One thing you can’t do without as a knitter, is needles. Needles are the kind of thing that pile up in your craft room and take over your life. How many times have you hunted through project bags long forgotten to see if you could find that needle in size 5 that you KNOW that you have. And to the uninitiated eye they all look the same. How is one to know that you need both a size six 24″ and 32″ circular needle? or size 2 and size 3 dpns? (That’s double pointed needles!)
I’m really grateful to ravelry’s needle inventory to help me keep track of all my needles so I know when to hunt around the house for a particular pair and when I need to buy another one.
And if I DO need to buy another one, there are tons of choices on the market, sometimes just within one company! Knitter’s Pride has a tremendous selection of needles available. On their website, they’ve broken down needles (and crochet hooks!) into the different materials that each one is manufactured in. Let me try to give you a brief overview of each type!
First up, bamboo needles. Bamboo has a lovely lightweight and warm quality to it that makes it very comfortable to hold while knitting. Bamboo tends to be a quiet material to work with as well. I like using bamboo needles, especially when the yarn is slippery and I would like a tiny bit of grip from my needles.
Nova Metal needles are made from hollow brass tubes, coated with high-quality nickle. They are surprisingly light and extremely smooth. They have a sharp, tapered point with a smooth join.
The Symfone Dreamz needles come in a range of gorgeous colors which allow you to quickly identify what size you’re working with. They’re made of a polished wood for a smooth finish which also gives a nice warmth to the touch.
A newcomer to the market, Karbonz are made of high-tech carbon fiber and have nickle-plated brass tips. They have an unusual, but warm and light feel. I would definitely recommend trying them to make sure that you like this feel. Many knitters love them, but they’re not to everyone’s tastes. They definitely have a great, modern look to them!
Basix Birch needles and hooks are made from birch wood, which is a lightweight, but strong wood. It’s polished to allow yarn to move over it smoothly without snagging. These are available in the larger sizes, making them ideal for use with chunky yarn.
Knitter’s Pride also has the needles on their website broken down by style and shape, so if you’re looking to see what they have for interchangeables, you can do that. And as seen above, they also have a range of crochet hooks, including some with built in soft grips.
One of the newer needle innovations on the market is Knitter’s Pride’s Cubics needles. These are needles with a square shaft. Why a square shaft? Well, it’s more ergonomic, leaving less stress and strain on the wrists and more uniform stitch formation! That’s great when you’re working something with a field of stockinette. Because they’re square, you measure them diagonally in knitting needle sizer. The Cubix needles are available as Symfonie Cubics or as Nova Cubics. I’m especially interested in trying Cubics, since I have carpal tunnel syndrome and my wrists can get fatigued quickly while knitting.
You should ask for Knitter’s Pride needles at your local yarn store, alongside Juniper Moon Farm Yarn, but if you can’t find them, you can purchase them on Amazon. A reminder that our proceeds from our Amazon affliate account is matched by JMF and goes to Heifer International!
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
Knitter’s Pride is graciously allowing us to give away a set of Nova Cubics Double Pointed Sock Needles! This set includes five 15 cm long needles in each of the following sizes: 0 (2.00 mm), 1 (2.25 mm), 1.5 (2.50 mm), 2 (2.75 mm), 2.5 (3.00 mm) and 3 (mm). These needles are new on the market. It’s the first time Cubics have been made in brass. They’ve got a great hand feel and are nice and smooth.
In addition, they’ve been so kind as to throw in a knitting needle gauge, so the winner will be getting one in ivy.
And Juniper Moon Farm is giving away a ball of Findley Dappled in color #120 (which is a brand new color we’re releasing for SS2014) and the Findley Dappled 2013 booklet featuring 11 charming patterns by Corrina Ferguson (and moi on the cover).
To enter, go to knitterspride.com and have a look around. Then come back and tell us what would be on your ultimate Christmas wish list! I think a Symfonie Cubics interchangeable set would top my Christmas wishlist!
To get additional entries, share this post on facebook or twitter and them come back and leave another comment letting us know that you did. This giveaway is open to folks from all countries and is open through Sunday, December 15th ending at 11:59p eastern time. Check back on the 16th for the winner! That’s also the deadlines for our Grand Prize Giveaway, so don’t miss out there, especially because Knitter’s Pride is generously giving away a bamboo interchangeable needle starter set in our grand prize giveaway!
