Forgive this newbie 
I did a quick search and didnāt find what I was looking for.
I am trying to do some research on needles. I just started knitting and I think I am already addicted. I want some good needles. I have one pair of circular needles (boye). I donāt like that the cable is so stiff (that is my only complaint). MY SIL knits and I have used her knit picks circular nickel plated set. I am looking at this option or their wooden set. I just found this website eknittingneedles.com. Their sets are extremely cheap but they are not interchangeable. Does anyone have these? Are they good? I tried to see if they have a return policy but I donāt see one. My question is what other brands should I look into? I heard Denise is a good brand.
TIA for the help,
Allyson
My experience with that style of circulars has been terrible. The bamboo needle part is inserted into the plastic tubing (which is very stiff and kinks instead of bending) and that with any stress, they pull out of it. I donāt know about their straight and dpns, though I did get a very similar looking set from eBay and ended up with bugs in the packets. And I would not be thrilled with a company which lists 15 circular needles as ā30 countā. No one counts each needle tip as ā1ā:fingerwag:.
Maybe Iām too suspicious, but the prices are a little suspect as far as Iām concerned. For a complete set of DPNs, 15 sizes, 5 needles in each size, they charge $30. With free shipping. So letās say thatās $5, which means the price is really $25. That means that each set is $1.67. So that means they paid maybe $1 for each set of 5, which is 20 cents per needle. That sounds as if the quality of the wood or workmanship is going to be pretty bad. Or theyāre using 8 year olds in a 3rd world country to manufacture these things?. . .I donāt know, but Iād steer clear.
Hereās something to remember-- knitting needles do not go bad. Spending some extra money is a good investment in the long run. A set of Harmony circs is $75, as opposed to $30 from the other. Weāre talking a difference of $45, not $450, and over years and years of use, that comes to a few pennies per month. Iād go for it!
I donāt like using circular needles, but when I have too, I soak them in hot water first and let them hang straight, then the plastic cable is easier to manipulate. Enjoy
MargieD, you might be happier with a different brand of circs. Although some people just donāt like them, period, of course. But the knitpicks ones and those by Kollage are very, very soft and never kink or curl or twist up on you.
Needles are a knitters tools.
and there come in endless variety.
and not all needles are good for everything.
I like metal needles best, but i have some (40year old!) nylon ones. (a milky white plastic, seamless constructionā¦ the cord and tip are the same materialāthe tips are just thicker!)
that i like too.
I donāt like bamboo needle muchāI know alot of new knitters doāthey are bit ātackierā and hold the stitches betterā¦
I donāt have knitpicks metal or Addisā(I have so many needle i canāt justify spending money on more needles.)
i agree, the boye cable are stiffer, --and the boye interchangele set cables are even stifferā¦
but when i learned to knit (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) circās were made from steelāand had steel āpiano wireā type cablesā¦ (those cablesā(real wire cables!) not cords!) were so stiffāthat by comparison, boyes are dream!
my style has changed tooāmore and more i use circāsāand if i had the money, iād buy every kind of needle i couldā¦
the wooden square ones, the signature needles with a bunch of tips, every kind of interchangableā¦ (well maybe not the deniseāi donāt much like them) glass needles, and baleneāand antique needles and super fine stiff wire needles (in sizes 0(4) to 0(10) even though i almost never use my 0 or 00ās!
the best needle is always elusiveā¦ somewhere down the roadā¦
in the meanwhile, i just keep buying needles
[GVIDEO]the best needle is always elusiveā¦ somewhere down the roadā¦
in the meanwhile, i just keep buying needles[/GVIDEO]
Iāve been knitting a LONG time and use all sorts of needles, even ones my kids have made for me with dowel rods and polymer clay. I did finally treat myself to a set of [U]Denise[/U] needles and use them endlessly. Well worth the cost. Nice flexable cables. They have a synthetic needle (vinyl?). All the āyarnā Iāve tried has moved well not too slippery or slow.
mitimom,
What comes in the Denise set? I was confused by their site. How many needles do you get, what size cables, what else do I need or is the set all I need as a beginner? I want to knit diaper covers, socks, hats, and I donāt know what else yet.
Is interchangeable really the way to go?
There is some misleading informtion on their site-- they state that no one āhas reportedā problems getting through airport security with their needles. That doesnāt mean it hasnāt or wonāt happen. I would never take needles I cared about through security. If you get the one agent who says you canāt take them on, you will have to throw them away-- unless youāre going to bring a mailing envelope with you, get out of line, go find a possible mail box in the airport and send them back to yourself!
My favorite so far is Addi Turbo. Then again, I also like bamboo. Iāve tried some bamboo brands but the only ones I really like are from KA and made in Japan. I just scored 3 sets of them this weekend and I want MORE! hee hee I also got a couple of Plymouth Yarn Co. circs. Not bad. No Addi Turbo but truly not bad. I also just realized Plymouth makes bamboo circular needles in an interchangable set. (scroll down the page)
http://www.plymouthyarn.com/index.php?nav=Needles.main
I havenāt tried them yet but if I ever find them, I might!
Iām a very thrifty spender and I bought the set of needles that AllyNealy is talking about from eknittingneedles.com and I love em. I just finished my first sock with a set of #3ās today. I havenāt had any problems theyāre super smooth, and no splintery pieces or anything. No bugs, and they each came in their own numbered packages. I will say Iām disappointed because I (stupidly) set my project bag on the couch and my hyper-active 4 year old jumped on it and one of the needles broke. But that was MY fault. I really like my cheapo needles.
Craw, i got a set of the Plymouth interchangeable bamboo and was thrilled, until i put them togetherāthe place where the bamboo the metal part join was very rough and uneven and i returned them. Of course, maybe i just got a lemon! a year or so later, my dd gave me a set of knitpicks harmony wooden needles and really like them, they are smooth without being too slippery, plus the colors are lovely. linknit41
Personally, I never use circular needles. But when i use ANY kind of needle, i ALWAYS use bamboo. So yea. I NEVER use plastic and i only use metal when my bamboo ones ore being used.
Since you asked for other needle suggestions- I love my Harmony needles from Knit Picks. I am planning on ordering the metal set soon too. Flexible cables, great customer service, LOVE!
I have the Denise interchangeables and adore them. They arenāt too tacky or too slick. The cable is thicker, so it doesnāt twist (which I find truly annoying) and the stitches arenāt loose and floppy on it, making it easier for me to count them. The tips are ever so slightly flexible for doing k2tog and ssk and the needles are soft and warm to the hands. The price isnāt bad either!!
The āDPNs, 15 sizes, 5 needles in each sizeā that mentioned above are really expensive. Compared with the these needles which just need about $16. No matter the type and brand of the needles, as i see, the smooth surface should be the first choice.
Ahhh, but the fine print: you have to order a minimum of $30. Also, the others (which I personally donāt recommend) arenāt that much of a price difference. These above, are $16.42 for the set, PLUS shipping. If your packet is, say, 8 oz, youāre going to have to add on $5.33. Thatās $21.75. The others are $29.99, so a difference of $8.24. A lot of dpns can be $10 - 15 for just ONE size! As for the smooth surface-- if they arenāt or if they arrive broken or missing a needle, you have to ship them back to China. If you do something like go through knitpicks, if you have a problem, you just pick up the phone and they immediately send you a new one and donāt even ask you to return the others.
If itās a bad deal, on one hand, youāre only out $20 - 30, but if price is a big concern, then I assume you wouldnāt want that to happen. My one plus on these very cheap needles is that itās a good way to get used to knitting on straights or dpns. But I would never recommend the circs because of the very poor quality of the cord and the joins.
How are the cables on the Knit Pick interchangeables sets? Too tight and stiff or okay?
In a word-- perfect. They are soft but not flimsy, and never kink or curl. Iāve never heard anyone say anything bad about their cords.