Knitting tools of the trade

Knife skills.  One of the first things my mom taught me about cooking.  Well, maybe not the first thing, but somewhere between how to pull the tab on the cake mix bag and how to fold an omelet in the pan without a spatula.  Anyway, her 10” carbon steel Sabatier chef’s knife was jealously guarded lest it be allowed to rust on the counter or inadvertently placed in the dishwasher, a fate from which a carbon steel knife never truly recovers.  She used to say that a good chef’s knife could be used for almost anything – cutting onions, crushing garlic, slicing meats, taking apart a whole chicken.  But even so, she had a raft of other sharp instruments for various cutting tasks – serrated knives for crusty bread, paring knives for fruits, small blades for mushrooms, boning knives for, well, boning things.  Cooking was a hobby she enjoyed, as was the related hobby of collecting cooking paraphernalia. Because the right tool, you know, makes everything easier and more fun.

And so it is with knitting.  I have an embarrassing number of needles.  At least four complete sets of straights (both 10” and 14” from back in the day in bamboo, rosewood, birch, and Boye Teflon); fixed circulars in every size, length, and material: , double points, and four interchangeable sets.  Why?  Why do I have all these needles? Because I’m a knitter, and I love my tools.  I probably don’t need them all, but I do use them all.  My interchangeables are my chef’s knives – both the Addi Turbo for a rounded tip and Addi Rocket Squared for a pointy tip and great knitting comfort.  And two sets of Lykkes.  One bamboo, and of course I had to have the new pink set. Because Pink - oh my gosh– is there anything more fabulous? Straights for entrelac, fixed circulars for fine yarns, even double points etc.

Why different tips? Why different lengths? Why different materials?  Beginning knitters tend to prefer wooden needles because they feel more secure.  I tend toward wooden needles with a slippery yarn that feels like it’s getting away from me.  As far as points, while some knitters want pointy needles for everything, I prefer a rounder tip for bulky yarns or loosely plied yarns, and especially boucle yarns that may catch on stiletto tips.  It’s a personal preference, and as you go along with your knitting, you will find the same thing.  Plus, new things are disrupting the market all the time.  Just take a look at how the Rocket Squared needles have done.  Who would have thought?

Another introduction that’s changing the game is Addi’s FlexiFlips – a take on the double-pointed market as well as my beloved two-circular approach.  It’s kind of a game-changer.  I won’t go on and on about here, but I will be going on about it in tonight’s podcast.  I’ll show you the FlexiFlips, what the various versions are, and how they are different. And, I am so excited to share with you a very special cool trick for those of you who already have two or more sets of Addi Clicks!  That’s tonight, Wednesday, March 24^th at 7 pm on YouTube. I’d love to have you join me live, but you can always catch the recording later on.  Be sure to watch to the end!