I'm afraid to ask . . .

I plan to eventually replace all of my slippery aluminum needles with bamboo and/or plastic. I find I can't work more than a few rows on the slippery ones and then I frog whatever it is. It's just not enjoyable or relaxing for me to use them anymore. I have a friend who will use nothing but the slippery ones.

BB

Many times i use more than 4-5 Dp for the same work than i have some sets , sometimes od shorter and longer Same circumfernce DP s ,, length never ever had any effect in my tension ,,,, but this is a very personal thing of course ... What needle i use , same number will get same tension if it is Circular a pair or Dp ,,,, mirjam

I was careful not to imply that expensive tools are better for knitting.

Experienced knitters have a better idea of what kind of needles they want; and have had longer to seek out, find bargains, and acquire such needles.

Four years ago, I started knitting with a very cheap "sock kit." I am sure that kit was the result of an experienced knitter selecting the yarn and needles (from surplus stock in the store) that she COULD use to knit socks. However, those needles were terrible for a beginning knitter to try and learn socks on. I did not make a good pair of socks made until I acquired and practiced on thicker, shorter, wooden needles that were more suitable for a beginner. Now, I have knit fine dress socks and heavy boot socks on those same very long, skinny, pointy, slippery needles that were in that first sock kit. That is the result of experience. But now, I have other needles that I like better for socks. My sock other needles were not more expensive, they are just better suited for the way that I like to knit socks. That too, is the result of experience.

Aaron

# 1 DPN that I had, and I have done very nice socks on those same pointy, slippery, long needles. Now that I am working more and more on finer needles, I have made other #1 needles that I like much better for knitting

True, true, but I find different needle materials will produce different tensions. For example, if I have 4 aluminum DPN and one wooden DPN of the same diameter, I can see a change of tension from knitting from metal to metal and where I knitted from metal onto the wooden needle. But, I can not see any difference in tension between where I knitted off of the wooden needle and onto a metal needle and where I knitted from metal to metal. Thus, I sometimes move stitches off of a metal needle and on to a wooden needle used as a stitch holder, but I would not knit directly onto the wooden needle, when the rest of the needles in the work are metal. Sure it is double work, but the metal needle gives the right tension, and the wooden needle is lighter and less likely to slip out. without having to put a "keeper" on it.

When knitting in the round on DPN, I will sometimes put each stitch panel on a separate needle rather then using markers. Then I use some long needles and some short needles depending on the width of the panels. However, too many needles do tend to allow the work to twist in the first few rounds after the join. So I do not start using the shorter needles until I finish the welt and am setting up the pattern.

FOr many years, I had no choice, either, Mirjam. So I also learned to use whatever I could find. It worked.

Higs, Kather> Katherine i have had to work with whatever i got for so many years ,

Many years ago we had a meeting in the "Jerusalem Fiber Craftsmen" that we dedicated to knitting. As i wore yesterday A sweater made with handspun wools i bought in this meeting . They weren`t even in size or flexibility , but i found a way to use them well. AT the meeting we had people who came to Israel from amny countries as well as Local born people in Different places. We heardleactures and stories from Dr Abigail Sheffer anout the Findings in Massada, and From A turkish lady about tev way she and her sisteres knitted socks [ with double soles] on sticks they dried every summer. While a lady born in South Africa told us that she and her Sisters knitted on Bike Wheels`s spikes that her father cut to their wanted lengths. a lady from Kurdistan told us how she fingerknit, anf another woman showes us Bone `needle` which were used in her family for ages to knit...What interested me that all this people , used those needles wonderfilly they had only `one size` ..and knited wonderful things, this way. It seems to me that people were always very inventive about How to knit, there is no limit to Human inventive minds. mirjam

Aaron , this shows how different people are in their methods of work, and how different we are in our results,,,, and that is what is so wonderful about Crafting items by hand they won`t be Exactly the same . As holder you might use `safety` pins ,,, or a tread pulled through the stiches and bound , or even , once when i had nothing with me but Paper i rolled up a Paper `needle` and kept the stiches on that ,,,, mirjam

Aha Katherine that is a joy to read , I think it is very Feminine to just manage with what we have :>:>:>

Today, my favorite knitting needles are the ones that I have made by hand out of very cheap steel rod. My cherished steel needles are made from the same kind of steel rod that was used to make bicycle spokes.

I thought my steel knitting needles would rust. But, we have had a very wet and humid winter, and the steel needles that I have been using on a regular basis have do not have a spot of rust on them. The oil on the wool seems to protect the needles. In contrast, other pieces of the same steel in my workshop have rusted badly - making me believe that if I stopped using my needles, in a few years they would be lost to the next generation of knitters or archeologists.

My preferred steel needles do not have fine finish that the commercial cast and plated steel needles have. While my needles feel quite smooth to the touch, microscopic examination of the surface of my needles shows that they have scratches and gouges which collect oil and dirt. These fine scratches and gouges seem to be what keeps my needles from feeling so slippery.

In short, please do not denigrate knitting needles made out of bicycle spokes. Yes, good knitting can be done on all kinds of things - even bird feathers. However, knitting needles made from bicycle spokes can be the very best of knitting needles.

Oh, yes and about knitting sheaths. The other night my wife put on a really good movie, and I got to watching it and did not put my knitting away, and I misplaced my knitting sheath. Anyway, a cork from a wine bottle stuck in a short length of PVC pipe with a small hole drilled in the cork to accept the end of the DPN works just fine as a knitting sheath when tucked under your belt. Does the fact that I had a wine cork handy the morning after I lost my knitting sheath signify anything to anybody?

Aaron

wink. yes. Noreen 'nuff said, grin!

We both seem to be rather "anti-gadget."

The companies that make the racks and racks of plastic thingies that are sold at American yarn shops must hate us.

Aaron

LOL

Higs, Katherine

X-No-Archive:yes wrote

We used to use corks as needle protectors when I was a child, and my aunt used to store her dpns in them - one cork would easily hold four needles.

Eimear

The # 1s are not that sharp (he says as he sucks the blood from his bleeding finger).

Actually the commercial cast steel needles are more brittle and do need tip protection to prevent breakage. The steel I use is tougher. I have not seen any visible damage to my steel needles in 4 months, and I am not that gentile with them. Most have been dropped on concrete or tile floors several times, with no visible damage.

Getting down to #000, and I start needing point guards to protect me, but I have not broken any - yet. But cast #000 needles are disconcertingly fragile. I do not think the finer tolerances and finish are worth the increased fragility. Maybe when I am a better knitter, and have learned not to drop those supper slippery cast needles.

Aaron

Hahahah Aaron , i am not anti-gadget , mostly i never knew so many Gadgets existed.....Until i went on line and read about people who couldn`t knit unless they had this or that ......i knitted and when something had to be solved i just solved it ?

What plastic thingies are you talking about ????

This was very interesting ,,,, you thought aboput your steel needles collecting oil and dirt off your wool. I am very careful to knit with Clean hands and clean wools,,,, I am not in favour of oil [any kind] which in our climate will attract nasty hungry bugs.... Somehow your description reminded me of the years i milked cows at night, [still by hand ] and their tails would at times wet us with `other humid things`,,,,, Also working the centrifuge and separating milk from the butter/cream .... I have had great respect fo Bisycle spokes knitters ...... But i was more intrested in the historical aspect of the story ....

mirjam

Years ago I bought some home-made needles at a flea market; they came with what loked like commercialy produced little spheres of cork with a hole drilled through the middle, which fit the needles perfectly. It held the stitches on the needle but did not protect the tip at all. I think the needles dated from WWII but they might as easily be from the 1930s; they are kind of thick to be from much earlier.

=Tamar

LOL, Mirjam! I thought I was the only one who'd ever used safety pins as stitch holders .... needed SO many of them!!!! .... or a pencil to substitute for a lost dpn! Never thought of the rolled up paper when a pencil was too big or of thread run through the stitches rather than the dozens of safety pins! Great ideas!

Hahahahahaha! Eve :o)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions - I was (note the past tense!) using 7" aluminum DPN's, and I do believe they are too long and slippery for a first venture. I prefer the slippery metal for my

So. . . I guess I'll take a little sanity break and then make my way to the shop or a site and start again. Meanwhile, I've ripped out the sock and made a nice pair of slippers with the yarn.

Joy