Beginning Knitting Yarn For Beginners and Beginner Knitting Needles

For someone who wants to learn to knit, beginning knitting is fun and exciting and you're probably wondering where to start.

If you're going to start knitting you may as well start at the very beginning by choosing some knitting yarn for beginners and some knitting needles too.

When you are getting started with knitting the two most basic knitting supplies for beginners are yarn and knitting needles. We can talk about the rest another time.

This page is all about choosing the best knitting yarn for beginners and the best knitting needles for beginners and I'll help you choose both.

Beginning Knitting yarn for beginners

You'll find a huge assortment of knitting yarns out there. And choosing a great knitting yarn for beginners is super easy too.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when you're choosing yarn for a beginner knitter.

First look for a smooth kind of yarn like in the photo above. And make sure to pick out a nice light color so that you can see your stitches better. 

When you're in the beginning knitting stage, buy a smooth worsted weight yarn like the following ones: 

Any one of these yarns will be a great knitting yarn for beginners. I love them all and use them often.

Bernat super value yarn

Patons Canadiana yarn 

Red Heart Yarns  

You could also choose wool yarns. Knit Picks is my first choice because I love all their yarns and they have a huge selection.

One of my favorite wool yarns is their Wool Of The Andes Worsted Superwash yarn.

They also have lovely acrylic yarns too like Brava Worsted Premium Acrylic yarn and it's beautiful too and soft.

so why not choose a really fat super bulky yarn?

Well some people do like using the reallly big knitting needles and bulky yarns and they may work for some people.

The thing is they are big and bulky and you may find it very awkward to work with fat needles and yarn when you're just starting out with knitting.

The same goes for fancy fleecy yarns and heavily textured knitting yarns. They are really fun to use but I'd wait until you're more comfortable with knitting first.

When you choose your knitting yarn check out the yarn label too. It's the piece of paper wrapped around your balll of yarn.  

It gives you important knitting information, like what it's made of, cotton, wool, acrylic and it'll tell you the size yarn it is, DK (3), Worsted (4), Chunky (5)

Are you wondering how to read yarn labels?  No problem. I made a page for that so that you'll understand.  Here is how to read yarn labels.

It's important to understand symbols on yarn labels and I'll go through it all with you.

Beginning Knitting Needles for beginners

Knitting needles are the next most important tools for knitting.  And there are lots to choose from.

And every knitter has their favorites to knit with and over time you will too. 

My favorite straight knitting needles are bamboo and the length is about 10 inches long. They're like a beginner knitting needle because they're shorter.

I suggest the same for you that is try some bamboo straight knitting needles. They're warm in the hands and your stitches won't slide off very easily.

Plastic and aluminum can be more slippery and your knitting stitches can slip off the ends more easily. 

Some knitters prefer to have their stitches slide along the needles more easily so it really depends on how you knit and what your preferences are. 

You may love the bamboo needles or you may like knitting faster with the plastic or aluminum.

There are circular knitting needles too which you may prefer to try right off the bat and that's cool too.

I have two favorite interchangeable knitting needle sets I use and love both. 

They are Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles and Knitters Pride. But that's me. The links are to check them out. 

Actually Knitters Pride has now changed names to Knit Pro I believe. It's only recently that they changed their name.

I still suggest that you start with straight knitting needles too and I'd try a few different kinds. 

You're just starting to knit so you may want to experiment with different needles to see which ones you like.  

So buy some aluminum ones, plastic and bamboo to try them out. It's best way to find which kind you'll enjoy knitting with.

 The ultimate choice is yours although I'd definitely try some bamboo knitting needles first. 

Beginning Knitting Needle sizes for beginners

So what is the best knitting needle sizes for beginners? I like US 7 (4.5mm), US 8 (5mm) or US 9 (5.5mm) with US 9 being my favorite and size US 8 being the runner up.

These sizes are often used for medium weight yarns and they'll feel the most comfortable in your hands.

Actually the size I use the most is a US 9 (5.5mm), they feel the best in my hands.

And just a note here. Some people do prefer to use super fat needles to start knitting with. That's fine if you like to use them but here's my thought.

I find my hands start to ache a little after awhile and the needles are kind of awkward. This is just my feelings about it, you may love them. It's your choice.

If you decide to buy straight knitting needles you may want to consider the knitting needle length too. 

They range in length from 7 inches which is usually used for children, and go up from there; 8 - 14 inches.

I find the shorter lengths less cumbersome and much easier to use than the really long ones. 

Even the ones for children are great while you practice. I have some short ones I really like knitting with for smaller projects. 

Note: The size of the knitting needles and the size of the knitting yarn should compliment each other so:

• Really thin knitting yarn - really thin knitting needles and
• Really thick yarn - really thick needles

I created a little page about knitting needle sizes here to help you understand about the sizing. 

Plus you can download a nifty knitting needle size chart as well. Pop on over, I'll wait right here for you.

Maybe you already have your ball of yarn and knitting needles?

So what's the next step? 

Then it's time to put stitches on your needle and it all starts with a simple slip knot.

Here is how to make a slip knot

Or maybe you're wondering how to hold all this stuff in your hands. Here are some ideas about

How to hold knitting needles and yarn

When you're ready you can head over to my knitting instructions page, where I will show you some cast on methods and all the basic knitting stitches.

Happy Knitting!

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