Tag Archives: knitting needle

My Poor Needles

3 Replies

I have a favorite pair of needles.  I bet you do, too.  They’re my go-to needles for probably half the projects I work up.  If I’m designing a pattern, or making a gift for someone that doesn’t specifically require me to dig out a different pair of needles, they’re the ones I go for.  I’ve even switched them back and forth between two different WIPs, so that I could work on two different projects at the same time.

They’re my Knit Picks Interchangeable Size US8 needles in Caspian.

They’re part of a set of interchangeables that I love to death.  It’s so convenient to have such a wide range of needles at my fingertips.  They come with extra cables in a couple lengths, so I always have the perfect needle for whatever project I’m starting.  (And the blue-green colors of the wood are so pretty, I can’t say no to them.)

I’ve had these needles for a few years now, and use them almost exclusively.  I love knitting with wooden needles, and only ever use circulars any more (straight needles drive me up the wall), so they’re perfect for me.

In fact, I think I might have used my US8’s a little too much.After more than three years of nearly constant use, and especially after I just finished my massive vampire project (3+ hours of complicated knitting every day for over a month), my favorite needles are starting to show a little wear. I don’t know if you can really see it in the picture, but the tips are not as smooth as they used to be, and the finish is beginning to wear off.  But, after so many years of faithful service, I can’t really blame them.  They’re still usable, but they aren’t quite as smooth as they used to be.

It’s funny.  I’ve lost needles, broken needles, and my dog has eaten (or at least chewed up) needles, but I’ve never actually worn out needles like this.  I feel like I need to frame them, or play taps as I lay them to rest at the bottom of my stash.  Or I could try refinishing the tips (though with my dismal knowledge of woodworking, that would probably turn into a fiasco).

Whatever I end up doing with them, they have served me well, knitting (probably) miles of yarn into dozens and dozens of projects.

(But, honestly, I’ll probably keep using them, because I’m cheap enough to not want to buy new needles, and they’re still not that bad.)

Do you have a favorite pair of needles?

People are actually pretty great.

1 Reply

It’s been almost two weeks since the break-in at Casa del On the Needles, and things are going back to normal.  We’ve upped security, filed a police report, and begun to replace the things that were taken.  I’ll probably never get my class ring back, but I bought a new computer to replace my old one (which was on its last legs anyway).  I didn’t even loose that much data-a couple half-finished patterns, and a few hours work on an intarsia chart, but nothing I can’t replace with a half-day of work.

And, I got a surprise package in the mail from my friends over at Knit Picks on Saturday.

Remember how I said the thieves took my set of interchangeable needles?  Well, the lovely folks at Knitpicks (Hi Stacey!) took it on themselves to send me not one, but two replacements:

A set of gorgeous blue-green Caspian needles:91078102[1]And, a set of luminous Sunstruck needles:90613101[1]My old set were Caspians, and I’d used them for more than a year when they were stolen.  I am a snob when it comes to needles, so I was a late adopter of the whole interchangeable needle thing.  It seemed like they would be more trouble than they were worth- wouldn’t the cable fall out?  Wouldn’t the yarn snag on the joins?  They couldn’t work as well as advertised.

But, I have to say, I absolutely love them.  I use them for almost every project I make.  Circulars are better on my wrists, and the dyed wood needles are fun (I’m a sucker for bright colors).  And, there’s nothing better than deciding you need a US10.5 or a US5, or whatever your spur-of-the-moment project requires, and just going to your needle case and pulling out exactly what you want.

So, thanks, KnitPicks!  I know these needles will get lots of use!  (And, everyone else, I totally recommend getting a set of interchangeable needles.)

Needles that Rule

Leave a reply

J0yDjiKJust a quickie today, something silly and fun.   I stumbled across this ad from the fifties for the “Measure Knit.”  They’re knitting needles with markings for inches, so you can use them as rulers.  How smart is that?  I’m always loosing my tape measures, so having a ruler/knitting needle hybrid would be super useful.

And, if the ladies in the ad are any indication, these needles are more exciting than a barrel full of monkeys.