New Year, New Needles, New Socks

Happy New Year everyone. Hopefully it's started out the right way for you and life is good.

A while ago, two pairs of dpn's from Signature Needle Arts were purchased by Peter for me for Christmas. They are nice, but they're not going to replace wooden or bamboo dpn's for me. There are things to love and things not to love about these needles. While the tips are super pointy, they easily split the yarn being worked. It's true that my knitting technique is not precise, but the Spina de Pesce socks have not enjoyed a pleasurable journey on the new needles and were transferred to bamboo where the knitting is splitless. That super pointy-ness is also a bit of a problem for those seeking a lap to cuddle up on while knitting. While no dog/cat-on-a-lap has been injured during the use of these needles, the knitting gets put down during cuddle time when they are in use. Of note is that they have not yet been warped due to my knitting style. Most of the smaller sized wooden dpn's in my collection have quickly developed a curve due to the pressure exerted on them during use. So far, only the 2.25 mm (US 1) have been used to any degree. The 2.75 were tried on a swatch, and some problems with the join between the needle tip and shaft were noticeable while knitting on that set of needles, as are joins along the shaft that cause some hesitation in stitch passage. The texture of the needles is lovely and slick, but they are cold to work with and do not warm up with use. Also, if you are thinking of rescuing your sock as it falls to the floor by grabbing the needles, well, don't. Your work is going to fall to the floor while you hang on to the needle. For the most part, the needles are beautiful to look at, but there are some aesthetic issues - there is a lot of text on each needle that's bright white. The lovely pictures on the web site are carefully taken and all that whiteness came as a surprise. Joins in the shaft of each needle are also visible. All in all, I don't feel the need to own any more of these needles, though I may change my mind and try a pair of straights for lace simply because of the tip. Too bad Addi does not put that lace tip on their straights. I'd be all over that.

Buds and Butterflies from the Knit-Purl sock club are finished. An enjoyable knit with yarn that look more like sherbert than can be photographed by me.
Fleece Artist Seawool in Rhododendron
2.25 mm Signature Needle Arts DPN's