crochetmania.myfastforum.org :: Christmas Gift

TX CrochetLover · MANIA MOD

I received a Michael's gift card for Christmas. So the other day I took my 40% coupon from the paper and my gift card and got an extravagant item. The knitting Master needle set!
http://www.joann.com/joann/catalo...CATID=cat2871&PRODID=prd20751

Now I have no excuse for not learning as much as I can about knitting! Of course, I may have just blown my gift card money on something that is not practical. Knitters, was this a good choice or should I take it back?

Miss Kitty · MANIA MOD

I guess it's okay to start with. I had a set but gave it away.
I have a set of KnitPicks Options that I love....
The cables are flexible and the needles are sharper..

TX CrochetLover · MANIA MOD

Hmm, do you think I ought to take them back and concentrate on just accumulating a little as I go of different types? I really don't want to waste my gift card cash on tools that aren't all that great. Pooh.

Miss Kitty · MANIA MOD

I don't want to make up you're mind. I mean it's totaly up to you but I do like the Options better.
And then there is some that say that Addi are good, too.
Whenever I ordered Yarn from KnitPicks I would order another size needle or longer cables. Now I have the whole set. And extras..And If something happens to the cable or needles they replace them at KnitPicks...

Kahud48 · BOARD OWNER

This is what I have been looking at and debating on
for some time now:
http://halcyonyarn.com/knitandcrochet/knitneedleset.html

I have tried and practiced with some needles that a freind gave me
a few years back. They are just your basic long needles.

I have nothing else yet, and I wanted to be sure it was something
I could really do first before buying.

I am just not so sure at my age if I can learn how to knit that well
and get the hang of all the stitches in knit like I am in crochet.
I just want to be able to look at the pattern and know just exactly
what it says at a glance, just like I do with crochet. So far I have
found it to be not the case, every pattern seems to be saying the
same stitch but said in a different way. That is making it harder
for me to grasp like I want to. I honestly think that I got this thought
in my head that by the time I learn it really good that I will be to old
to really enjoy it. I will be 56 in april and I feel ancient already, LOL!

But seriously Miss Kitty, are these Denise Interchangeable Knitting
Needles a good buy for me, a beginner and will they last for a long
time to come? It would be nice to be able to buy all you will ever need
at once and it not cost a small fortune.

Miss Kitty · MANIA MOD

I have never used Denise Interchangeable Knitting or seen them..
That's why I can say that I like the Options or the Addi. I've used both I like the Options cos they are cheaper. Some people don't like the nickle plating, they say that the reflection of the needles bother them but I have had a problem with them..

I haven't used my straight needles since I got my Options.

Miss Kitty · MANIA MOD

I found this answer to the Denise Interchangeable needles:
I have a set of Denise, Boye, and Options interchangables and a few Harmony points, and I have to say, I love them all for certain things.

I like the larger sizes of Denise because of their sharp points, but find that anything under size 8 in the Denise seem to be hard to get past the cable to the needle, especially sizes 6 and 5. I've only used the cable links a few times, but didn't have any trouble with yarn catching on them. I did have a problem with the shortest cable breaking at the connection point to the needle because it was so short that the angle the needles had to be to knit with put quite a crimp on it and it just broke there... but I do have to say, that it was after a lot of knitting. The other thing I had trouble with the Denise needles is wear of the connectors where the cable twists into the needles. If you use them a lot, putting them on and off the needles I mean, the little bumps that give them their little "snap" into place will break down and they will just turn and no longer snap into place and eventually just slip off while knitting... but again... that is after a lot of use. For the price, Denise needles are not a bad deal at all.

I started off over 25 years ago with a set of Boyle interchangeables and loved them, but they were the only ones around that I had ever seen. But I found that over the years they would start unscrewing, so I screwed them together harder and harder, which actually ended up pushing the little connector into a "bell" shape, which would hook on the yarn something awful. Hubby is a fixer upper kind of guy, so he took a grinder and rounded the ends off and they were good again, but it's something to be aware of.

I've only owned my Options and Harmony needles and cables for a year or so, or shortly after they first came out, and so far, I'd pick them as my favorite. Sharp tips, thin cables, easy transfers of yarn from cable to tip, lots of sizes, etc. Of course, I haven't used them as much as I have the Boye or Denise because I haven't had them as long.

Like I said, I've got them all and they all are good for different things. My bottom line suggestion would be, if you can afford it, go with the Options, pick up a few Harmonies tips in your favorite sizes because they will work with your Options cables. If you do a lot of big needle knitting with novelty yarns, the Denise are fabulous, work well with different types of fibers, and much more affordable. I don't think the Boye can stand up to the Options, but if you can find them at a cheap price, they wouldn't be bad to have around for a backup.

Just my two cents... hope this helps.
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Knit Away...

Here is another;
I have both Denise and Options. Since I got my Options I haven't knit with Denise at all. I prefer the thin cable and nickel needles. I like being able to order more cables and needles only if I need them and you can't do that with Denise as far as I know.

As you've seen though some people prefer Denise. If you are on the fence I'd get one set of Options cables and needles and see how you like them. If you don't care for them then you have your answer. You have to LIKE what you knit with or you won't want to do it. I really really wouldn't base it all on cost either since you are planning on using whatever you choose for a long time. The overall cost of buying a set will pay off over time whichever you choose.
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TX CrochetLover · MANIA MOD

Cool, thanks for the input. For now, I am just going to keep the set and then as time progresses and I find the sizes I use most, purchase some Options. Right now I am still working on beaded items and using the little needles. I figure I should be able to manage the bigger ones after using such tiny tips! LOL!

Miss Kitty · MANIA MOD

I would rather use my circular needles then my straight ones.
Don't have all the weight on the needles.

Kahud48 · BOARD OWNER

Yeah, me too Miss Kitty, even though I haven't accomplished a lot yet in knitting, I find that the needles just seem to be so long and get in my way,
more than not.

Miss Kitty · MANIA MOD

That's what it feels like now.. I was going to do a dishcloth so I grabed my 7 straights. I didn't even get one row done, I had to get out my circ.
And I was using the short needles..

Kahud48 · BOARD OWNER

Maybe that's what I need to do.
Being so use to the hooks, the circulars might just feel a lot
more right to me working with them instead of the straights.

Miss Kitty · MANIA MOD

That very well could be. I have a hard time with the extra lenght of the needles now..
The same thing goes for the afghan hook. I like the Flexible ones better..

TX CrochetLover · MANIA MOD

I have tried both ways now. I am using a plastic pair of size 7 straights for a dish towel, practicing my purl stitch now! I found I was slipping stitches alot with the ourl. Don't know how that happened, but it is certainly easier to see the place to pick up the stitch on cotton yarn than it is on that size 12 pearl cotton(black,too) I slipped off the needles too soon and lost 6 stitches, it was a PAIN to see! I finally got them all back on but it was touch and go there for awhile.