Ok I officially don’t like the little metal cable needles. Is there anywhere to find bamboo cable needles? The ones I’ve seen on the videos on this site are just smaller DPNs? Ideas?
I’m about to go buy some dowels and make some… ggrr 
I made mine out of dowels and they work great! Go for it!
Sure there are bamboo circulars. Wal-Mart even has their own now (I’m using one of them as we speak. The joins are a little bumpy, but at $2.44 the price was right and I have plenty of teflon tape.) Jo-Ann’s and Michaels both sell Takumi bamboo circs in a variety of sizes.
I know what you mean!-- the metal hook style is so awkward. I LOVE my wooden ones-- they’re straight, which looks like the stitches would fall off, but lo and behold, the geniuses behind them put wooden grooves in and they work BEAUTIFULLY. Patternworks.com sells them, and knitpicks.com is going to have them in their new Harmony line.
Here’s the link to the ones Patternworks carries: http://www.patternworks.com/productdetail/300027.htm
And here’s the link to the Harmony ones: http://www.knitpicks.com/+Harmony+Wooden+Cable+Needles_ND90347.html
Not circular needles, Becky, she means the short ones you hold your stitches on while making cables.
And you can use about anything for a cable needle - pencil, chopsticks, skewers, make your own out of a dowel…
Have you tried cabling without a needle? I find it easier, and my cables come out nicer too 
Its really not as hard as it sounds!!
Thanks britty! Yes those are the ones I’m talking about… not Circs
How do you cable without a cable needle Suzeeq?
Bobbi wrote about that. Here’s one explanation http://www.grumperina.com/cables.htm and another one here… http://www.wolfandturtle.net/Yarnpath/index.php/Yarnpath/cabling_without_a_cable_needle
but I sometimes just hold the first set of sts (only works for one or two) while knitting the second set.
Oops… my bad
I’ll have a look but i’m doing these on straights
You can do it the same way on straight needles too.
I know one lady here uses bobby pins to cable!..so you can use many different items to cable. I usually use dpns, have dabbled in cabling without a cable needle, but I have to admit, I’ve really been eyeing those harmony knit picks cable needles! :flirt:
I’m with ya, Donna! My stitches slip off and have started using a wooden dpn. I like the dowel idea, Thanks! Mary
Rissa, I don’t know if you’ve tried the Harmony dpn or circular needles, but I LOVE them. They are very, very smooth. My only complaint is that they aren’t quite as brightly colored as the web photos would suggest. But they work beautifully.
britty, I have the full options nickle plated set. I adore them! I’ve thought about getting a few of the harmony in the sizes I use most often and also in dpns, as well as the cable needles. My problem is finding the money to do it! :teehee:
Maybe it’ll end up being a Christmas wish item, we shall see!
Oh, those! D’oh! When I saw…I forget who it was…on KG cabling with no needle, it was such a relief! (And for big cables? Toothpicks. Crochet hooks. The skewers out of your hair holder. Anything but the slippery hooks.)
I see you live in Birmingham. I shop @ A LYS called In The Making. GREAT store. I got a wooden cable needle there and love it. You will be blown away with their selection!!!
I don’t even use a cable needle. I just use a similar size dpn.
Just because I’m sure a newbie might wonder,
I personally use and love those metal cable needles. But I found the catch is to use one very similar in gauge to prevent the sts from shrinking too much.
I don’t have much luck with cabling with out the needles… I knit fairly tight I guess.
And I don’t like the dpn because I like the way the angle in the cable needles prevents me from too many needles in my face syndrome.