In this thread, I read about them, and looked them up. Seems like a cool idea - very nice when you’re gauge turns out different! I also like to knit flat stuff on my circulars anyway, so I know that aspect would work for me.
But I’ve never used resin needles. I love Addi Turbos for their slickness - my gauge tends to be tight and I knit with wool a lot, so it grabs the needles. I find bamboo is a bit annoying because I really have to stop and shove the work along every few minutes. How is the resin on the slickness scale?
Also, are they easy to put together and take apart? Do you use the “built in” stitch holder function? And just generally what do you think of them? Thanks!
My grandfather was a patent attorney, and it was a client of his who invented these things. He gave me a set of Boye “Needlemaster” interchangeables like 15 years ago, and they sucked sucked sucked sucked sucked. I thought these were just a ripoff of those. But then, at your link, I read this–
–so I may try them again.
Good idea, but as I said, in my experience the execution left something to be desired. If I could get another free sample, I’d try them again.
A co-worker said she didn’t like them, because they had a tendency to either catch the yarn where the needle joined the end, or the ends came unscrewed.
Hmm, I’ve been using #3s on occasion, and I really, really like the Addi’s so perhaps I’ll just stick with them, and buy as I go.
I appreciate the input. I know so many people who started knitting with one of those cheap kits and struggled with sucky needles. It can make such a difference, I hate to invest in something that might just frustrate me!
I know I’ve heard people in other threads talking about the Denise needles, and liking them. I am expecting a set for Christmas from my sister. It’s just too expensive to keep buying different size circulars (especially if you have to switch sizes to get your gauge right.) I usually use larger needles anyhow, and had a devil of a time finding a size 13, 16" circular for a project. Finally found a bamboo one, but I’m not fond of bamboo. Of course, I can’t even justify buying one Addi circular at twice the price. Maybe I can borrow one from Lillith Fair to see if they really make any improvement in my speed.
Anyhow, I once spent an hour knitting at the car repair place and a woman waiting at the same time could not stop raving about the Denise set. And she had been knitting for years and years…not a newby like me. I know if I went to the yarn shop where I plan to buy the set, they’d let me test them out to see if the snagging at the join is really a noticeable problem.
I found working with the size fives fairly frustrating, because my stitches would get caught on the cable-to-cable connectors. Also, one of my size five needles doesn’t like to stay connected, and it’s very frustrating when the cable pops off.
However, I’m working with the size sevens right now, and not having nearly as much trouble with stitches caught on the connectors.
The thing I like best about them being able to select just the right size cable for your project, and adding or subtracting cables quickly as the size of your piece changes.
BTW, I managed to break one of the connectors on one of the cables, sent it in with $1 S/H as instructed in their lifetime guarantee, and it was replaced quite promptly. If I ever have to do anything on the size fives again, I think I’ll return the hinky one and tell them that it’s not connectin’ right and I want a new one. I’m pretty sure the gaurantee will cover that.
I have them and really like them. They are not very slick, at least not as slick as metal, but more than bamboo. I’ve never had problems with the joins coming undone, and it is really easy to assemble a needle, just put the needle into the cord and give it a half-turn. I don’t have problems with the yarn catching on the join either. The built in stitch holder is good for sweaters since I can never find stitch holders long enough to accomodate a sweater holder; you just pop the ends on the same way you put the needles on. You can combine cords to make them longer; right now I have half a sweater on the 32" cord and I joined the 16" and 12" together to make the other side. I tend to prefer bamboo needles but it would be prohibitively expensive to buy three different lengths of bamboo needles (I exclusively use circs and DPNs) for ten different sizes. I would say the Denises are closer to the texture of bamboo than metal; they’d probably be closest to plastic but I’ve never used plastic needles so I don’t know how slick they are. If you have the opportunity to test them out, go for it, but I bought mine sight unseen and am really happy with them.
I’ve heard nothing but bad things about the Boye Needlemaster set.