In our Yarn Weights Chart you can find the recommended needle size. It is important however to understand it is a 'recommended' needle size you will notice that designers might use a different size needle for a yarn to give a particular effect. Susan Webster concludes in a noteworthy post that “then, somehow, magically, around the time of World War II, needle and gauge markers united around the “Standard American” size”. She argues that it could be a result of wartime restrictions. Decades of confusion among knitters might have elevated that demand. The most common knitting needle size is US size 8, or 5mm. These needles are most common because they match up with worsted-weight yarn, which is the most common type of yarn for most knitting patterns. These needles are generally considered a normal size for beginners to start knitting with, too. What happens if you knit with two different size needles? Knitting needles are usually measured by their diameter (the width of the circle), but some countries assign this measurement a random number, and some measure it in millimeters. If you have knitting needles from all over the world or of unknown origins, your best bet for identifying their size is by using a knitting gauge.

As a beginner, you should consider the length of your knitting needle. Listen to the pattern you’re knitting to know what to use. Most people find shorter needles more comfortable to hold, but longer needles allow more room for stitches along the length of the needle. If you’re knitting a vintage pattern or you’ve inherited some old needles, this means you might need another handy conversion chart to know exactly where your needles stand in terms of sizing. Medium sizes are generally the best for beginners. This means you should look for a width size of six (4mm), seven (4.5mm), or eight (5mm). For length, a 10-inch needle is usually a good starter size because they’ll be small enough to handle easily. What happens if you use bigger knitting needles?Of course, new materials (like celluloid) might also explain the departure from the SWG (as they required different machines and thus resulted in different sized needles). One also has to keep in mind that around 1910, commercial flights across the Atlantic were not available, and neither were telephone calls possible. Unlike today, knitters around the world were much less connected internationally and the world moved much slower and still a bit in isolation. These days, I see an increasing switch among U.S. pattern designers to the metric system for similar reasons. Since the Imperial and the U.S. knitting needle size system still exist side by side, recommending size 6 needles can be very confusing as knitters from both sides of the pond are likely to buy a given pattern.

The yarn label of the most commercially produced yarns should provide you with a size range. It has to be noted that these kinds of recommendations are only a first step. The right needle size for you will largely depend on two factors: If the needle slides in smoothly and sits snugly in the hole, then you’ve just identified your needle size. Mystery solved! In the US, needle sizes start at 0 and increase to 50. However, in the UK, sizes start at 14 and go up to 000.When it comes to choosing needles for your next project, the knitting needle size you need will depend on the weight of the yarn you’re using. Generally speaking, heavier yarn will require wider needles. As a beginner, unless you are familiar with how the sizing schemes compare, it is sometimes difficult to work out which size knitting needle you should use. Perhaps, a knitting needle conversion chart make things a bit clearer for you? Often, knitters find shorter needles to be more comfortable in the hand, but longer needles are often nice for knitters who are just starting out because they allow for more room for the stitches on the needle. Frequent knitters know what sizes work for them, but for beginner knitters, trying out different sizes is important.