Monday, January 06, 2014

A Handy Chart

circularneedlestitches

I just typed this up to keep at work, and in my knitting bag, and I wanted to share it with you guys, my readers. I am not sure where I got this chart from, as I had taken a screen shot of it with my iPad somewhere. So unfortunately I cannot credit the source, but I am not taking any credit for the information above. The chart gives you a list of the minimum amount of stitches you can put on a circular needle (circular needles in the lengths of 16”, 24”, 29” & 36”). At work we sell 16”, 24”, 32”, 40” (and some 47”) needles, which are almost the same as these above. I think 29 & 36” are more popular in the USA, than in Canada, but I am not 100% certain. So you figure out how many stitches per inch your yarn is, and here you have a guide to see what length circular needle you would need to use for your project.

Happy Knitting!

10 comments:

Alex said...

So to ensure I understand this correctly, this is the minimum needed so as not to stretch the stitching beyond normal shifting as you work? -30yr old dad, essentially still a green horn.

Knit and Purl Mama said...

Alex, yes that is correct. The minimum amount of stitches based on your gauge of the yarn, to slide smoothly around the circular needles.

Teena in Toronto said...

Very handy! Thanks!

Celia said...

This is great information. I have saved this chart for later reference.

g-girl said...

hmm, interesting! thanks for sharing. :)

GA tennis girl said...

Thank you so much for sharing this chart. It will be very handy for me.

Unknown said...

Would I be able to fit a 153 stitches on a 40cm circular needle using double knit yarn
Thanks

Knit and Purl Mama said...

Patricia,
You will need at least a 24". For a 24" for double knit you need a minimum of 132 stitches, so you have 21 stitches more than that. It'll be a tight squeeze and not comfortable to work with, and may not have enough room on a 16".

Dollie said...

I always wondered if the length called for in the pattern includes the measure of the needles or just the wire. My set has different wire lengths that I screw the needle to. Does that make sense?

Knit and Purl Mama said...

Dollie, The length includes the cord and the tips. Hope this helps. I don't have an email address to email you back, I hope you see this.