Hi, I am a beginner knitter. I would like to invest in some needles. What would some of you recommend? I have been on the knit picks website and they look like good quality at reasonable prices. Wood or nickel? Interchangeable circular set or straight? I would really appreciate some of your insight.
Thanks!
Knitting Needles are a very personal preference, and what one knitter likes another will hate with a passion. I personally prefer bamboo needles - they are light, warm to the touch, and are quiet (not too much clicking when knitting). Your preference will depend on a number of factors, including how you knit - tightly or loosely or somewhere in between, what you are knitting with - a nice fluffy, grabby wool, or a slippery silk, and what feels comfortable in your hands. I also prefer circulars to straights, but that’s just me. Do you know any knitters who would let your borrow some needles to try for a few days, or is there a yarn store nearby who would let you “try before you buy”? I’d hold off buying anything except the needles for your current project for a while so you can try out different types, and decide what YOUR preference is.
Once most people try circular needles, they don’t use straights anymore. You can knit flat on them just like straights and use them in place of dpns as well. Wood or metal is more what you prefer.
You might try ordering one cable and one set each of the Knitpicks Harmony (wooden) and Options (Nickel Plated), to see which you prefer.