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Knitters - tell me about your favorite needles


mumto2
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Over the years my preferences have changed to knitting mainly with circular needles and I need to buy some new ones.   My old interchangeable set seems fragile, as in the cords seem to be snapping.  It’s roughly 30 years old,  Boyle I think, plastic tips. I no longer like knitting with them anyway.   I just want some new ones and plan to start treating myself as I (or Dd) starts a new project.

 I bought a couple of new pairs of needles last week from Knit Picks......the wood ones in small sizes.  These have been my favorites for years but just did a google and found lots of new brands that I have never heard of.   Dd still likes what she calls normal straight needles so I will probably buy a few new pairs for her too.

Hit me with your favorites..........

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2 hours ago, Noreen Claire said:

I only started knitting two years ago, but I only knit with Chiaogoo metal needles. I have mostly circular (not interchangeable), with some DPNs. I like them, they are slippery and fast! I tried to use plastic/wood needles before, but just didn't like them. 

The cables on these knitting needles are soft and good for using the magic loop method when circular knitting.  The needle tips are pointy too which is nice.

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I like addi turbo circulars.  Knit picks has similar fixed circular metal needles.  The knit picks circular wooden ones are nice too.  I've given away almost all my other needles.  I just keep building up my  collection of circulars.

I have had some interchangables but have never liked those nearly as well.  

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I love Addi Turbo circular needles, particularly the lace ones (a little pointier than other others).  They have the smoothest joins that I know of, and I have never had one pull apart.

For sock needles to knit in the round, I like sets of 5 rather than 4 in bamboo or wood, so I have a little more friction between the yarn and the needles.  Metal sock needles tend to slide right out for me.

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addi rockets are my absolute favorites. Smooth joins, flexible cable, and a super pointy tip! 

Signature Needles - these are pricey but the Stilettos have an fabulously sharp and pointy tip and the cable is super nice and floppy BUT the join tends to catch a bit, ime, so between that and the price ($42) these take a backseat to the addi rockets. Also, the ones I have (a size 4 and a size 6 - got them for my birthday one year) are a fixed circular but I am not seeing them on their site  - maybe they changed to only interchangeable needles? 

I also like Knitter's Pride Zing fixed circulars - the cord isn't as flexible as the others above but I like using these for knitting a basic sweater or maybe a blanket. The colors are really pretty and they are inexpensive.

HiyaHiya sharps are nice and pointy and cheap but again, the cord isn't my fav.

I have several Chiagoos and like them but the cord isn't as flexible as I prefer and I just don't reach for them for some reason. I've tried A LOT of needles over the years and I think we all develop our own preferences. What one knitter loves in a needle might end up being a deal-breaker for another knitter, kwim? Hope you find something you really like, mum! 

And I just found this neat site - maybe you will find it helpful? The Knitting Needle Guide 

 

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BTW, I never use straight needles anymore.  I knit on Addi Turbos even things that are not knit in the round, because I like them best and also it’s easy to swing the knitting to the middle of the cable and prevent the needles from falling out in transit.  Also, the weight of the knitting itself is more centered instead of always weighing down one needle or the other.  

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Thanks everyone!   Keep the comments coming.......

I have been busy contemplating the recommendations,  such choice,  far more than I was  seeing actually.  I need to pull the patterns for the Christmas things that Dd and I have talked about and make a list of the needle sizes we will be needing then order a couple of the new to us brands!

So many good comments........have to admit I didn’t think I wanted slippy and am now wondering if I do.  I am also starting to think that I may just want individual needles as opposed to interchangeable cables because of that slight stickiness where they join.  Decisions!😂

1 hour ago, Carol in Cal. said:

BTW, I never use straight needles anymore.  I knit on Addi Turbos even things that are not knit in the round, because I like them best and also it’s easy to swing the knitting to the middle of the cable and prevent the needles from falling out in transit.  Also, the weight of the knitting itself is more centered instead of always weighing down one needle or the other.  

I switched to circular’s because I could easily carry a small project in my purse in a zip lock.  I haven’t been knitting as a car passenger recently but used to all the time.  Circulars confined my projects to my lap really easily.  Now I use them because of weight issues.....Dd actually likes longer cables because she stores all of the pieces of the project on her cable.   They are just plain more convenient imo.

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My favorites vary depending on what I'm knitting, but I really do like Addi Turbos. For some projects, though, you just gotta have wood. 

For that matter, sometimes the ability to prop a straight needles under your arm and just work the other one is grand. And there are certain projects that call for circs that I find so much easier on dps because it's easier to keep track of the stitches (plus use any extraneous dp in the set for cables).

Mostly I don't plan on limiting my selection any time soon.  I'm okay with having All the Needles.

 

 

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My collection is wholly random, some hand-me-downs from grandma, some ad hoc purchases, some emergency purchases, bamboo, wood, metal, plastic, melamine. My favorites are cheap-o bamboo Clover #1s. I probably have 4 intermingled sets. Mostly for socks, occasional mini-sized knits. I have this great (easy) sewing pattern for a wide-mouth zipper bag and all the sock necessities easily fit in, and the bag easily fits in my purse so it is always handy for those unexpected waits. 

At this time in my life I don't have the blocks of down time I would need for more complicated knits - and the needles to go with them!

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14 hours ago, SusanC said:

My collection is wholly random, some hand-me-downs from grandma, some ad hoc purchases

 

My collection is pretty random as well. There seems to be a lot of trial and error involved. 

Some things seem to work better than others for my lifestyle or certain projects. I'm not particularly fond of interchangeables (I seem to unwind the locking mechanism or get stuck on it) or straight needles. I break small-sized wooden needles and the beautiful acetate ones, so I limit buying them. 

I'm pretty comfortable with Addi, Chiagoo, HiyaHiya, and even a few Clover bamboos were fine until the cats chewed on them. 😄 I have an old aluminum needle from Goodwill that I like too, but it doesn't happen to be any of the SusanBates/Boye they sell now, so I can't get more. 

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On 9/15/2019 at 9:40 AM, LostSurprise said:

 

My collection is pretty random as well. There seems to be a lot of trial and error involved. 

Some things seem to work better than others for my lifestyle or certain projects. I'm not particularly fond of interchangeables (I seem to unwind the locking mechanism or get stuck on it) or straight needles. I break small-sized wooden needles and the beautiful acetate ones, so I limit buying them. 

I'm pretty comfortable with Addi, Chiagoo, HiyaHiya, and even a few Clover bamboos were fine until the cats chewed on them. 😄 I have an old aluminum needle from Goodwill that I like too, but it doesn't happen to be any of the SusanBates/Boye they sell now, so I can't get more. 

The mystery set from Goodwill might be from Brunswick.  I am pretty sure some of my needles are from there, they went out of business at least 20 years ago.

I just ordered a set of Addi Turbo’s off of Prime......I realized I could try one set at a time if I bought via Amazon.

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On 9/16/2019 at 9:37 PM, mumto2 said:

The mystery set from Goodwill might be from Brunswick.  I am pretty sure some of my needles are from there, they went out of business at least 20 years ago.

 

Possibly. I did an image search on Google a few minutes ago and it looks a lot like (Boye's?) Diana circular needle, but since I don't like Boye's cable I wonder why I like this one?  🤷‍♀️

If you do like the Addis, it tends to be cheaper to buy them either from Europe or Asia (Hong Kong importers get them from Germany and will sell in lots on ebay). For some reason the North American prices for Addi are really high. 

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Well my Addi Turbo just arrived and the needle on one side is bent in a rather nice curve.  Had me wondering for one second if the curve was the Secret to the fast.🤣. Being returned, new set coming  tomorrow.

On 9/17/2019 at 11:21 PM, LostSurprise said:

 

Possibly. I did an image search on Google a few minutes ago and it looks a lot like (Boye's?) Diana circular needle, but since I don't like Boye's cable I wonder why I like this one?  🤷‍♀️

If you do like the Addis, it tends to be cheaper to buy them either from Europe or Asia (Hong Kong importers get them from Germany and will sell in lots on ebay). For some reason the North American prices for Addi are really high. 

We might make it to Germany next summer......😀

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