7 Essential Tools Every Knitter Needs! The Most Helpful Knitting Tools & Their Uses
Your Knitting Tool Kit
As a knitter, there are some tools and pieces of equipment you'll use again and again. Of course you know you need yarn and needles - but what else should you look out for? We've put together a kit of some of the most essential tools for knitters.
What Are The Most Helpful Knitting Tools?
Buying new knitting tools is one of my favourite things! The right tools can make your knitting process so much easier and more enjoyable, so for Knit Now Issue 146, I've put together a kit of seven of my absolute must-haves! The kit includes:
- Tape measure in centimetres and inches
- Stitch markers - lockable and decorative styles
- Needle gauge
- Darning needles
- Stitch holder
- Cable needle
Knitting Tools for Beginners
When you first start knitting, you don't need to invest in a lot of tools but there are some absolute essentials that you will need. If my friend was new to knitting, this is what I would recommend they buy first.
Tape Measure
If you care about the finished size of your knits, you need a tape measure! It's really important not only to measure your tension when knitting a gauge swatch but also to measure yourself accurately if you are knitting a garment.
Read our guide to tension and swatching here.
Darning Needle
Whatever you knit, you will have some loose ends of yarn which need to be woven in. You should never just cut your yarn right next to the knot - you run the risk of the yarn unravelling. Instead, you should thread your yarn end onto a darning needle and sew your end into the fabric of your knitting. I usually aim to make about 8-10 stitches before trimming the yarn end.
Read our guide to perfect finishing here
Stitch Markers
Stitch markers are magical little tools which make it so much easier to keep track of your knitting. If you are working on a piece with a repeating pattern, you can place a stitch marker on the needles between each repeat, so you can see your progress easily.
Find out more about reading charts and keeping track of your work
Advanced Knitting Tools
When you're ready to take your knitting to the next stage, there are some brilliant little gadgets and gizmos that will help you to elevate your craft.
Stitch Holder
When you progress to knitting garments, you will often be told to put some stitches "on hold" that you will go back to later. This is quite common for neckline stitches in jumpers. If you're working a seamless garment, you'll frequently have to put your sleeve stitches on hold. You can use waste yarn for this, but it's super useful to have a stitch holder on hand because it makes the job much easier. Simply slide your stitches onto the holder and lock it closed.
Read more top knitting tips for making perfect garments here
Cable Needle
Cables are magical knitting stitches which are created by working the stitches out of order. To make this much easier on yourself, you'll need a cable needle! When it comes to work the cable, you simply slip the stitches onto the cable needle.
Read our easy beginner's guide to knitting cables here
Needle Gauge
Knitting needles come in all shapes and sizes and whilst most of them have the size printed on the needle somewhere, this often rubs off - leaving you with unidentified needles! This becomes more and more common as your needle collection grows, so you'll need to get yourself a needle gauge.
To find out the size of a mystery needle, simply try it in each slot. The largest slot it fits into is the size of the needle.
Check out our quick guide to needle sizes - including a free downloadable chart.
More Stitch Markers!
Did you know that there are different types of stitch markers which can be used for a wide range of situations? Plain markers are great for marking repeats, but a fancy marker like this can be used to mark the start of a row, the place where you started your shaping or the right/wrong side of a piece of work.
Level up your knitting with our guide to shaping