A
knitting needle or
knitting pin is a
tool in
hand-knitting to produce
knitted fabrics. They generally have a long shaft and taper at their end, but they are not nearly as sharp as
sewing needles. Their purpose is two-fold. The long shaft
holds the active (unsecured) stitches of the fabric, to prevent them from unravelling, whereas the tapered ends are used to
form new stitches. Most commonly, a new stitch is formed by inserting the tapered end through an active stitch, catching a loop (also called a
bight) of fresh yarn and drawing it through the stitch; this secures the initial stitch and forms a new active stitch in its place. In specialized forms of knitting the needle may be passed between active stitches being held on another needle, or indeed between/through inactive stitches that have been knit previously.