Interchangeable Circular Needle Set
For the longest time, I had been using the Clover Interchangeable Needle Set which is a great value and a great starter set for someone who’s starting to get interested in knitting. It’s got nice smooth joins, and, since it’s bamboo, the yarn also doesn’t slide around all over the place. Unfortunately, I’m the kind of person who twists the needle while knitting so I was constantly checking and screwing the needles back on the cable.
I finally broke down and started looking into other sets. Unfortunately, many of them have the same screw mechanism so my husband so nicely bought me the Addi Click Lace Short Tip Set.
They’re wonderfully smooth with nicely tapered tips. Some people have complained about the blue cord, but I don’t mind the color. I can see why they did it that way so they can have the size printed inside the cord. I’ve been using it almost exclusively now, and I’m happy to say that I am no longer constantly checking the joins. The yarn does occasionally catch a bit, but it’s so minimal that I don’t really care. The other thing that I’ve noticed is that the cord is getting bent near the join (probably from my magic loop knitting) and doesn’t look so great, but as long as it doesn’t break, I’m okay with that.
Wishlist: Now that I’m getting into sock knitting and using lighter weight yarn, I am looking at adding the HiyaHiya SHARP Steel Sock Interchangeable Set to my toolbox. I have only made socks using the magic loop method, but I think I’d love it more using two circulars, which is where the interchangeable set will come in handy.
Double Pointed Needles
My first set of double pointed needles came at a bargain price with sizes ranging from 1 to 15 with 5 needles for each set. Not all had the same tips (some were more blunt than others), but I didn’t mind learning with them. Unfortunately, I have a strong grip so any needle size 7 and below from the set are all bent so I’ve pretty much outgrown them. I think I’ll keep the size 8 and up since there’s no danger of me bending them.
It was much harder for me to decide on a supplement to my existing DPNs. All the sets seemed to be made of wood, and any metal sets were for sock knitting. I ended up getting the Knitter’s Pride Karbonz in the 6″ length. Man, are they sexy with that brass tip and carbon fiber body. I got sizes 4, 5, 6, and 7, and they’re so nice to use. My only issue with them is that the size info on the needles are getting rubbed off somehow so I have to take care to group them well so I know what size they are. Eventually, I’d love to make something like this Knitting Needle Case to organize all of them.