hi everyone, while i'm waiting impatiently for my yarn, i have been mulling over the vexed question of needles. i need some new ones, and am not sure which way to go. i have been using the addi turbo, which i find almost perfect, but sometimes feel the points are not quite sharp enough. i do like bamboo, but so far any circular ones i have used have had a tendency to cause the stitches to stick over the join - argh! when knitting anything straight, i like to use long ones because i stick the right one under my arm and crack along like anything.
i've been reading a lot about knitpicks. does any one have experience of these? what are they like? does that switching points thing really work?
and finally, is anything acceptable on aircraft these days? in the 'olden days' ie, before everyone got understandably hairy about flying, i used to get away with bamboo, but when i flew in July Ryanair turned their nose up even at those. (altho i had heard the general ban had been lifted). please help me out here, because i am cobbling along with all sorts of bits and bobs, not wanting to part with my hard-earned in vain! happy knitting to all - hope your shawls/stoles are just buzzing along ;)
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I started my 'bee fields' on a 16" Inox grey since I already had this in my collection of needles, but I didn't have a 24" and used that as an excuse to buy one of the newish Addi Lace needles. I switched over just last night from the Inox to the Addi Lace and the difference is remarkable.
I've always loved the Addi Turbos, especially for the beautiful join between cable and needle shaft.
The Addi Lace needle has the same smooth join, and the tip is so much sharper and has a longer taper than the Inox. Also, the Inox join isn't as smooth, and it was requiring a bit of a tug to get the stitches past it.
I immediately noticed a difference in the speed and ease of my knitting.
I don't have any experience with the Knitpicks Options, but I've heard very good things about them.
If you look at the post I wrote on July 21st, I give a link to a post by Sally Rainey in which she does a comparison between the Addi Lace and the Knitpicks Options fixed needles, not the interchangeables. She gives a slight edge to the Addi Lace because of the smoothness of the join.
Do try Addi Lace needles. They are a bit more expensive, but for lace, they are the best I have found.
oh, about the flying and knitting ~ I am very reluctant to chance losing my knitting to an overly zealous security agent, so I *always* pack my knitting and take a book to read in flight. I find policies to be very arbitrary. Last year, on a flight to Los Angeles, I asked the ticket agent if I could knit on the flight and she said no. So, I stuck my knitting in my checked bag. Imagine my chagrin when, on a trip to the bathroom in flight, I passed a woman knitting happily away on a Norwegian sweater with a very long circular needle. :/ My understanding is that it's up to the discretion of the agent checking your carry-on luggage whether or not to permit needles to go through. And if there's even one passenger on a flight who expresses unease about your knitting, the attendant can ask you to put it away. Like I said, I'd rather play it safe and take a book. :)
I've got both the KPO circ set and the Addi Lace circs - the Addis, for me at least, win HANDS DOWN!
thanx 4 all these. i must say, i have had that problem with the Inox join. the Knitpicks would be a bit expensive if they were wrong. on the other hand, i suppose if you had your knitting on the plane, and the security agent took against it, you could just give up the points, and keep the knitting on the cable? i think i shall try some of the Addi Lace, because i really did get on well with the Addi Turbo and they didn't have the Addi Lace when i bought it, but if anybody has any more thoughts, i'd be glad to hear them. ;)
Like Annmarie, I started on some INOX needles I already had, and I couldn't beleive what a struggle it was! I switched over to Addi Lace needles, and it's made a huge difference. The pointy needles are great, and they're a little stickier than Addi Turbos or Knitpicks. I have a set of Knitpicks options, and I do like them (although I don't care for the case). They are sharp and super slick, with a cable that's more flexible than the Addis--great for magic loop knitting. Super slick isn't good for me for lace, though--too much potential for dropped stitches.
Knitting needles are allowed by the TSA in the US (at the discretion of the agent), and I've flown a lot with multiple sets/types of needles without any problem. The rules in the UK are different, though! You make a great point about the knitpicks--losing a set of tips is much better than having to put a project on waste yarn and losing the whole needle/cable. It's funny to me that the only time I had a problem with knitting needles was BEFORE 9-11, and when the TSA agent (first day on job) checked with a supervisor I was let through with them. Whew!
I'm using the Knitpicks Options needles, and having no trouble. I've flown with them several times, and no one's batted an eye.
Addi Lace it is then. and Knitpick options for flying. am flying to St Petersburg with BA in september, so will let you all know what transpires! ;)
btw, nothing sinister about removing previous comment - just wrote it wrong ;(
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