Knitting needles are hand-held tools used to produce fabrics in knitting form. These needles are long in size with a tapering end and its tips help to secure the stitches of the fabric. The sizes are usually determined by the diameter and its length. Large needles would be required to make large stitches and fine needles to make fine ones. Also, the length of the knitting needle decides the number of stitches that could be held on the needle. Thus, there are too many varying needle sizes expended for different uses. Types and Sizes of Knitting Needles Straight Single-point Needles: This is a basic type of needle. They are straight and long, usually capped on one of its end and have a knob at the other end. Double-pointed Needles: These needles are short, rigid and straight with a bit of tapering at both of its ends. They are practically used to knit in sets of 4 or 5. Circular Needles: Circular needles have two tapered rigid ends convoluted by a flexible cord. These flexible cords help to secure the ongoing stitches. Double-pointed Cable Needles: These needles are very short in its appearance. They help develop cable knitted patterns on a fabric. Knitting as a field is a very relaxing, interesting and a creative activity for all those who have an inclination towards it. It is one thing that is portable and easy to learn once you master the basic knitting techniques. Then you can create a variety of fabrics like scarves, sweaters, shawls, socks, tablecloths and so on. Having a host of needle sizes for knitting gets frustrating sometimes. Therefore, if one knows which needle shapes and sizes would be applicable to which knitting project, the work goes faster. So how do you choose the right sizes with the right needle fabrication? Here, I have discussed some important aspects to be noted. Important Points to Consider

• Basically, selecting knitting needles depends on the type of knitting work or task you have undertaken. Agreed that all the needles render the same performance, yet with different needle sizes, you can create different styles and kinds.
• Generally, these needles have a tapering point at one end and a knob or cap at its other end. They are called straight knitting needles. Using these, you can knit flat pieces of fabrics like squares or rectangles.
• If circular needles are considered for knitting, let me tell you that the cords that come with it are obtainable at different lengths (12'' to 60'' needle tip to needle tip). Also, these kinds of needles are used for both purposes, i.e., flat and circular, something like two-in-one!
• When it comes to the needle size, as mentioned before, the diameter and length of the needles are issues to consider. A needle's thickness determines the thickness of the stitch. The thicker the needle, larger is the stitch.
• Similarly, the length of the needle plays an equally important role in the project. If the needles need to be passed from each other, the length mustn't be a barrier in the process. If a fabric is wide enough in appearance, it is because of the length of the needles.

Moreover, besides all these tips, the most important part is its material. Needles are usually made from several materials like bamboo, plastic, wood, metal and so on. Thus, along with the size, the fabrication of the needles builds up a bucketful of varieties and patterns in the field of knitting. If you are a budding knitter, starting off your project with the right needle size for beginners would help you to achieve a great deal of work. Exploring different varieties with different needle sizes would help you understand your passion and interest towards knitting. Eventually, you would knit more and create more fabric stuff to employ and wear. Moving into the last part of this article, let me give you a conversion chart full of sizes and numbers for you to comprehend better. Knitting Needle Size Chart

Needle Size Conversion Chart
Millimeter (mm)	U.S. size	U.K. size
2	B/0	14
2.25	1	13
2.5	-	-
2.75	2	12
3.0	-	11
3.25	3	10
3.5	3	10
3.75	5	9
4.0	6	8
4.5	7	7
5.0	8	6
5.5	9	5
6.0	10	4
6.5	10½	3
7.0	-	2
7.5	-	1
8.0	11	0
9.0	13	00
10.0	15	000
12.0	-	-
15.0	-	-
20.0	-	-

Select the right size with the help of the information provided in this article and you will eventually knit better in this field. All the Best!