Hi! My sister wants to get into knitting again but needs knitting needles and yarn since she gave away all her supplies. Erm…I have no idea how to start or what to look for.
I was looking a knitting needle sets that look fairly affordable but is there a brand that is solid that I should look for?
Help please! This seamstress knows nothing about knitting.
Does she have a preference for needle types (wood, bamboo, metal)?
I’m partial to bamboo needles and I have a set of clover takumi interchangeable circular needles that work well for me.
My order of laminated birch double pointed needle sets from knitpicks is supposed to arrive any day now…I’m happy to let you know how I like them when they get here 
I love the knitpicks dyed wood dpns, and have heard good things about their circular needle set.
I wouldn’t get too crazy with this because your sister did lose interest once before, that said, walk into Michaels and pick up a pair of medium sized needles, maybe a 6 or 7 and a pretty color worsted weight yarn. Let her fool around with that before you invest any further. Also, maybe start her off making wash cloths or pot holders, they are such fun to make and come with many, many designs for them. I have been knitting and crocheting for decades, so I do know how costly supplies can be.
Also, what kind of knitting is she interested in, knitting clothes (children’s clothes, shawls, sweaters etc) dolls, toys? The first thing I knitted was a sweater but after knitting two of them got bored with that and gave up knitting altogether. Then one day, maybe 20 years later, I decided I wanted to make a doll for my niece and picked up my knitting needles once more…and I haven’t stopped knitting dolls to this day!! I made over some 30 dolls (so far) and many other toys since I made that first doll. I discovered that I truly enjoy making dolls most and am never bored knitting them as each one is different.
If I had started out making dolls right from the beginning, I may never have stopped and lost all that time when I could’ve been enjoying making more of them. Some knitters just enjoy knitting shawls, or sweaters etc., Your sister will eventually find her own niche…whatever it is that fills her heart when she picks up her needles. That’s the key to a successful knitting experience…enjoying what you do!!
If she is just learning, she should probably start with a fast and easy project like a scarf of washcloths using larger needle sizes. A pair of 10 or 10-5 needles makes a fast scarf using worsted acrylic yarn. If she enjoys it, she can start collecting needles based on patterns she likes…a set of sock double pointed needles in size 2, for example, can be about $10.
I think in order of difficulty, straight needles are the easiest and double pointed are the hardest. Circular needles are needed for large projects that won’t fit on the straight needles so they are in the middle to me. Larger sizes are easier than the tiny size 0 (they are like toothpicks!)…worsted yarn is easiest and thin extra fine like mohair are the hardest.
Have fun and feel free to ask any more questions…there are lots of great knitters who have fun with this skill!
I’ll add another recommendation for the Knitpicks laminated birch needles. I’ve got this set in 10" and I love them. I think they also have a couple other colorways.
I also like the Knitpicks (AKA Knitpro here when I bought them). They are pretty and they feel nice. I bought a set of changeable needles and a set of DPNs some years back
I have full sets of their needles and just love how they look and feel…the flat edged needles really made a difference in my knitting…the tension is so much easier to do…I forgot what they are called, but I got the full set of circulars…I like the contrast of dark needles with light yarn and vice-versa…
I use the Denise interchangeable knitting needles and I really like them.
love the knitpicks. i think this thread is quickly becoming an advert for them…lol. they have some pretty sweet little “learn to knit” boxed kits that are pretty slick, if you didnt want to go through the trouble of putting together your own kit for her from your local yarn store or whathaveyou.
Sweet! Thanks everyone! I went with a set of 10” straight knitting needles from knitpick. Thanks @photojenn, I went with the same set you recommended.
The overwhelming number of folks who mentioned the brand sold me. I’ll pick up some worsted weight yarn to include so she can get started right away with a small project.
She has an early January birthday and it’s always a struggle making her birthday gift special. I got her a book for Christmas so I think a set of knitting needles and some yarn for her birthday should do it!