Needle sizes have changed over time, so the surest way to know would be to use a needle gauge to see if the needles you have are similar in size to recommended size. The number doesn't matter as much, because the standards vary by country, and even by country have changed over time.
yarnstandards.com and yarnforward.com are two good sources for current needle conversion charts.
A search on google turned up an interesting article by Kate Pullen titled Knitting Needle Conversions, Different Needle Sizing Conventions Explained and Explored. I found the article at Suite101.com. There are links to vintage patterns at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The closing paragraph says "If any knitter is unfamiliar or uncomfortable about metric sizing – one of the key things to remember is the smaller the number, the smaller the needle size. Therefore a 2mm needle is a US 0 and a 25mm needle is a US 50. (Note: With the old UK system the smaller the number the larger the needle size!).
You could knit a small gauge swatch with the needles you have. If the fabric looks too loose or too tight, try another size. A US size 10 is smaller than a standard pencil (in the US). It would be simpler if all the countries went metric!
May 03, 2009 Rating
knitting needle size by: Anonymous
Hi Loretta
Does South Africa work in millimetre sizes? The needle size I have mostly stated throughout the patterns is 6mm (US 10) (UK/Canada 4). Size 13 is not mentioned as far as I know. Could you ask your local yarn/craft store if they know what size needle this converts to in South Africa. I did do a search on the internet, but did not find anything. If you do find out, please post back here as that would be very useful for other South Africans.
