Bulky yarn, the thickest yarn weight, has grown in popularity in recent years. Particularly with beginner knitters or people looking for a quick, fun chunky knitting project. What top quality knitting needles are you supposed to use for them? Read on for information on the best needles for bulky yarn in this blog post.
Note: Most big needles are circular, not single or double point. This is because circulars create less strain for the hands. I also don’t recommend metal or glass needles for thick knits.
Table Of Contents
- Knitter’s Pride Symfonie Dreamz Interchangeable Needles
- Denise Love2Knit Interchangeables
- Clover Takumi Interchangeable Needles
- Premier Yarns Acrylic Interchangeable Needles
- ChiaoGoo Circular Needles
- FAQ
Want to know where to buy yarn? Look through my post.
The Best Jumbo Knitting Needles
Here are my favorite examples of excellent bulky knitting needles.
Knitter’s Pride Symfonie Dreamz Interchangeable Needles Chunky Set
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These wood needles are laminated birch. These chunky needles are a set of three of the most common sizes of needles suited for chunky wool yarn, super bulky, bulky wool, and jumbo yarn.
- Sizes – US 13 (9mm), US 15 (10mm), & US 17 (12mm)
- Cord Lengths – 24″ & 32″
- Needle Tips Are 4.5″ Long
- Extra Content – 4 End caps and 2 Cord keys
Pros
- Available in an assortment of nice colors, and they’re good for knitting patterns and designs with cables.
- Smooth wooden tips are warm to touch
- Lightweight and comfortable to use
Cons
- Not very much variety in cable length available,
- Some found the needles came out of the casing accidentally
- Some found they came unscrewed often, but this is often because they weren’t screwed in tight enough
Denise Love2Knit Interchangeables
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Denise has been a favorite in the knitting world of the US for many years. Their needles made of plastic resin are smooth, lightweight, and affordable. They’re favorites of many knitters!
- Sizes – US10/6mm, 10.5/6.5 mm, 11/8mm, 13/9mm, 15/10mm.
- Cord Lengths – 20″, 24″ and 32″.
- Notions – 2 end buttons, one cord extender, and a vinyl case with a pouch for cords and extra notions
Pros
- Sturdy and flexible cords, and they’re great for beginners.
- These things have smooth and lightweight needle tips
- Each size is a different color for an easy way to tell the difference, and the set is good value for money.
- Good selection of knitting needle size and cord lengths included, so it’s great for knitting fabric in the round.
- These products are comfortable to use and have an easy connection system. Shipping for these tools is inexpensive.
Cons
- Some found the connectors broke
- You might not like the feel of the plastic needles
- You need an account to order them from this shop. (This applies to almost every website with things for sale.)
Clover Takumi Interchangeable Circular Knitting Needles
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Made with lovely, smooth bamboo crafted in Japan from locally sourced materials, Clover Takumi knitting needles are available in this affordable interchangeable set that’s well worth the investment. These ones have a slick finish.
(Takumi is the name of the species of bamboo they’re made from.)
- Sizes – US 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11, 13, 15
- Cord Lengths – 16, 24, 29, 36 and 48″
- Needle Tips Are 5″ Long
Pros
- Great for all manner of different projects, not just bulky yarns or chunky bulky yarn.
- They’re easy on the hands as you knit the rows in style, and keep your tension even.
- These bamboo needles are an excellent selection and a variety of needle sizes and cable lengths.
- These circular needles are made of smooth bamboo that warms to the touch. Many people rate it five stars.
- Excellent craftsmanship, sure to last for years, and one advantage is these are good for dark-colored yarns.
- They’d make a great gift, and they make lovely results.
Cons
- This collection isn’t suitable for speed knitting
- Some may not like how bamboo tends to grab the yarn, but that’s just the material’s nature
- This type of product has a bit of memory, but soaking the cords in hot water smoothes them out.
- They offer shipping to the UK.
Premier Yarns Acrylic Needles Interchangeable Knitting Needle Set
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Smooth acrylic plastic, premier yarns made affordable, quality needles. This set is no exception, specifically designed for chunky yarn. The price range is affordable.
- Sizes – 13/9mm 15/10mm and 17/12mm
- Cord Lengths – 24″, 32″ and 40″
- Needle Tips Are “Long
- Notions – Six end caps and three cable keys
Pros
- These brands are smooth, lightweight, affordable, and comfortable to use.
Cons
- Some found the connection would accidentally unscrew
- Sometimes the needles don’t last
ChiaoGoo Circular 40″ Wooden Knitting Needles
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Chinese Rubberwood, a sustainable hardwood has lots of tensile strength and is highly durable. Available in a variety of sizes, these wooden circular large knitting needles are smooth and lightweight.
- Sizes – US( 0, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 these sizes are for thinner yarn), (9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 35, 50 these are good options for thicker/bulky yarn)
- Cord Lengths – 40″
- Needle Tips Are 7″ Long
Pros
- Great for a wide variety of projects due to the length of the cord
- This brand is made of smooth, durable hardwood
- Warms to the hand
- Sizes are laser etched on the needle
- Slick, smooth needles
- These things are lightweight
Cons
- Some found it had too much grip
- Some found the cord wasn’t fused tightly enough to the needle and caught the yarn
FAQ
What Is Bulky Yarn?
Bulky yarn is a general category that encompasses three different yarn weights outlined by the US Craft Council. Bulky, Super Bulky, and Jumbo, in increasing thickness.
They’re much thicker than most yarns you might be used to.
Created for extreme and novelty knitting, this yarn can be used for a variety of chunky knit projects, and the creations knit up very quickly!
What Size Is Super Bulky Yarn?
Super Bulky is weight classification 5, and has an average gauge of 6-11 stitches per 4″. It’s bigger than worsted weight yarn and DK weight knit yarn, and chunky wool.
What Size Needles For A Chunky Blanket?
It depends on the weight of the yarn, but needles that are US 11-19 are an excellent place to start. Use the yarn label for the yarn you’ve chosen as a guideline.
How Do I Know What Size Knitting Needle To Use?
Usually, the yarn label will tell you the recommended sizes for the needles to use, or the pattern you’re working from.
What Can I Knit With Bulky Yarn?
Here are ideas for projects you can knit with this weight of yarn. Home decor like cushions, couch pillows, rugs, blankets, or clothing like scarves, sweaters, cardigans, shawls or wraps. Or, a beanie/knit hat pattern, a knit blanket pattern, and baby items. You could also make types of accessories like mittens.
Some people use bulky arm knitting yarn as a novel way to make a knit project!
Here’s a video tutorial Smitha Kati on YouTube on knitting a blanket with chunky yarns. The design is ideal for a beginner.
What Size Needles For A 5 Stitches Per Inch Gauge Super Bulky Yarn?
Generally, the sizes 17, 19, and over work best for this kind of knitting gauge.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this post helped you discover which needles are best to help you knit the chunky blanket, sweater, scarf, or home décor project you want to. Go forth and make something massive!
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