Stitches

Do bigger sized knitting needles make knitting quicker?

I want to make a scarf for my son and I'm not very good at knitting so I was wondering if using larger sized needles would make it wuicker and if so which size should I use?

Public Comments

1. It's all in the Hand - Eye coordination honey!
2. no it does'nt,you use certain sized needles for different ply wools,some patterns require the needles to be smaller for different things.
3. Yes the bigger the needles. the quicker the project will go. You have to remember the scarf will also be very loosely woven. It may not provide much warmth. Since a scarf is probably the easiest thing to make, get a pattern and make it with smaller needles. The more you knit, the better you will become. He won't care how it looks. He'll just know it was made with love.
4. Bigger needles with bulky yarn - yes.
5. Yes the bigger the needles the faster it would be. Keep in mind though that using bigger needles can make the scarf very open (loose). If you're going to use bigger needles try and stick with higher ply yarns so that the scarf doesn't look too open. I've found that when I'm teaching new knitters the bigger the better (needles and yarn). As far as which size needles to use, it depends on the yarn and if you have any pattern. Try a few test swatches to see what looks best. Your son will love it!
6. If you are using a pattern to make this item and they ask for a size 8 needle and you use a size 13, you will spend as much time on it and find your scarf is much larger than you expected. Take your time on it and make sure it is what you want him to have and he will appreciate it much more than if you just started an "I just want to get it over with" gift for your son.
7. Yes -- but just like the others said, it will be looser ----- SO, to keep your project from being very loose, and very stretchy, double your yarn. Pull your yarn from two skeins at the same time and knit away. I taught my niece to knit this way, using size 17 needles. She made her first project (scarf) with Light and Lofty yarn by Red Heart in a single weekend. It wouldn't have taken that long, but she had to start over a few times. Now, she is an avid knitter, her needle size has decreased tremendously, and she just loves working with the newer novelty yarns.