A Needling Question

Knitting needles come in all shapes, sizes, and materials.  There are straight ones, circular ones, flexible ones, double pointed ones.  They come in metal, wood, bamboo, acrylic, plastic, etc.  There are long ones, short ones, and various lengths in between.  So, which needle is the best?  The answer is ….. it depends.

It depends upon your personal preference, your knitting style, and the yarn that you are using for any given project.

To discuss all of the various types of knitting needles would be too voluminous; a novel really.  Since there is not likely to be a Pulitzer nomination forthcoming for blogging about knitting needles, this will be a high level look at using different needles for various situations.  Besides, if it was a really long story, you wouldn’t read it.

I learned to knit on my mother’s straight steel needles as a child.  That is probably why I prefer using metal needles.  I have tried bamboo and birch, but truthfully, not a fan.  Although I have long since switched to using circulars most of the time, I will still revert to mom’s old needles when appropriate.  I like the coolness of metal, and the ease in which the yarn slides along the needle.  By contrast, my friend Linda prefers the warmth of the birch needles.  Quite frankly, given the speed in which she knits, I’m surprised she hasn’t started a fire with those wooden sticks.

I tend to knit tightly, but generally achieve gauge with the recommended needle size for the yarn and/or project.  This may be due to the fact that the yarn tends to be more slippery on metal needles.  My friend Vivian decided to pick up knitting again, having not done so since childhood.  She is a continental knitter, and found my metal needles too slippery for her knitting style, so she went the birch route to help her with gauge.  Now that she has been actively knitting for several years, she finds that metal needles are working better for her. 

  

Regular Addi vs. Lace Point

The type of yarn also plays a factor in determining which needle is best for the project.  For example, I was knitting a stole with mulberry silk lace and found it to be very slippery on my regular metal needles.  Stitches were frequently dropping off the needles, and since it was a lace pattern, I was constantly picking up and correcting stitches.  Not a lot of fun.  So I purchased a set of lace points that are more pointed than the regular, and have a coating to keep the yarn from sliding quite so much.  I found them to be much more efficient for the task at hand. 

Another factor may be how tightly the plies are twisted in the yarn.  My friend Jane and I were both working on projects with yarn that contained cotton and in both cases, the yarn was loosely twisted.  The plies were easily separated, and I found that a more rounded point was better for keeping the plies together on each stitch.  Jane found the opposite was true for her. 

A couple of years ago, I was in a conversation with Joan prior to our monthly Guild meeting.  We were both making the Karner Wrap with a lace weight yarn from Americo Originals.  Joan was extremely frustrated with her project as she kept losing stitches due to the stitches sticking together on the needle and accidently knitting them together.  I had started the project with my regular rounded point Addi’s and soon switched to the lace point version when I also became frustrated with the stitches sticking together.  The sharper points easily separated the strands and eliminated the problem.  When I suggested this to Joan, she was not prepared to spend more money on another set of the same sized needles.  I have long since completed the project, but the last time I checked with Joan, she had put hers aside due to frustration.

 

There are two basic rules when it comes to choosing knitting needles:

Rule #1 – There are no rules.  It is personal preference.  Metal is not better than wood, nor vise versa.  Choose the needle that you like to use, and not necessarily the one that your friend likes to use. We all knit differently.

Rule #2 – If you are struggling with the project, then perhaps a different type of needle is required.  If you knit so tightly on wooden needles that you are fighting with each stitch, then try using metal to loosen up.  Or switch to birch if you knit very loosely.  Knitting is both stimulating and relaxing at the same time, and should be enjoyable.  If you are struggling with a particular yarn and getting frustrated, it’s time to try a different needle.  Finding the right tool for the job can change everything about it.  

I have a rather large knitting needle stash, but will still purchase other needles when the situation warrants it, or I just prefer something new – like ChiaoGoo red cables.  Ooh-la-la!  

The Needle Stash minus those in projects with a portrait of my grandmother, the woman who could literally knit in her sleep.

Needles are expensive, but so is your time and peace of mind.  You’ve heard of yarn tasting, right?  Wouldn’t it be great to attend a needle tasting where one could try different types of needles with various types of yarn?  That way, you would have an introduction as to which type of needle works best with each yarn for your knitting style.  Hmm, could be on to something here.

Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in the novel on Knitting Needles where we will discuss a comparison between straight, including double pointed, and circular needles!

Measure Once, Knit Twice

Has this happened to you?  The front and back of a sweater, or the two sleeves are different lengths? Or, proud to have finally completed that pair of socks only to discover that one is longer than the other.  Sure it has, come on, admit it.

It has happened to all of us at one time or another.  Why? Probably because we measured once, and now we get to knit twice.  Otherwise, find someone that has one arm longer than the other and give the sweater to them. 

We need to measure many things in knitting, not just the length.  For example, we measure our bodies, the size of our needles, and the gauge of our knitted fabric.  Notice I said “knitted fabric” instead of swatch.  I must admit, sometimes I am so excited to start a new project that I start knitting, then do the gauge measurement.   When it’s off, I cuss a little, rip it out, change my needle size, and swatch like I should have done in the first place.  Perfect example of measure once, knit twice.

Recently, I discovered yet another metal gauge ruler in my many tool bins, and thought to myself, “I wonder how many I have”?  So I collected my knitting measuring devices together and realized that I have a bit of a tool stash. 

Interesting point about the 4mm needle sizing, gauges typically say either 4mm or 4 1/4mm, but the white plastic one that I have, has both sizes.  The purple KnitPicks ruler has a magnifier, which is very helpful when trying to count stitches for gauge, while the Susan Bates metal ruler has a 2”x2” gauge cut out. 

With all these rulers at my disposal, I tend to carry one of the metal 6” gauge rulers, and my 36” Four-Fold Rule in my knitting bag.  That is the politically correct term for what used to be called a Blindman’s Rule; named for the large numbers which make is easier to read.  I must say, I do like the large numbers.  It also requires that you have your work on a flat surface to measure; always a good practice.  I only use the measuring tape when measuring body parts or around corners.  I highly recommend getting a buddy to do the body measurement; it’s a lot more accurate than you can do on yourself.  You can do the corner by yourself, sometimes.    

 

When the work is longer than 36”, like an afghan or warping the Knitters Loom, I pull out the big gun.  Yup, the 16’ retractable measuring tape.

I was recently introduced to another tool for measuring gauge … The Swatch Ruler.  It sticks to the fabric so you can easily count your stitches and rows.  If it only had a magnifier, I would be all over it and add it to the collection.

One perplexing measurement that I find when knitting, is the button band.  Patterns often state, “knit until slightly stretched, measures the front”.  I have yet to figure out how much stretch is considered slightly.  This, I do not measure.  Instead, I count rows.  Better yet, knit the band with the front pieces.  That way, there is no guessing or counting.  I also count rows for my socks, sleeves, fronts to backs, etc.  Whenever two pieces are supposed to be the same length, I count rows.  That sounds a bit anal retentive, but it works.  Now, if I could only remember to write down the count from the first item before starting the second.  That way, when my husband starts talking about the temperature or expected snowfall, I will have a reference point and not have to start over.

The term “Measure Twice, Cut Once” is generally associated with the carpentry trade, but in a figurative sense, it also applies to knitting. An excerpt from the Historically Speaking website states that the term can also be meant as a warning to plan and prepare for something in a careful, thorough manner before taking action.  So let’s make this our knitting mantra, Measure Twice, Knit Once!

If you diligently measure twice and still find that one sleeve is longer than the other, then you have no one else to blame.  It must have been the wine.

Fantastic Beasts and Why We Knit Them

Have you ever had the urge to make a soft toy for that special someone?  They are adorable and you think, “Oh my God!  They are so cute, and well, it shouldn’t take very long.”  It may not, depending on what you choose to make. 

For my first time project, I purchased a kit from a vendor at the Creativ Festival some 13 years ago, to make for our first grandchild.   This included all the bits of yarn and embellishments needed to create a bunny rabbit with a carrot.  Since I had previously made dolls, and had knitted the clothing for them, I thought, “OMG. It is so cute and it shouldn’t take very long!”  Perhaps that would have been true had I selected a simpler project. 

Every individual aspect of the bunny was a knitted piece that needed to be sewn together.  The yarn, with the exception of the carrot, was a snowflake type yarn; not the easiest to knit with in the first place.  It is good for concealing little flaws that happen along the way, and does make for a very soft finished product, which is great for baby. Prior to giving it away to our new grandson, we would carry it around the house and place it on a chair in whatever room we were sitting.  For all the fussy and time consuming work that went into it, I had to admit, it was extremely cute, but was not likely to make another any time soon.  It was a labour of love.  I did buy another kit a couple of years later to make a Teddy Bear for our second grandchild.  To this day, the kit is intact in a storage bin, somewhere. 

This past Christmas, I decided that I would make it easier on myself by purchasing a Sock Monkey from my friend Liz, and knitting a sweater to match the Entrechat (by Lisa Chemery) I had made for my great niece.  Liz does an amazing job of making these monkeys, all with Canadian sourced materials.  It took no time at all to make a sweater and hat for the monkey, and Christine decided that it should have a pom pom.  So she made one. OMG, they were both so cute, and really, it took no time at all by comparison to the bunny.

 

Recently, a member of our local casual knitting group (aka the Flock), was going to be celebrating a significant birthday.  Liz came up with the wonderful idea of making a Donkey for Judith, as this is the name she affectionately calls her husband. What a great idea!  We are all on board.  Brigit found a pattern on Ravelry of a Donkey and Unicorn by Steffi Hochfellner.  OMG, they are so cute!  As a group, we can make the pair for Judith and Donkey. It shouldn’t take very long.

And off we go.  Brigit buys the pattern and we get together with our left over bits of yarn to select our colours.  The pattern calls for a DK weight, but we went with Worsted as that was the best source for our colour bits.

Well, as group projects go, the group ended up consisting of Linda and me.  She took on the Donkey, and I the Unicorn.  By comparison to the bunny, this was a much simpler project, however, still fussy, with lots of ends to sew in due to all the colour changes.  We both found that we could only work on it for so long before pouring a glass of wine and switching to a “real” knitting project.  We got together once a week to work on the critters, and I have to admit, we would gripe a little about how fussy it was; where was the group when we needed them, and so on. 

It wasn’t long before our griping turned into “OMG, they are so cute!” Pretty soon, the heads were stuffed, the ears attached, and then the eyes.  OMG!  These bodiless heads had developed a personality!  Now, we couldn’t wait to get to the next stage.  So we stuffed and stitched, made braided tails, and gave them hairdos. 

Liz helped out with the embellishments, like adorning the horn with some bling.  Every unicorn should have some bling!  After all, it is a magical creature.  I must admit, ours do not look quite like the original, but they are so-o-o-o cute, goofy, but cute!

So, you may be wondering, why I bother making these fantastic beasts when it seems that I complain about making them. 

Scroll down and see.

Need I say more?

Maybe I should dig out that Teddy Bear Kit after all.  It shouldn’t take very long.