Saturday, May 3, 2014

Needle Navigation- Knitters Pride Karbonz

     Through the years I've acquired different sets of interchangeable knitting needle sets including my most commonly used: Addi and KnitPicks.  I tend to bounce back and forth between my wood sets and nickel plated brass sets depending on the project and the type of yarn I'm using.  My new set of Knitter's Pride Deluxe Karbonz Interchangeables just arrived today.  In ordering this set of needles, I'm attempting to address two issues.  The first one being the inconsistency of the way the cables attach to my needles on my other sets.  I've had problems with gaps in the fittings of my interchangeables that cause some snagging in my yarns.  I've also had some problems with cables that are so badly produced that my needles can't screw on all the way.  Now those issues have always been addressed promptly by my vendors so I won't complain.  However, it would be nice if there were no issues to begin with.  The second reason I wanted to try the Knitter's Pride Karbonz is that I've developed some issues on my right wrist.  I'm a continental knitter and so a lot of my knitting action comes through my wrists.  Also, for some reason at age 37, I've got some arthritis in my knuckles as well (binding off stitches is a total pain).  So because Knitter's pride Karbonz are made with the nickel plated brass I love so much on these tips for swift processing, plus the warm feel and almost weightlessness of smooth carbon fiber construction, I decided to give them a try.  They feel almost weightless in my hands as I mentioned, and they have some unique pliability to the body of the needle.  The cords on this set are the most flexible I've ever worked with!  The needles feel great and they actually put less strain on my wrist.  The needle points are perfect.  They are sharp but not painfully so; neither are they so blunt that they prove useless in increases, decreases and other maneuvers.  I love the tips!

.  What I can tell you is that I knitted a small swatch, checked each cable and needle to ensure a smooth fit and I've found that everything is in good order.  In the short time I've tried them, I'm certainly impressed.  I did notice that working the first two rows after cast on I had more grab across the carbon shaft then I would have liked but once I got used to them, my tension seemed to adjust and I was knitting away as fast and smooth as I liked. In my next project, I will be knitting a another summer shell in Cotton Fleece and it will be interesting to see how well that works with my new Karbonz needles.  I do also have to mention that when you knit with these Karbonz needles, you look super cool!  One thing I can tell you for sure is that if you want to give the fellow knitter's in your knitting group needle envy then these Knitter's Pride Karbonz are the way to go!  LOL  - I'll post more once I've had more time to use these.    

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

I want to be a process knitter

It's been a while since I've had an extra moment to breathe, let alone sit down and take a minute to add to my blog.  It's been a long couple of years, dealing with illness but still pressing on and completing the first round of my undergraduate studies in substance abuse and psychology.  I have a little break now until I move on to my my clinical psychology studies at Whitworth University here in Spokane, Washington.  It's super hard to knit when academic rigors demand so much focus.  I've had to put some projects to the side while I've worked on my newest project, a knitted baby blanket for my nephew, Carter, due to arrive on May 21st.  I'm on track to start tackling my queue of projects and my out of control stash.  Yes, just because you aren't knitting, doesn't mean you don't quit buying the yarn.  I was watching an interview with Stacy Perry, of Verpink.com/ Verypink Knits and Judy Graham, knitter to the stars, who also has a great site on youtube called, "Knitting tips by Judy."  Stacy was talking about how she admires yarn when she sees it but has no desire to buy what she's not using and stash it.  Stacy said she usually casts on what she buys within 2 days.  Maybe I've become an impulsive yarn buyer.  Yes, I admit, when I see any sort of sale, or discontinued item I must have, I just can't resist.  Stacy got me thinking about cutting down on my own purchases and focusing more on what I'm knitting at the moment.  I have so much yarn in my stash, that at the rate I'm going, it would take years to process it all.  I just have to laugh at myself and move on.  I have a few months a vacation and a lot of knitting I want to do.  There is one great lesson I've learned over the last year.  If you are to tired to knit, don't feel like knitting, or are disenchanted with a project you are working on, then put it down!  Why knit if you don't love what you are doing.  And if you knit, knit well.  No need to rush a project, cover mistakes, and stress out just to get it done.  Take your time, relax, rip it out if you need to, because what you are creating is art.  What you knit should be a treasure, a love gift, an heirloom.  So, even though I have only a few months of free time, I'm going to work on being more of a" process knitter", and less of a "project knitter".  This was another epiphany I had while watching Judy Graham interview Stacy Perry.  Very wise words!  That's what I love about knitting.  You never stop learning!  Here's a link to Judy Graham interviewing Stacy Perry of VeryPink.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F2ecDzqMNM