Thursday, November 06, 2008

A few of my favourite things....

I love my knitting tools, but have a few firm favourites.

Favourite dpns: 2.25mm bamboo clover. These have developed a lovely little bend in them, that fits in my hand perfectly. They're flexible, light and warm and pretty strong to hold up to my iron grip. They're not as pointy as my KP nickel plated, but are enough to be able to do simple lace with ease. I love knitting with these!
Favourite circs: 5mm Sullivans 80cm. Stinky old cheapy Sullivan brand from Lincraft, I think I bought these for $3 or some other ridiculous amount. These are bamboo tipped and have some plastic tubing as the cable, which means that they never develop a kink, or if they do, a quick stretch gets rid of it. They're light and quick and blunt tipped, so good for plain stockinette. I do love my Knit Picks Options, but sometimes find the tips a little too pointy, and end up with sore fingers.
Stitch markers: I love my cake stitch markers that my darling husband bought me from The Woolshack. They're cute and snag free and not too large, long or dangly. I love all stitch markers, they're my knitting bling, and I have a large collection that I enjoy chosing from to match my current work and mood, but sometimes for sheer utilitarian practicality, you can't beat Clover locking stitch markers. Especially good for marking individual stitches in the event of dropping, twisting or otherwise screwing up.sock blockers: I tried several Sam-made versions before I was finally gifted with these fabulous blockers. I tried bending wire coat-hangers, which was only mildly effective, and cutting out vinyl chopping mats, which were not quite stable enough. The wonderful Doug (pa to Jacki) made these, and they're very clever and well made.The sheer amount of knitting tools one can amass is quite startling, I'm sure I'm not alone in my lust for knitting gadgets!

3 comments:

Lucky-1 said...

I bought a pair of Sullivans from Lincraft the other day too. I needed them for a pair of baby booties. Only brand in Adelaide that sold the size I wanted.

Jack said...

Dougie would be well pleased to make your top list!

Alrischa said...

I have a stash of Sullivans bamboo circs, too. Pity they only seem to come in 80cms, but you can chop and change them Ü So nice to knit with! My sister borrowed one yesterday, and even though they're $3, I am hoping she remembers to return it!