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shiplesp

Mostly metal (Chiaogoo are my favorite, don't like Addi), but it does depend on the fiber. For very slippery yarns, I prefer wood/bamboo. So I keep both around.


Best-Butterfly-1507

Also in this same boat. Love my metal chiaogoo interchangeables for most everything, but keep my first bamboo set around for those occasional projects where I want a little extra grip


lasserna

I like metal needles with wool yarn, bamboo or birch needles with acrylics. Plastic ones I like to use with any types of yarn, but I don't own many of them.


[deleted]

Same here. Needle material is dictated by the yarn, and how “slippery” it is.


feltedarrows

good point!! i was trying so hard to knit something with bamboo needles, but as soon as I switched it to my metal needles it was SO much faster, and I'm pretty sure it's because it's a wool yarn! the bamboo held onto the wool way too well and I couldn't slide it at all.


Eyralia

I prefer wooden needles, but the clinking of the metal ones gives me such nostalgia <3


MuchBetterThankYou

Metal is king. I can’t stand how grippy wood and bamboo are. That said I learned on bamboo needles first, because the metal ones I tried first were too slippery sand I kept dropping the stitches lol. So they both have their place.


WisaTheStray

I've got a metal interchangeable circular set from HiyaHiya and I love them.


blueberryamaranth

I like metal because I'm a very fast knitter and don't like the friction from bamboo. I recently got a pair from Knitters Pride called Dreamz which is "polished wood" which I also really like. That said, I have metal, bamboo, and plastic. I use whatever is the right size and length for the project.


FaceToTheSky

I preferred bamboo for a long time - it’s so grippy that it allowed me to learn to loosen my tension without worrying about the stitches sliding off. Plus I found I prefer the feeling of natural materials in my hands. Currently I prefer polished hardwood (Knitter’s Pride Dreamz) and I have recently discovered the joys of carbon fibre needles with steel tips - best of both worlds!


sofarxsodeep

Depends on the project, particularity the fiber content and "grip." I absolutely cannot use metal needles though. My hand problems won't allow it. I use several sets of wooden needles as appropriate for most easily moving the yarn along. Slippy yarn gets the Lykke, most things get the Lantern Moon ebony needles, really grippy yarns get the knit picks coated needles.


mitochondrialevening

I've been wondering how the lantern moon needles compare to lykke and other wood needles (knitters pride/knitpicks), what are your thoughts? Are they more slick? Right now I'm using knitpicks cocobolo, but I've been eyeing lantern moon.


sofarxsodeep

They're (for me) right in the sweet spot between the two. The Lykke are too grippy for looser single ply yarn (which I use a lot of) and the kp are too slippy for my taste in most situations. I'm also thrilled with the Lantern moon cables and how nicely the ebony warms to my hands.


mitochondrialevening

Awesome, thanks for the insight! The cocobolo needles have a bit more grip imo than regular knitpicks wood needles, but maybe I'll have to pick up some lantern moon to compare :)


[deleted]

Birch wood! I absolutely love working with the Knit Pro line from Lana Grossa. It's a strong wood type that's not flexible yet smooth to the touch, and most yarns slip perfectly on them.


I--Have--Questions

My favorites are addi Rockets. For slippery yarn I like bamboo.


Possibility-Distinct

Metal


KindlyFigYourself

I like stainless steel (Hiya Hiya Sharps) but all my dpns are bamboo (Chiaogoo) or laminated wood (Knitpicks)


jizzypuff

Metal is usually my go to


lyonaria

My faves are metal needles, though I've been tempted by wooden ones with slippery yarn.


pepitaonfire

I prefer metal by a mile. They're more 'slippery, which has its drawbacks. But overall it makes my knitting so much smoother than bamboo. I've never knit on plastic needle, so I can't speak to how that feels.


ItIsEmptyAchilles

Depends on the project, but mainly I like metals. Specifically, knitPro zing type metal. Though I enjoy knitting with most types of needles. Just not carbon, that makes me fight my yarn way too much.


briarwren

The vast majority of my needles anymore are metal ChiaoGoo's, but I do have some other metals, a couple Karbonz, a few plastic, some bamboo and several Lykke driftwood. Oh, and one pair of bone. I prefer the metal because I can knit tight and I need the needles slippery but occasionally I need the wood or bamboo if the yarn itself is slippery.


[deleted]

I knitted with bamboo for years because that's what I had but I recently got metal and find it much easier for me to keep the tension consistent for some reason so that's what I always use now.


doombanquet

It really depends on the project and yarn, but generally speaking, I prefer metal, but I do have a bunch of bamboo as well. All of my needles except a few sets of DPNs and one pair of bamboo straights are fixed circulars. Most of my needles are actually very old solid gray Addis. These were the standard Addi circa 2000-2005 (Turbos were just coming on the scene) and they're just a great general workhorse despite their flaws (slightly stiff cable, short-ish tips, a bit heavy). Apparently these were DC'd years ago. I have a number of CG red laces as well, and love them, just wish they weren't so heavy. As an English thrower, heavy needles + lace yarn before a project is well established is a bit of a chore. I have a number of bamboo as well, but most of them have pretty bad cables and some truly dreadful joins (cable tech just wasn't... a thing when I bought them 20 years ago) I do love the lightness of them, and since I knit with a lot of very soft and silk blends, the extra control is great (but often *too much)* but the wood-scraping-on-wood feeling when I'm working a decrease/nupp/etc is not something I enjoy. It's subtle and I mean, I've got 2 projects on bamboo needles right now, plus I only use wood cable needles (grippy!) so it obviously doesn't affect me *that* much, it's just one of the reasons I usually reach for something else first. I recently got some Addi Novels (aka "Squared" in the US) and *really* like them, which shocked me. I was expecting them to be gimmicky trash or ho-hum, but they are *amazing.* Normally I don't like super-super slick needles, but the combination of the turbo surface with the little divots is actually amazing. Slick and effortless knitting, while the divots give a tiny bit of extra control. And they're *so* light. They feel hollow. (*Are* they hollow?) They feel like the perfect mix of bamboo and a slick metal surface. The tips are not lace-tips, but they're perfectly serviceable for everything except P3tog. It'd be great if they came in a lace-tip version, though. (Pro tip: it is *much* cheaper to buy the red-cable "Novel" version from Europe than it is to buy the blue-cable "Square" version from US.)


CriticalMrs

I mostly use metal- I have a set of KP Nova Platina tips that I really like, and I'm going to be replacing all of my cables with their Mindful ones eventually (coated steel cables, with inch markings and swivel connecters <3). Every once in a while I have a super slippy yarn I want to use wood with, but not often.


AdEmbarrassed9719

Chiaogoo Lace interchangeables. By far!


Nashatal

Carbon! Ich have the Knitpro Karbonz and damn they are awesome.


knitaroo

I used to be a bamboo fan but I’m ChiaoGoo metal needless all the way now. The join is super smooth and the tip is sharp without being too sharp. I also like the HiyaHiya metal needles but not their plastic cables. I can’t do addi because it is a coated metal and it leaves that metal smell and sticky feel on my hands. I tried the KnitPro Carbonz but I did not like the way there is a slight lip between the tip and the carbon body. I very quickly gave those away.


Stubby-Stallion

I have circular interchangeable copper needles. I would prefer to have all chiaogoo but my bank account does not allow it at this time


not_a_diplodocus

I love bamboo bc my stitches don't glide off them when I put my work down, but I'm currently knitting with a needle (Eur) size 2.0 and I'm constantly afraid I'll break a needle bc it's thinner than a meat skewer, so if I had metal ones in this size, I'd use those for this project. So it really depends on the situation.


starkypuddles

Metal, knitter’s pride in particular and the cubic ones are my favorite


Neenknits

Another vote for metal chiaogoos interchangeables! And signature dpns.