Tag Archives: double pointed needles

Back in stock: needles and hooks.

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Last month’s sale put a big dent in our supply of needles and hooks, but I’m happy to report that this week brought two shipments of them, bringing us as up to date as possible on our supply of those most essential tools for making stitches.

Knitters have all kinds of preferences when it comes to needles. Smooth, slippery, pointy, blunt, round or square… there are lots of choices, and we try to have a little bit of everything, knowing that these preferences differ from knitter to knitter and from project to project, depending upon what kinds of techniques or fibers are in use.

We carry a variety of circular metal needles from Skacel, including Addi Turbo, Lace, and Rockets. They reside in a chest of drawers reminiscent of a card catalog, sorted first by type and length, then by size.

We also carry Knitter’s Pride Zings, a lightweight aluminum with sharp points at a low price.

Our wooden circular needles include Knitter’s Pride Dreamz and Cubics, both made of laminated birch.

Also from Knitter’s Pride are Karbonz, a graphite needle with nickel-plated brass points.

For small circumference knitting, we also carry a wide range of double pointed needles from Knitter’s Pride and Skacel, along with Addi FlexiFlips in metal and bamboo. We also keep single point straight needles in stock, from US size 0 all the way up to 17.

For crochet hooks, we keep Knitter’s Pride Dreamz hooks in stock as well as two types of Addi hooks – straight handled and the ergonomically-designed Swing hooks.

Come by the shop for needles and hooks as well as yarn! We’ll happily talk through the options with you, helping to pinpoint which tools are right for your preferences and project. See you at the shop!

Knitter’s Pride Zing DPNs.

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We recently added a new kind of knitting needle to our regular offerings here at the shop! Meet Knitter’s Pride Zing.

Zing is a lightweight aluminum needle, where each size is a different color, save for the extra-sharp silver points.

They first caught our attention because of their low price, to be honest – we try to stock quality yarns and tools at a range of prices and are always on the lookout for goods that are economical. Everyone has a budget, after all, and less costly does not always mean less quality.

We’re starting small stocking only double pointed Zings for now, waiting to hear back from knitters about their experience trying them before we add circular or straight ones to our collection. Give them a try and let us know what you think!

Hello, addi FlexiFlips.

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We’re thrilled to have a fresh bouquet of addi FlexiFlips here at the shop! These new needles from addi offer an alternative to double points or magic loop for small-circumference knitting.

They come in tubes of three 8″ needles, and the basic strategy is to divide your total stitch count in half between two needles, then knit with the empty third needle.

FlexiFlips have been in and out of stock since their debut last fall, on account of their tremendous popularity in our shop and in yarn shops around the world. This popularity begs the question: what’s so great about these FlexiFlips?

As in so many facets of the knitting world, the answer to this question comes down to preference. I know plenty of knitters who swore off sock-knitting until they discovered magic loop, just as many who knock out sleeve after sleeve on two circulars, and still more who delight in their double points. That last group is where I reside, so for me, the FlexiFlips are fine – but I’m sticking with my DPNs, because they’re comfortable in my hands and work well for me.

What’s really great about FlexiFlips is that they offer another option for folks who aren’t crazy about any of the existing techniques for knitting small circumferences in the round. We’ve had some knitters who come in, try the FlexiFlips, and leave elated, with three sets in their shopping bag, but we’ve also had some who try them, then politely put them down, saying, “These just aren’t for me.”

Come by the shop to give them a try and see where you stand – we have some Brooklyn Tweed Arbor on the FlexiFlips for you to play with!

Needles and hooks.

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Knitters have all kinds of preferences when it comes to needles. Smooth, slippery, pointy, blunt, round or square… there are lots of choices, and we try to have a little bit of everything, knowing that these preferences differ from knitter to knitter and from project to project, depending upon what kinds of techniques or fibers are in use.

This week brought two shipments of needles and hooks, bringing us as up to date as possible on our supply of those most essential tools for making stitches.

We carry a variety of metal needles from Skacel, including Addi Turbo, Lace, and Rockets. They reside in a chest of drawers reminiscent of a card catalog, sorted first by type and length, then by size.

Our wooden needles include Knitter’s Pride Naturalz and Cubics, both made of laminated birch, and some Crystal Palace bamboo needles. We also stock Knitter’s Pride Karbonz, a graphite needle with nickel-plated brass points.

For crochet hooks, we keep Knitter’s Pride Dreamz hooks in stock as well as two types of Addi hooks – straight handled and the ergonomically-designed Swing hooks.

Come by the shop for needles and hooks as well as yarn! We’ll happily talk through the options with you, helping to pinpoint which tools are right for your preferences and project. See you at the shop!

Addi FlipStix.

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Addi has created a new kind of double pointed needle: meet Addi FlipStix.

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Some plant fiber yarns have a tendency to split, and for those, a blunt needle is preferable. Some stitch patterns require the precision of a sharp needle. FlipStix have a blunt Turbo point on one end and a sharp Lace point on the other, so you can flip them over to use the end that best suits your project or yarn. They’re made of high-grade aluminum, colorful and lightweight, a real change of pace from our mostly-wooden double pointed needle selection.

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We carry Addi FlipStix in 6″ length, in US sizes 0 – 10. Look for them in the double pointed needle section, along with DPNs from Knitter’s Pride, Crystal Palace, and Lantern Moon. See you at the shop!

Hook and needle cases from Della Q.

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Back in June, we travelled to TNNA, saw many of our favorite yarn companies, and placed a bunch of orders for the shop. The new Fall things are starting to come in, and its no surprise that it’s mostly yarn. Here and there, however, we receive boxes of other knitting- and crochet-related goodies, including organizational things like these hook and needle cases from Della Q.

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Handcrafted from lustrous silk fabric, Della Q’s cases remind us that every aspect of our craft can be as pleasing as it is functional, from the patterns to the fibers to the tools to how we store them. The Crochet Roll has a space for hooks of all sizes with labels that make it easy to find exactly the hook you’re looking for.

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When it’s rolled up and tied, all your hooks are snug and secure, and they wont take up much space in a tote with your projects and notions.

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The Double Point Needle Roll works the same way, but is designed to hold sets of double pointed needles instead of hooks.

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If your own collection of hooks and needles is in need of neat and pretty storage, come by the shop to take a closer look at these Della Q cases, along with our other organizational tools. See you there!

Susanne’s knitting needles.

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We’ve just taken on a new brand of knitting needles: Susanne’s, out of Germany.

Susanne’s makes beautiful needles from reclaimed ebony and rosewood salvaged from a piano manufacturer. The result is smooth hardwood needles, which come in 13″ straights, 4″ double points, and 24″ and 32″ circulars.

I haven’t worked with them yet, but Anne got herself a set of Susanne’s dpns and was thrilled with them, working round and round on a tiny sock.

Come by the shop to see them for yourself.

New from Knitter’s Pride: Karbonz dpns.

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Over the weekend, we received a shipment of brand new double pointed needles from Knitter’s Pride: Karbonz, so named for the carbon fiber they’re made of.

Carbon fiber is smooth, lightweight, and strong enough to bend without breaking. The slight flexibility of carbon fiber allows Knitter’s Pride to produce these needles in teeny tiny sizes without fear of them snapping as you’re knitting. We have 6″ dpns in stock from US 000 to US 4. Double point enthusiasts, come by the shop to get a set of Karbonz, and let us know how you like them.