What size is that needle? Hard to tell.
>
> I really do not care. I knit swatches with different sized needles
> and then use the needles that produced the fabric that I liked. If
> you want to do better, get a micrometer and measure the actual
> diameter of your needles. The traditional needle gauges with holes in
> them make errors in needle naming easy.
>
> Consider US # 1 needles. The holes in the "Boye" standard knitting
> needle gauge and the "Susan Bates Knit Checker" have holes for that
> are just larger than 2.50 mm in diameter so that the Boye and Susan
> Bates # 1 needles are just under 2.50 mm in diameter and *just* fit
> in that gauge hole. However, in the Knitter's Companion, there is a
> cardboard needle gauge that the hole for #1 that is 2.25 mm in
> diameter, but the text in Knitter's Companion says that US #1 is the
> same as 2 mm?!! Then, when I look at the needle size chart in Mary
> Thomas/ Dover reprint, the diameter of the spots she provides in her
> needle size chart do not match up with the diameters given in the
> text. Moreover, my AddiTurbo needle sold to me as a US #1 is about
> 2.51 mm in diameter, thus does not fit in the gauge holes for #1
> needles. It is hard to tell that it is just a little bit over and so
> and it must be a # 2?? : )
>
> Skipping to the chase here.
>
> Measuring my Susan Bates Knit Check (aluminum knitting needle gauge),
> the sizes of the holes are as follows:
> 1 -> 2.50 mm
> 0 -> 2.25 mm
> 00 -> 1.85 mm
> 000 -> 1.50 mm
>
> However, the sizes of the handmade steel needles that I use are: > 1 -> 2.32 mm
> 0 -> 2.00 mm
> 00 -> 1.65 mm
> 000 -> 1.20 mm
> Which is about what you will get if you make your own steel needles
> from music rod available in the American market. However, precise
> metric sized spring steel rod is available on the world market.
>
> Of course, you could make those size needles and rename them After
> all, what I call a #1 is only 0.07 mm larger than SB's "0" but 0.18
> mm smaller than what SB calls #1, so by actual size it is much closer
> to being a "0" than a "1". But, it fits in the "1" hole and not the
> '0" hole, so for me, for now, it remains a "1". This why I say that
> hole based gauges introduce real errors in needle naming.
>
> The really bad news is that last night, I did gauge swatches on the
> cashmere yarn that has been sitting like a lump in the middle of the
> stash, and this morning at the breakfast table my wife said that the
> swatch from the 1.2 mm needles is the best fabric. It is a lovely
> fabric, but that is a lot of knitting. Maybe she would like matching
> hat and gloves rather than a sweater.
Well, the sweater would definitely prove how much you love her.
Higs, Katherine