Can I use size 5 knitting needle instead of 4.5? - Mumsnet (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you use different size knitting needles? ›

Bigger needles make bigger stitches, which means you produce more surface area quicker - this is helpful to know if you want to knit something up quickly, like a scarf. As long as you don't mind quite open, loose stitches you could make a big scarf quickly using bigger needles than the yarn recommends.

Most ball bands will note suggested needles and what gauge you can expect using that size with the yarn. That's a good place to start, and you can change needle sizes as needed to get fabric that you like.

So by knitting with bigger needles, you'll have larger loops on the needles of the finer segments of the yarn as well, which will allow easy passage of the puffy parts. A second advantage to knitting thick and thin yarn with larger needles is the strain on your hands.

Depends on your tension. If you're a tight knitter you'll be fine but if your tension is loose it might it over the edge into not being quite right- the 4s would be better if that's the case for you.

The needle's width, known technically as the gauge, has a lot do with how uncomfortable it feels when it pierces your skin. Not surprisingly, the narrower the needle (which, ironically, means it has a larger gauge number), the less it hurts.

Why Does Size Matter? The size of the needle affects the length of the stitches and thus your finished product. The concept of gauge, or how many stitches fit into 1 inch of knitting, relies heavily on the size of the needles.

To do so, multiply the width of your garment in cm by the number of stitches in your swatch, and divide by 10 (the base of the gauge). The result will be the number of stitches you need to cast on to start to knitting the pattern adapted to your size.

Needle size and tension are intimately connected as the loop that creates the new stitch is formed around the needle. When you knit on smaller (thinner) needles the stitches also get smaller, and the tension gets tighter/higher.

What happens if your needle is too big? ›

Signs Your Needle is Too Large:

Skipped stitches – thread is uncontrolled, making consistent loop formation difficult. Fabric Damage – larger than necessary holes in the stitch line, leading to, Seam Pucker – fabric deformed along seam line, can result in seam leakage with some sewn products.

Things You'll Need

Using larger needles and thicker yarn without adjusting the pattern will yield a finished product that is too big. Conversely using smaller needles and thinner yarn will produce a smaller finished product.

A thin yarn and a large needle will create a thin fabric with big stitches and holes, like a spiderweb. Thick yarn and small needles will make a dense and stiff fabric that will be sturdy but uncomfortable and without drape.

Super bulky yarn (weight classification 6) is worked on needles larger than 11US (8 mm) and gives an average gauge of 6 to 11 stitches per 4 inches. Jumbo yarn can be worked on needles size 17 US (11 mm) and up or with your arms.