To help you decipher the world of knitting needle sizes, refer to the charts below! Knitting Needle Sizes Chart for US and UK Knitting needle sizes can be confusing. That’s because different countries have different ways of numbering their knitting needles. That, of course, does not explain the conundrum of the US needle sizes. Why don’t they follow the Imperial system? To be quite honest, nobody really knows! It remains a fact, however, that from around 1900 US manufacturers started selling their own needle gauges – following no system at all. Or rather, the actual sizes followed (more or less) the Imperial system but the numbers were rising, much like the metric system popular in mainland Europe.

Americans use their own numbering system, which you will often see if you're using patterns from the USA. In this system, 2mm needles are a size 0, and the numbers go up as the needles get bigger. Confusingly, there's also an old British system where the numbers go down as the needles get bigger, so 2mm needles are a 14. This isn't used very much anymore, but you may still see it on vintage patterns. Most patterns will specify the yarn that they used to make the project. If you didn't want to use the exact same yarn, you could substitute for something which is the same weight yarn. Knitting needle and crochet hook sizes Explaining U.S. knitting needle sizes is a complicated topic and we have to delve a bit into history: With the popularization of knitting in the UK in the 18th century and the industrialization, the shift from handmade tools to mass-produced steel needles occurred. Needles were often also called wires because, by then, most dpns were indeed made out of durable steel wire. And thus they were measured in accordance with the standard wire gauge (SWG).Think of how Apple forced unique chargers and cables on their customers for two decades. Miss Lambert probably called her needle gauge “ Standard Filière” for very similar reasons – distinction. The Singer Corporation famously heralded this change towards international marketing around that time with their sewing machines ( source) with a kind of success that would dominate the industry for the whole century to come.

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. So in some parts, this chart is only an approximation. Still, you can easily see that a 4 mm knitting needle converts to a U.S. size 6. And knitting needles sold as 5 mm in Europe can be found as size 8 on the other side of the Atlantic. Knitting needle sizes explainedA pattern typically only provides you with a size, aka the diameter of the needle. The rest is up to your own preference. Your knitting needles need to be long enough to accommodate all stitches without them being squeezed together so tightly that they fall off whenever you relax. In some projects, gauge doesn't really matter. For example, if you're making a blanket or a scarf, you might not care if the finished result is a few centimetres bigger or smaller than the pattern indicates. However, if you're making a fitted garment, like a jumper or cardigan, getting gauge right is essential. On top of that, different materials (e.g. wool, alpaca, or cotton) are also an important factor. Some of these might change their appearance drastically after the first wash. In Japan, knitting needles use different standard metric sizes, starting at 2.1 mm and going up to 25 mm. What is My Knitting Needle Size?

Your personal tension: Are you a tight or loose knitter? Your knitting style and even the needle material (wood vs metal) will have a huge influence on your gauge. Remember, knitting gauge is very sensitive. If you change mid-project from plastic to bamboo needles, for example, you might find that your gauge changes, too. Types of knitting needles 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. The knitting stitch pattern: Typically, you will knit lace patterns using relatively large needles to create a lace like appearanges. Rib stitches, on the other hand, will benefit from using relatively small knitting needles. Matching knitting needle or crochet hook sizes and yarn can sometimes be a bit more complicated. You should also think about the nature of the project. Sometimes it's a good idea to use a bigger or a smaller needle, depending on the effect that you want to achieve.

Latest Knitting Needles

It's easy to get confused with terminology when you see needles and hooks discussed online. That's because there are three different numbering systems that people use to talk about sizes! There's one final thing to take into account when you choose needle sizes: gauge. In the knitting world, gauge refers to the number of stitches and rows per centimetre. When you follow a pattern, it should tell you what the gauge is. If your knitting matches the pattern's gauge, then your project should turn out well. Plastic needles: they are very lightweight, which makes them great if you need extra large needles. They're a budget-friendly option and useful for getting started. However, they can warp over time, and may not last as long as other materials.