When it comes to knitting a project yarn is the most important choice in how that project works out. When I first started knitting I didn't know much about yarn weights or needle sizes and made a hat small enough only for a doll. I thought that if you followed the pattern it would turn out right no matter what yarn I used. Boy I was wrong!
When I picked knitting back up in my 20's I was also being taught how to knit mittens by my mother in law. She had a set of needles and a pattern for mittens that she used for every size mitten, but didn't know what size needles she was using and she used every different kind of yarn too. So I did the same thing for a while. I bought myself a pair of needles I thought were the same size as her mitten needles and copied her pattern and used them. I still use them for mittens now a days. But that wasn't going to help me knit sweaters and hats.
I was given a suitcase of patterns one year after a loved one passed away and most of the pattern books are very old. Old enough that the yarn isn't being made anymore and the needle sizes are not in metric (mm). So I would guess by looking at the picture. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn't. Then I was introduced to free patterns online! That was a great day!! I noticed that the patterns had yarn weight and needle sizes in mm. So if I wanted to knit a certain project I could buy the needles if I didn't have them and just look for a number on the ball of yarn to see if it was the right weight. From that day on I now know where to look for what type of yarn and needles I need for a certain project.
I use Metric (mm) sizes in knitting needles. Some use US/Can size needles and in England they use UK or British sizes in there needles.
A lot of patterns don't use mm for there needle sizes, they use US sizes or UK sizes. That was confusing. And some patterns didn't have that little ball of yarn with a number in it telling what number to look for on a ball of yarn to see if it was the right weight. They used words like sport weight or DK or lace and I was totally confused! So that's when the internet came in handy again. I found a chart years ago that showed Metric, US and UK needle sizes and matched them up together so if I needed a 3 US size needle I would just look it up and it would tell me that it was a 3.25mm needle in metric. It was great! Then I found another chart that showed yarn weights in names and numbers! That was even better so if I was shopping for a number 3 in yarn weight I could look and see that I was looking for either a 3 on the yarn or DK weight!
As confusing as this all sounds it does work out :) This sight called tinsel mint has great charts to help you find the right needles and yarn for your projects :) Check it out! http://www.tinselmint.com/2013/04/size-matters-yarn-and-knitting-needles.html
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