber will be in-store the first two days of #TheBestLittleYarnCrawlinTexas (aka Hill Country Yarn Crawl or just Crawl): Friday & Saturday October 11 & 12, 10a - 6p. 

Bad Frog Yarn will finish the first Crawl weekend with us, Sunday October 13 (10a-6p)!

Private Lessons
Learn 1x1 or in small groups with your choice of project or technique! One-on-one (one student, one teacher) Personal lessons are $25/hour & group private lessons are $15/person per hour. Visit us in-store or call 210-979-8255 to schedule.

The Tip Jar

In the main article, we mentioned that wood and metal needles can affect your gauge. It’s not surprising then, that working a gauge swatch in wood or metal and then switching to the other for the project will cause problems. Save yourself a headache (or a frogging) and use the same needle for your project as your gauge swatch!

 Do you have a tip idea? We're happy to share it, just reply to this newsletter!

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