What's Your Point?

 Continuing on with stash diving for small projects to knit. The latest on the needles is Hitchhiker Beyond by Martina Behm. The yarn is a lovely hand-dyed from Hand Maiden -- Sea Silk (70% silk/30% Seacell) in the colorway Autumn. It's been marinating for quite a while, and I'm not even sure the yarn is being produced anymore. It's lovely stuff though, and just perfect for an accessory weight (ie not for warmth) scarf.

One thing that has become apparent from working on these small projects from many different types of yarn is how important (to me) the right needle for the job is. 

I learned to knit at the knee of my Scottish step-granny and she was a straight needle gal who tucked the right-hand needle firmly under her right arm and knit like the wind. So, that's what I learned (except the knitting like the wind part). Many years later, I discovered that circulars lent themselves to knitting while on the go, or in any group setting. Circulars are my preference today, and I have representatives of many different types and brands in the collection. They all have their place, but more and more I find myself reaching for one particular style -- sharp pointed metal with pliable cords. As my eyesight gets less sharp I appreciate that the sharper points mean less fumbling with stitch maneuvers like decreases or knitting in the back of the stitch. And who wants to fight with the needle cord, regardless of your needle type? 

My first sharp-pointed circular purchase was a Signature stiletto point. I hadn't heard of them until attending a fiber festival and seeing long lines at their booth. Not going to lie, I gasped at the price ($40US if I remember correctly). This was for one size, in one cord length. Oh my goodness though -- that stiletto point -- it was love. I bought a few as finances allowed, hoping to eventually get a set in my preferred cord length. And then, Signature smashed my dreams by discontinuing fixed length circulars and going to all interchangeable. Now, there's nothing wrong with interchangeable circulars and I can totally understand why they made that decision, but I have never been able to use screw in interchangeable needles without having them unscrew midway through my project. The tragedy!

And then (cue heavenly beam of light and music) I found ChiaGoo Red Lace circulars. They are made from stainless steel, not the pretty colored aluminum of Signature, but oh those points! 

 In the photo the Signature is on the left, and the ChiaGoo on the right. 

As an added incentive, the price is quite reasonable. It varies by needle size and cord length of course, but as an example: a size 4.00 mm (US6) with a 32" cord can be had for under $12US. 

The cords are not as "bendy" as the Signature, but are easy to use and I have yet to have one kink up on me. 

So, unless (until?) Signature goes back to making fixed length circular needles I think I have found my new best friend needle for "most" of my projects. Isn't it wonderful to have choices?

And here's the completed Miami Cuban Mitts:

So soft, so warm -- cashmere I love you! 

To all of you who celebrate anything at all this holiday season -- peace and joy! And may we all look forward to a bright and better 2021.

Addi Flexiflips -- or flops?

 Continuing with my plan to knit smaller projects (and use up some stash) I started a new cap for Mr. Minglingyarn. I've knit it before, and it's a particular favorite for its excellent ear warming capabilities -- the 1898 Hat by Kristine Byrnes. I had an unidentified ball of shades of red hand-dyed, and to make sure I had enough yarn I decided to use Bare Naked Wools Friesian DK for a contrast top. All was going fine until I got to the point of needing double pointed needles to finish off the top. 

I've been knitting a good few years, so I have quite a collection of various needles -- often multiples. But could I find the size double-points I needed to finish the hat? That would be a resounding no. In fact, most of the canvas pencil bags I use to store my dpns were empty -- uh oh, someone's been lazy about putting things back in their proper places. Luckily I remembered that I had bought some Addi Flexiflips back when they were a somewhat new thing and they might just be the size I needed. Also luckily, I had just run across them in a bag of circulars, so no running around looking for anything -- that can be postponed 'til the next knitting crisis.

Without bothering to read anything at all about them, I immediately put my hat stitches on the three needles -- hmmm, that doesn't look right. D'oh, of course! Your work goes on two needles and you knit with the third. Someone could use a remedial knitting course. Basically, the Addi Flexiflips are very short circular needles -- with 3.5" tips and a 1" cord. Also, if I had bothered to do any research on them at all, I would have known that there are two different tips on each needle. One end is the regular Addi turbo tip and the other is a (slightly) pointier Addi Rocket tip. Having grown accustomed to the stiletto-like tips of my lace Chia Goos I would have appreciated the sharper point when making my decreases. So, double d'oh!?

Despite the fact that I was blundering around like an idiot, the Addi Flexiflips worked well for the job I needed them to do. My personal preference would be to have both tips be pointier, but others might not and it's good to have a choice. One thing that did concern me was whether it would be a problem of having enough room on the needles if I had been using a yarn thicker than the DK weight I was using. I hate having to worry about stitches falling off the ends of these (or double-points too) as I merrily knit around.  Another sticking point -- the cost. These seem to run about $24US per size. Now I know why I just bought one pack to try. This isn't to say they're not worth the price, especially if you are an Addi fan, but that will certainly keep me from investing in multiple sizes of them.  Just going to have to go look for all those missing dpns! 

So, thank you past me for investing in just the size Addi Flexiflips I needed to finish up this hat. Now, where did you leave all those dpns?

And currently on the needles: Miami Cuban Mitts by Anne Hanson. 

I'm using a hank of Jade Sapphire cashmere 4-ply that had somehow made its way into the stash -- probably was going to be a gift hat for someone -- but now it will keep a certain someone from constantly complaining about my cold hands. He's right though -- they do stay icy.  😀