Bamboo Knitting Needles

Bamboo Knitting Needles

I have been rejecting bamboo knitting needles for a while, believing that only the good old (preferably named brands) metal ones would be able to satisfy me. But after a long and arduous search for a set of large circular knitting needles that would not bankrupt me, I had to give in.

More out of necessity than out of desire, I bought a whole set of circular knitting needles. I needed a whole range of them - and in the larger sizes. And I needed them to be on the shorter side - about 50cm length at max. Both these requirements were very hard to get indeed. I thought my eyes would fall out - I had to shop that much. But as it has turned out, what seemed like a disaster has turned out to be a very good learning lesson.

My needles arrived in good time and I have had the chance to use several of them in the last few days. And I can't begin to tell you how surprised and delighted I am with them. They are much much better than I could have hoped for. No snaggly rough parts that would catch on the wool as I feared. The transition from the bamboo part to the plastic tube is smooth. And they have the sizes (metric and American sizing) burnt in smoothly - so taking away the chore of having to use a needle size gauge tool every time I want to use a circular needle.

But the very best part of all - the needles get better with use. It gets smoother. And it looks more and more expensive, mellow, and polished. Yeah!

It is the natural oils from the yarn as well as that from the hands that makes the bamboo tips get better with each use. So I want to tell anyone who will listen and who is still unsure about whether bamboo needles will cut the muster - YES they definitely can. I love them.

Now I cannot give a blanket guarantee on all bamboo knitting needles. I am sure there are different quality of needles around. But I can tell you that what I paid was not expensive at all (especially when you sets going for hundreds of dollars). I only paid GBP 5.99 (or AUD 9.92) for 15 knitting needles, ranging from size US 0-15 (2-10mm). The seller's items were located in China and it only took about a week to get to me in Australia. And the seller offered Free Shipping. So overall, I am one happy camper with this seller.

Clover Wonder Knitter

Wonder Knitter from Clover

This is a wonderful little gadget but I warn you that it is highly addictive! It helps you knit up I-cord very quickly: you don't need to use the slow 3-needle approach. It is lots of fun. Did I mention, highly addictive?

The pack comes with instructions but I found them less than adequate. It took me multiple reads, multiple tries, and pure guesswork to figure out how to (e.g. the cast off). Clover products are always excellent. I have been a fan of theirs since I was 11 but in this instance, I hope that the following instructions will be of use to you if you should get to own one of these fab Wonder Knitters.

How to Start

1) Feed the yarn through the WK, from the top. Hold the yarn end at the bottom with your fingers as shown, for the first few rounds so that it has more stability.	2) Wrap the yarn clockwise around each pin. Work the pins in a clockwise sequence.	3) When all the pins are done, set the working end of yarn into the yarn guide. I found that as I work, if I then further wrap the yarn once around the inner (higher) part of the yarn holder, it holds it better and gives me an even tension.

How to Knit

1) Position the yarn (from the holder) above the first stitch to be worked (in blue). As you work, you will be turning the pin wheel clockwise. I have high-lighted the yarn to be worked in blue.	2) Push the knitting hook, in a top-to-bottom direction, into the lower (blue) stitch on the pin. Pull yarn away from the pin (and towards you.)	3) With the hook, bring that stitch up and over the pin. 4) Turn the pin clockwise and work the next pin in the same way. Continue knitting in this fashion. It helps to occasionally pull the yarn (emerging through the bottom) downwards.

How to End

1) Cut the yarn - about a 6" tail.	2) Hook the knitting hook through the bottom stitch, pushing the hook from bottom to top.	3) Rotate the hook to catch the upper yarn. Pull the entire upper yarn (tail) through the lower stitch. Rotate wheel and work each pin in the [1], [2], [3] order as shown.	4) Lift the knitting off the pins. Pull the yarn tail to tighten and end.