Wooden vs. Metal Needle Washcloth Faceoff

Well, folks, it finally happened! As we were excitedly knitting up our newest kit for Earth Day, we found out first hand what happens when different people use different needles! 

Earth Day Kitchen Kit
"Bakeware Brights"

We want to preface this by acknowledging that we knew this type of situation was a common one and happens all the time but seeing it first-hand startled us quite a bit! Our Beans, Sam and Julia, elected to test knit the Earth Day Kitchen Kit (which we thank them graciously for) - the only difference besides yarn colorways used was that one Bean used wooden needles while the other used metal needles.

Oh yeah, you know exactly where this is going. 

When we reconvened, we took note that Julia's washcloths were noticeably smaller! Despite them both following the instructions perfectly and neither of them blocking their finished products, it was obvious something was afoot!

Earth Day Kitchen Kit
"Country Kitchen"

We counted rows and color changes, with Julia sheepishly admitting that she was stressed and thus, knit a little bit tighter, while Sam also said she knitted a little tighter than normal - so the only conclusion was that their needles had a hand (hehe) in it! They simply HAD to! 

Part of the struggle that plenty of us face when it comes to knitting is just how tightly we knit. Some people knit tightly when they're stressed while others are such perfectionists, all of their stitches HAVE to be even from the get-go that they end up with little wiggle room for sliding your receiving needle through your loop (totally not speaking from experience, nope!).

Wooden needles tend to grip your yarn a little bit better. They're the classic needle, retaining heat a little bit better and remaining lightweight while you're crafting! Our current favorite wooden needles are the Jimmy's SmartStix Wooden Sets as they have one inch markings along the needle and cord so we never have to move from our knitting sport to grab a ruler! 

Metal needles, on the other hand, are a lot slicker, which makes the yarn glide with ease. This can be a pro or a con for many people because it seems a lot easier to knit tightly on them. We think this is what happened to Julia, who already knits tightly, so having the yarn slide around easier lent itself to result in a smaller washcloth! We're suckers for Jimmy's Smartstix needles as they're made out of aluminum, making them both lightweight and slick enough for our yarn to glide across with ease.

Of course, with all needles, practice is what's going to combat knitting too tightly, or in some cases, too loosely!