Needle Tips: DPNs for Tight and Loose Knitters

No matter how you tension your yarn—tight, loose, or right in the middle—the right needles can make or break your knitting experience. I often hear from knitters who don’t love double-pointed needles (DPNs), but they might not have found the right DPN for their knitting style!

New Needles, Happy Knitters

I mentioned earlier this year that I saw a range of new knitting needles at the h+h Americas needlework tradeshow. In the Skacel booth, I spotted two new DPN options by Addi and stopped to investigate. What caught my eye is that while both are aluminum needles that can be used and loved by a wide range of knitters, they also meet specific knitterly needs. Having spent a decade teaching in busy yarn stores, I’ve seen how hard it can be for very tight and very loose knitters to find just the right needle. I asked Louisa from Skacel if I could give them a try, and she kindly sent me sets of Crazy Snakes and Mystic Sock needles to test out. I used both for a series of three swatches: very tight, very loose, and average tensions.

Disclaimers: I am typically an average to tight-ish knitter, and I use a Continental method unless I have a good reason to do otherwise. I must also disclose my undying adoration for DPNs and penchant for encouraging knitters to fully explore All the Tools.

Crazy Snakes

I tried several swatches with these curiously bent needles, and I found that both my average tension and very loose tension swatches were a good fit. The very loose swatch, in particular, was impressive. Straight aluminum DPNs in very loose knitted stitches can be a recipe for disaster, with the needle falling right out of the row. (Even as an average-tension knitter, I've had this happen!) The gentle undulations are enough to keep the needle in place, and I gave it several good shakes to test. I also like that Crazy Snakes have the Addi “lace tip.” This sharper tip is great for socks at fine gauges (or really any kind of knitting, in my opinion).

I didn’t like the shape undulations when working at a very tight tension, which wasn't surprising. These needles shine with average to loose tension. I was also surprised how quickly I settled into the shape. When working with DPNs, I hold the needle against my palm, using my middle finger—right where one of the serpentine bends is located. Here’s what it looks like while knitting:

A very loosely tensioned basketweave stitch using a worsted-weight yarn and US 4 needles.

And here is what is happening behind the work:

Mystic Sock

Another new Addi needle with lace tips is the Mystic Sock, which comes with a rosy coating that gives a bit of extra grip. Although the surface is warmer than polished aluminum, the needles are still wonderfully slick with a fine tip. I tested size US 1 (2.5 mm), which is my go-to needle size for socks. (Oh, how I love fine-gauge socks.) After testing all three tensions, I found that average tension and very tight tension were my favorites for these needles.

A tightly tensioned basketweave stitch using a DK-weight yarn and US 1 needles.

I would definitely look at Mystic Sock for sweater sleeves knitted in the round, too. I think the 8" (20 cm) length and lightweight aluminum would make those “sleeve island” rounds fly by.

How lucky are we, knitters?! We have so many tools to try and love.

—Kate