When I started knitting, back when Adam West was Batman, I used metal, 14 inch needles. I was a child, so as you can imagine, it was a whole lot of needle for me.
Now a trip to the yarn shop yields a plethora of choices. Needles are aluminum, plastic, bamboo, rosewood, and some incredibly beautiful hard woods. They still come in pretty standard lengths, 14 inches or 9-1/2/ 10 inches. So, where do you begin to choose?
When I teach knitting lessons, I advise my students to purchase bamboo needles, no longer than 10 inches. I have several reasons why I make that choice. First of all, we begin on smaller projects, and 10 inches is perfect. With 14 inch needles, before long your arms are getting involved in the knitting and you start looking like a bird in flight. For larger projects, such as afghans, sweaters, and shawls, I advise students to use circular needles. So, I can't think of any time in the last 10 years that I've actually used a 14 inch needle. Secondly, I prefer bamboo. Aluminum and plastic needles are too slippery for me. I hate to put down my work and my stitches are sliding off the needle. Bamboo has a little bit of "teeth" to it, so your stitches aren't so likely to slip.
My students often tell me that the price on bamboo seems to be prohibitive. I advise them to use their coupons for those purchases. I know in our area Michaels and Joann Fabrics will take competitors coupons, so with a 40%-50% coupon, the price is about the same as aluminum or plastic. I have also purchased needles online from eknittingneedles.com. I like their site, the needles are inexpensive and you get free shipping if you spend $15 or more. I've even been known to purchase needles on E-bay, if the price is right.
The bottom line, is to find needles that you're comfortable with. Personally, I never use single point needles any more. However, that's a whole different post.
JKS
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