So, I’m making my Christmas List, and it’s primarily made up of Nintendo DS Games & Knitting Supplies.
I’ve got a knitting bag selected, odds & ends, and even some yarn picked out from KnitPicks. But the one thing I’m still having a hard time deciding on is a set of Knitting Needles.
So far, the main “competitors” I’ve heard/seen are the Boye Needlemaster set, the Denise Interchangeable Set, Knitpicks Harmony set, and KnitPicks Options set (though from what I’ve gathered, the Harmony & Options can be used together).
I’ve noticed people mentioning their preference, but never really explaining why.
So, which set do you prefer, and why (feel free to pick a set that isn’t listed above)? Or, if you don’t use a set, why not?
I’m a fairly new knitter but I purchased the Denise set mostly because it had the cable sizes I needed (the smallest w/needles is 16"). I like the fact that they twist on and not screw on. I could easily see myself loosing my knitting because of the needles unscrewing oftem. (I have issues with things that screw on/off). I also like that needles and cables all have a “home”. I have also heard they can be brought on airplanes. I don’t fly often but it’s nice to know I can knit on a plane if I want to.
There was a poll taken a couple of months ago you can look at too, that’s were I found some of the information before I purchased my set.
Good luck and happy knitting.
P.S. The needle to cable is pretty smooth and so far I haven’t run into any problems with yarn snagging unless I’m knitting way too tight.
I have the regular Options set and have some of the Harmony needles on my wish list (they are always out when I try to order them). I love that they screw on and have a very tight thread, so they arne’t going to come off in just a twist or two. Plus they have a tightening “tool” which you use to secure the twist. I have only had a needle come loose once and that was when I was in too much of a hurry to take time to tighten it with the little tool. (Taught me!) Fortunately it didn’t come all the way off, just loose.
I the cables as they are SO flexible and don’t have “memory” like other nylon cables. They don’t get twisted or crimped. I bought my Options before the Harmony were an option, but I think I would still get the regular Options and then just add the Harmony needles that I want (they are interchangeable!) I have looked at all the different sets and compared them before I chose the Options. I have friends that have bot the Denise and Boye and was able to really look at them before investing any money. I knew I wanted a nice basic set and this was truly an economic way of doing it. Also it is SO easy to expand on the set with a variety of needles (wood or metal) so you aren’t stuck with just metal or just wood. The cables are very affordable as well, so I never feel like I have to spend a fortune to get another set of cables and I can only order what I need rather than ordering a variety pack and getting a bunch I’ll never or rarely use to get the one size I need.
I also love the exandable case and all the pockets to keep things in. Those are also very affordable (and I always forget that you get 2 pockets rather than just one) My needles have stayed neat and organized for the first time in my whole knitting “career” (and that’s a long time!)
My first interchangeable set was the Boye needlemaster. I found the cables to be terrible and rarely used the set. I loved the different colors of the tips, but really disliked the cables.
I had the Denise set and really liked it, but found the cable to be just a bit thick for lace knitting. I ordered the longer cables and extra needles in my favorite sizes and the larger needles not included n the set. That proved to be a frustration as there is no place to store extra parts.
I ordered the Knitpicks Options when they first came out and never looked back. I love the sharpness of the tips, the flexible cables are like butter, the joins are smoother that any other needle I used. I ordered duplicate tips in size 4 - 8 (so I can have several projects at one time) as well as the larger tips that don’t come with the set. I also ordered extra cables and the long cables. I ordered fixed circulars in the smaller sizes. All of these items fit in the binder using some extra pages. I just love having all my needles together. I was even able to put the few Addis needles in the case.
This year Knit PIcks introduced the Harmoniy needles. I ordered the tips in size 4-10 1/2, several fixed circulars, and the DPN sock set. I was able to put all of these items in the same binder as the OPtions. I love the Harmony as much as the OPtion’s. I decide which one to use depending on the yarn.
Last month I gave all my Denice needles to my Mother. She has arthritis in her hands and can no longer screw her Boye’s together. The resinis also easier on her hands.
The knit picks are much better than Boye, I had Boye and got rid of them because they kept coming unscrewed and my yarn got caught in them all the time. With Knit Picks you do have to buy the 16 inch separately, because the shaft of the needle is shorter, the regular shafts are too long for 16 inch needles. I have found one shaft that keeps coming unscrewed and I am pretty sure it has a defect and plan to see if they will exchange it after I finish this project. I have heard they are pretty good about exchanging defective parts. I have never tried Denise.
I want to add that the options are very very slick. The yarn slides without resistance and it is easier to have stitches slide off by accident if you aren’t careful. If you have always been used to bamboo or something less slick you might want to try ordering one of the 16 inchers first now to test to see if you like it.
Argh, thanks Jan. I must be going blind. I spent two days searching the site for a “What Set”-ish thread, and couldn’t find one, and lo-and-behold it was right in front of me. OYE!
My husband bought me the origional options set for my birthday a couple of years ago. I bought a denise set off ebay, and recently added harmony tips to my options set. Of all of these, I used my harmony wood needles the most. I ended up selling my denise set. I felt a little guilty about having all three sets, and they were the ones I used the least.
