To Buy (more needles) Or Not To Buy..

That is definitely a question my husband asks frequently!  What do you mean you have to buy more stuff?  He especially gets antsy when I even utter the words.. I need *insert anything!* and even more so when I insert the word needles into the sentence! Really? I have a lot. Seriously a lot, but it's not my fault I don't have a such & such size in such & such length... geez.

C'mon. You know how it is, whenever you start a project you may have the right size of a needle, but not always the right length. AND that doubles if you are doing anything with some edging, etc. Always seems to mean a trip to the store. AND then what if you need dpn's? Geez. That's a lot of running to the knitting store *oh darn*!

I thought I would be all set after buying an interchangeable set and looking at the amount of needles I have, but nope. That's not the case. I had to run out just the other day (imagine that?!) and buy a fixed circular for a particular project. My interchangeable set didn't have the tip and/or the length that I needed and I didn't have it in my magic stash box either. Rats.

Wonder what I do have in that box? Hm....

Just for grins & giggles, let's look at some of mine and see how I rate them:

#1-5

#6-8

#1 Clover Bamboo. Not my favorite although they are readily available and aren't very expensive.  I do think the cable is a little fussy because it tends to be really stiff and doesn't seem overly flexible. 

#2 Kollage Yarn Square Needles VERY cool. The cable is flexible (extremely) and the square needle is actually comforting on my hands.  The connection between the tip and the needle is okay~ I've snagged it on some really fine yarn.  I've even seen these in square dpn form!  I bought my long circulars on sale last year so I don't really know how expensive these are.

#3 My new favorite! Knitter's Pride dreamz - I like the cable and the connection! The cable seems to be pretty hefty - as in it won't snap or bend, but it's really flexible. Does that make sense?  They seem to be similar to my Options set (cable) and the price for an individual needle was really nice! (means less than 10$!) I especially like the colored bamboo needles they have available!  I haven't had any issues with the connection snagging either! I checked out their website HERE  and guess what!! They have circular sets too!! Interchangeable sets!! Didn't see any prices because I think you have to get them from a dealer.  I'm willing to look into it ~ for you dear reader.. for you! These are available at local knit shops.

#4 Hiya Hiya  Not bad. Not bad at all. Especially the price. I haven't paid over $10 for any that I've bought and they all come with some sort of extra gift in the package! Bonus! I've bought them at several local knitting shops.  The cables aren't as flexible as the Knitter's Pride and/or the Options that I have but they are really nice needles to use.  They also come in a bamboo AND have an interchangeable set! For the money these are another of my top picks.  I would even consider buying an interchangeable set of these. Shh.. don't tell Big!

#5 Addi Turbo Lace ..sigh... most favorite ever! Most expensive ever too! I like how the needles glide through yarn, but.... I do not like how the much longer cable kinks and stays kinked.  That magic loop method kills me sometimes!

 #6 Addi Turbo, difference between the lace and the turbo is the tip and a coating on the lace needles to make it 'drag' a bit through super fine yarn.  Addi's are a bit pricey, BUT if you're looking at it as an investment, totally doable.  I have some in nickel and brass but I know they are available in bamboo.  I like how there are several different options for interchangeable sets, but I haven't found a tip smaller than a size 4 and (as with most interchangeable sets) nothing shorter than a 24" cable.  For the money and the way I knit... I need a cheaper option. 

#7 Knit Picks Classic Circulars & #8 Knit picks Classic Circular in the Harmony Wood Option. Nice. I like them and I have a bunch. Only thing I don't like about them... I have to wait for them to show up in my mailbox, they aren't carried retail.  I really like the cable itself, it's pretty flexible and doesn't kink and the fixed circulars the join seems to work really well.  I haven't snagged on anything yet!  I'm a little disappointed that they don't have anything other than 16" for cable length in either the fixed or the interchangeable set.

#9 Options Zephyr Interchangeable Set from Knit Picks.  Trying to save my hubby some bucks (insert laughter) I went ahead and bought an interchangeable set last year.  I bought the acrylic tips because it was the cheapest option. Not knowing that I am a really tough knitter; I broke tips. More than once. No problem with Knit Picks though, they replaced them with very few questions asked. Their customer service is wonderful! I purchased some additional tips in larger sizes (all their sets have additional tips, cables, connectors that you can purchase separately)and got the harmony wood  figuring I might not be able to break them! So far so good!!

 I also didn't realize that buying an interchangeable set isn't the end all for knitting. Still going to need that one little 9" size 2 needle and maybe a size 3, 40incher.. the options are sort of limited with the interchangeable sets. No tips less than size 4 and the shortest cable is a 24". The cable is really nice though! It doesn't kink and it's really flexible.

So that's some of my needles and what I think of them.  My overall favorites are the cables on the Options Set and the Knitter's Pride. My favorite needles by far are always going to be the Addi's, but the Knitter's Pride is running a close second - if only for the cost!

Take a look at your needles and see what your favorite is!