3) Plastic knitting needles

A selection of plastic knitting needles. White - plastic with metal core, green - plastic, beige & yellow - hollow knitting needles.

How many plastic knitting needles do you own and really like to use? I believe I have just two pairs, a 12mm and 15mm. Personally it is not may favourite type of knitting needle, except for the hollow plastic ones because they are very light, smooth enough and are very inexpensive.

Generally speaking, plastic knitting needles knit are smooth enough that you can knit relatively fast with them. They knit faster than bamboo knitting needles, but slower than metal ones. Smoothness and to some extent how light the needles are determine how fast they knit. So if you’re looking to knit quickly you wouldbe looking for a smooth and light needle – which would be hollow metal knitting needle rather than plastic ones. Plastic ones will not knit as quickly, but are inexpensive and good value.

Plastic knitting needles seem to come in 3 types
- solid plastic knitting needles
- plastic with metal core knitting needles
- hollow plastic knitting needles

Solid plastic knitting needles
These can come in a variety of colours which makes it very easy to identify pairs. They are light and usually quite inexpensive. They are usually smooth enough to knit relatively quickly.

The thing that makes these needles not such a good buy is that tips do become blunt, and there is nothing you can do about it. With bamboo knitting needles you can use a nail file to improve the tip, but not with plastic needles.

I also find that the tip is too short on these for my liking. I would like a slightly longer more convex tip. Fortunately they are not concave, just a conical shape.

They also warp slightly when you leave projects on them for a few weeks. This does not not really affect the efficacy of the needles, just that they are slightly bent out of shape.

One thing that plagues plastic knitting needles that is annoying is that they are not stiff in the smaller sizes below 4mm – they tend to bend as you knit. I personally prefer stiffer needles. The larger needles in size 4mm and above appear to be firm enough.

Some plastic knitting needles (like the green on in the above picture) do not age well, especially in hot sunny climates. They tend to yellow rather ungracefully. Bamboo needles also deepen with age, but they still look acceptable in deeper warmer more yellowy colour, but the plastic ones just look tired!

Plastic knitting needles with metal core
These are slightly heavier than both the hollow plastic knitting. With the metal rod in the centre of the knitting needle, these needles are firmer and are far more pleasant to knit with in the smaller sizes than the plain plastic ones. They don’t tend to warp as much as well which is good. However they also age rather badly too.

For the price you pay for these, you can get some really basic solid aluminium knitting needles that are smoother (so that you can knit faster) and have less issues. Bottom line these are just not good value for money.

Hollow plastic knitting needles
These come in a bright array of colours which is specific to size. There seems to be a different combo of colours for the tips and the main body of the needle. Like all plastic knitting needles, these are smooth enough to knit comfortably and are lighter than the other types of plastic knitting needles. These are the lightest knitting needles ever, making them fantastic in really large sizes like 12, 15, 20 & 25mm because they are comfortable to knit with without being heavy.

The only thing that detracts from these needles is the shape of the tip – it is somewhat concave, a more convex shape with a pointier tip would be ideal – like the Addi Premium Lace Knitting Needles.

These are really very inexpensive. I got mine at Daiso for S$2.00. These make a good inexpensive second set of knitting needles, for experimenting and trying new patterns. If you are shopping for these, make sure to get them in the circular style of about 80 or 100cm. These are far more versatile than the shorter ones and straight kntting needles. More about this in the next blog as we will be writing about different styles of needles.

Generally plastic knitting needles are inexpensive. However, in the long run, it would be far better to go with the more expensive smoother needles. I consider these an investment because I like them far more and tend to reach for these. Besides which you will be holding these in your hands for many hours knitting a project, you want to use a tool that is fast, smooth and light, with a great tip. I would avoid plastic knitting needles, except for the hollow plastic ones in the very big sizes only, ie 12, 15 20 & 25mm in 80-100 circular needles, unless you’re on a shoestring budget then the smaller hollow plastic knitting needles would make sense.

About Su Ying

Long time knitter, crafter and knitting teacher. Now blogger for knitting.
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