I am new at knitting and while I can knit and purl back and forth I haven’t attempted any projects just yet (my 5 year old son says I make great “mouse blankets”!).
I am using size 9 aluminum needles. What is the best yarn and needle type (wood looks easier than aluminum) to get the hang of knitting with? Any advice is much appreciated.
Size 9 metal needles are fine. You want to look for a smooth light colored or variegated yarn that says worsted or 4 on the laber. You can use inexpensive acrylic, wool or a blend to practice with.
It’s really a personal preference. I like slick metal needles, some people like wood or bamboo. You really have to see what works best for you.
I usually suggest starting with a size 8 or 9 and any lighter-colored worsted-weight yarn that you like the feel of.
Once you find a particular thing that you want to make, that narrows down the choices more.
Mouse blankets are good, too. :teehee: My first projects were “Barbie skirts” (I was 9.)
I agree with Ingrid and Sue. Size 8 or 9 needles and light colored worsted weight yarn.
I started with some bamboo straights and liked using those because the yarn didn’t slip so much, but now I prefer the nickel plated circulars from Knitpicks. It is definitely personal choice and what you like now may not be what you prefer a few years down the line.
I learned on metal needles but use bamboo now, although metal needles seem a lot faster at times, but this slipperiness can be good or bad.
I bought a big old Red Heart super saver acrylic skein learn off of since I didn’t want to waste anything I really liked. But I have to say I hated it. It was fine to learn casting on and binding off and how to do several rows of garter stitch. But after I worked in wool and came back to the acrylic, to test a pattern I really didn’t know how to make, I realized how much harder I found it to work with.
I like Patons Classic wool, it’s inexpensive and pretty and easy to work with. It’s also probably a good idea (if you ever want to get into dishcloths, etc) to pick up a cheap little ball of cotton; I find it pretty different from working with wool.
Knitting is a hobby… and like any hobby, it can get expensive…
what needles? ANY needles… cause eventually you are going to own at least one set of all of them…
there are wood (ebony, and rose wood and birch + exotic woods) and bamboo.
there are metal (steel, coated steel, Brass (coated with nickel) bronze, precious metals (gold & silver!) and aluminum…
there are plastic, (soft and hard, and milk based plastics!) there are nylon and teflon needles.
there are glass and other materials…
and all these needles come in DPN’s (in several lenghts) and Straights, and Circs (and some in interchangable circs) and these too come in different lengths.
there are matched sets to buy, and individual needles to by.
there are needles with interchangable tips… because sometimes you want a dull tip, and sometimes a medium tip, and some times a stiletto tip… (aka Lace tips)
I learned on metal (the most common style of needle when i learned) --and i hate bamboo (wood is ok… but…)
after 47 years of knitting, you’d think that would own all the needles i need–but No, I am always trying out new needles…
in some ways, I am always a beginner!
try out every needle you can (many LYS have a needles and some yarn to ‘play with’ and NO matter what you like now, be assured,there is always a “new” needle that is crying out to be bought and tried!
It’s not acrylic that’s the problem. It’s the RHSS. There are good acrylics and bad acrylics. I can’t knit with RHSS because it hurts my hands. It’s too rough to slip smoothly. Something like Caron Simply Soft or James C. Brett Marble are much different.
THAT being said…I know RHSS has it’s value and that some people love it. That’s fine, I’m just stating my opinion and experience. I can’t wear wool so I’ve used a lot of acrylics and acrylic blends. 
If you want to show something for your effort, some times beginners use larger sized needles like 15s or something, with bulky yarn. That way there’s more bang for your buck. However, for many patterns, the smaller sized needles are better. 9s are good. I use my grandmother’s metal or plastic ones…I’ve always like that the yarn was able to move off the needles faster (though I honestly haven’t tried wood/bamboo yet). I hear the wood/bamboo ones are good for beginners because the yarn doesn’t slip off easily. I do agree with “of troy” though…since I didn’t buy the whole set of interchangeable needles (since I had my grandmother’s), I find that I will periodically buy new needles to suit a new need. I recently bought bamboo circular needles but haven’t tried them yet.
Yes, you’re right. Caron Simply Soft is much easier to work with and there are many nice acrylics/blends. I just can’t use RHSS, it’s really rough. Perhaps for a project that needed to be particularly durable, but it was hard to learn with.
I learned to knit with size 8 bamboo needles and a worsted weight alpacca. I still don’t like metal needles because the needle has a tendency of slipping out on me (though I recently invested in point protectors). So I think wood or baboo is easier for a beginner but I’m sure there are others who have had a different experience.
I originally tried metal and acrylic needles and I found that I gave up knitting both times. I really love my bamboo needles because I find that I don’t knit too tight with them ( as I did with the metal) and they don’t slip too much. I know this may sound weird but I also like that they don’t get cold- I live in a place that gets a little chilly in winter:) I think it is all personal preference and testing is the best way to know what works for you. I sat in Michael’s toughing and holding them all! 
Good luck!
Thanks for all the advice. I actually picked up some 100% wool yarn and bamboo circular needles size 10 1/2 and all of a sudden it all clicked! LOVE the circular needles and the bamboo is very easy to work with (for me). I have a hat nearly done already and I JUST taught myself to knit a few days ago! Thanks for all the help!
Erin