If you’re wondering what knitting needles to use for the chunky wool you plan to use, read this post and watch the video which I found helpful when I too was considering this question.
Typically chunky yarn will require a 6mm (US 10) needle size, but with exceptions …
If you knit people in your circle of influence generally pick up on that quite quickly, Knitting is addictive so any spare bit of time is devoted to it which means others soon find out about your hobby. This in turn leads to your being offered any remnants of wool. My stash is becoming so large that it’s a problem finding storage space for it!
With all that stash of yarn, you’ve got to make something with it. This often leads me to ask the question about which needles to use for a certain weight of yarn. For some reason, I get given loads of chunky wool.
It’s a popular weight with beginners as the stitches are easier to see, and projects using it are completed quicker than the thinner yarns.
Follow Pattern Suggested Needle Size First to Get Gauge
If you are following a pattern then the best advice is to start with the needle size that is suggested especially if that pattern uses a chunky yarn. The designer has carefully selected the yarn and corresponding needles to achieve the project they want. It is necessary to make sure first that you get gauge by using the recommended needles.
Look at Yarn Ball Band
If the wool you have still has its label then that will tell you the suggested knitting needle size to use. This is only a guide but will generally be accurate for that type of yarn. For example, when I look at a chunky yarn from Paintbox it says to use 6mm (US 10 ) needles but when I study another chunky yarn brand from Deramores it suggests a bigger size of 9mm (US 13 )
Depends on the Project
I have noticed that sometimes the needle size changes for a particular type of project. For example, patterns recommend a smaller needle size if you are making a stuffed soft toy. This is because you want the fabric that you make to be tighter so, that when filled, the stuffing does not show through the fabric.
- Using chunky yarn and needles bigger than 6mm size will result in a looser, bigger size of fabric
- Smaller than 6mm needles will give a stiffer, tighter knitted fabric
I found this video on The Knit with Hannah channel that explains all this brilliantly. She also shows what effects using different-sized needles have when knitting with chunky yarns.
For other tips and ‘how to’ questions to help with your knitting visit Learn to Knit
