The knitting needles are used in the manufacture of hand knitted woolen fabric. The needle is used to reach the knitting stitch to snag a bit of yarn and pull the length back to be able to form a new loop. The knitting needles should be smooth, long enough and thin too. The knitting needles are commonly used in pairs.
The most widely used form of knitting needle was made in the 19 th century. These needles called straight needles have the heads covered with bobs and are used to make fabrics which are two dimensional like rectangles and squares. The knobs of the needles prevent the stitches from falling off.
The double pointed needles are used for the formation of tubular fabrics like socks and needles and the bodies of sweaters as well as their sleeves. The double pointed needles are used in sets of four or five as is also often seen in paintings etc.
There are also circular needles that are used to do the work of both straight and double pointed needles. These circular needles are joined together by flexible wire or a nylon length. The two ends are used like two needles. The using of circular needles gives the advantage that the weight of the fabric is distributed evenly. This process of knitting with circular needles becomes less taxing with for the arms and the writs of the knitter.
There are also antique knitting needles that are made from the shells of tortoise, ivory etc. The modern knitting needles are however made of bamboo, aluminum, steel, wood, plastic etc. |
