Lindy's Knits & Laces General Comments Happy New Year! Ending 2009 and Beginning 2010

Happy New Year! Ending 2009 and Beginning 2010

Happy New Year, Everyone! It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? Many changes, many happenings. As always, some good, some okay, and some not so good. I am fortunate that most things that happened for me in 2009 were good. And I look forward to new beginnings in 2010.

2009 ended with the Christmas Blizzard of 2009 – where we received somewhere between 12 and 14 inches of snow along with high winds and drifting. This caused a number of changes to our traditional Christmas plans and meant going to plan B & C when it came to celebrating with family members. I’m sure it will be a Christmas we all remember – because, in spite of the weather, we managed to celebrate and share the holiday with family.

On December 28, my daughter and I embarked upon a cross-country road trip from Omaha to Boston. (That’s approximately 1500 miles, give or take a few.) We did this so she could take her new car back to Boston. We started out at 6:30 AM – and after being momentarily stuck in the snow just past our driveway, had clear roads all the way into Ohio – where we spent the night. We pushed to make it a distance of 846 miles (14 hours of driving with just a few short stops). I thought I’d get a lot of knitting done on this trip, but it didn’t happen.

The next morning, we hit the road at 6:30 AM. It was snowing lightly when we left, but we soon drove out of it and headed for Pennsylvania. Daughter was driving and about 30 minutes into Pennsylvania we came around curve and drove straight into white-out, blizzard conditions, with traffic moving cautiously at less than 40 mph. Luckily, conditions improved rapidly and by the time we reached the next exit, road was improved enough for us to continue our journey. After a coffee-break/potty break in Clearfield, PA, I took over driving and drove all the way to Danbury, CT, where we stopped to eat and change drivers. We made into Boston around 6:00 PM.

That’s an exhausting 2-day drive, to say the least. But we had each other’s company, saw some beautiful country and arrived safely at our destination. Plus, I had another day to enjoy with my daughter in Boston.

I flew home yesterday, dealing with a delay out of Boston that left me only 10 minutes to catch my connecting flight to Omaha. Fortunately, the airline held the flight so that all of us on the flight going to Omaha could make it. (Thank-you, Midwest Airlines). After arriving back in Omaha, DH and I went to see “Sherlock Holmes” at the local movie theater, then went home and I fixed a late supper, then crashed around 10:00 PM. We ended 2009 by sleeping through all the hoopla… 🙂

So we are now at the beginning of 2010. Today, I plan to finalize my 10 in 2010 list (Ravelry Group), relax and just enjoy a quiet day at home. Now where did I leave my knitting? ….

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Tips for Selecting Knitting Needles – Part 1: Needle Materials & OptionsTips for Selecting Knitting Needles – Part 1: Needle Materials & Options

The type of material used to make a set of knitting needles ranges from aluminum, acrylic (plastic), nickel, stainless steel to different woods such as bamboo, birch, and rosewood. Each type has properties that may affect your knitting. For instance, wood needles are “grippier” and work well with slippery yarns. Needles made from metals are often slicker and work well with “sticky” yarns because the stitches can glide more easily across the needle.

Here’s a fact that I stumbled across when I was struggling to knit with a laceweight yarn:

“Not all yarns work with all needles”

I had this lovely, but very fine laceweight yarn that I tried using for a lace shawl, but I became so frustrated with knitting it because it just wouldn’t knit up properly. The shawl pattern was part of a knit along (KAL) and so I posted a question to the group asking for suggestions on how to address my issue. One knitter told me to try a different type of needle because the needle I was using with the yarn might be the problem. This was a new concept for me at the time – it had never occurred to me that the knitting needles I used might not work with a yarn. So, I went to my LYS and purchased a set of Addi lace circular needles. These needles are made of brass, but they have a coating on them that makes them grippier. The difference in the way the yarn knit up on these needles was amazing! No more struggles with how the stitches formed or moved on the needles.

Lesson Learned. When selecting knitting needles, you should consider what you plan to knit and what type of yarn you plan to use. For this reason, I recommend that as you build your collection of knitting needles, you buy needles of different materials and try them out. If the project you are planning to knit uses a slicker yarn and you need to purchase a new needle for this project, consider buying a bamboo or birch needle. If the yarn is sticky – consider buying a needle made of nickel or stainless steel. You will find that over time, you will need a mix of needles made of various materials.

Types of materials that needles are made of include:

Metal – Needles can be made of Aluminum, Brass, Nickel, or Stainless Steel. All these metals make needles that are strong and smooth. Metal needles work well with most yarns, but if you have a slick yarn, you may find that the stitches slip too easily off the needles. Addi Lace needles are made of brass but have been coated to make them less slick. This helps when knitting lace patterns with very fine weight yarns. Some knitters find that they are allergic to Nickel. Others report that Brass needles stain their fingers. Aluminum and Stainless Steel are less reactive and may be a better choice if you are one who does react to Brass or Nickel.

Wood – There are many companies that make knitting needles of Bamboo, Birch, or Rosewood. Wood needles are less slick than metal needles and work well with slicker yarns such as rayon or silk. One issue with wood needles is that they can break if put under a lot of pressure. This is especially true with the smaller sizes.

Synthetic – These needles can be made of plastic, acrylic, or carbon fiber. Plastic and acrylic needles come in a wide variety of colors. These needles are also smoother than wood needles and are less expensive. Needles made of carbon fiber are quite strong and work well slick yarns. These needles are more expensive.

Needle Options:

  • Straight Needles are single point needles with a cap on the other end. They are available in several different lengths ranging from 7 inches (for kids) to 14 inches. Single point straight needles work well for knitting items flat, but they do not work for knitting circular (or in-the-round). As I said in my last post, these are the needles on which I learned to knit. I knit my first sweater using a pair of 14-inch needles.
  • Double Point Needles (DPNs) are exactly what the name says: needles with a point on each end. These are probably the earliest type of knitting needles, and they are used to knit circular. According to historians, early depictions of knitters using DPNs have been dated to the 14th century. DPNs are sold in sets or 4 or 5. You have stitches divided over 3 or 4 needles and knit with the remaining needle. These needles also come in a variety of lengths.
  • Circular Needles have a single point needle on each end with a thin cable in between. The cables are made of a flexible synthetic material and come lengths ranging from 9 inches to 60 inches. While these are used to knit in-the-round, they can also be used to knit flat.

There are two options for circular needles: Fixed lengths and Interchangeable. Fixed length needles are just that – they have a fixed length. 9-inch circular needles can be used to knit socks, and 16-inch needles work well to knit hats. For general purpose knitting, a 24-inch fixed circular is a good choice for length. If using “magic loop” technique, lengths between 32” to 60” work well. The longer lengths also work when knitting items with large numbers of stitches.

Interchangeable Circular Needles are needles that have needle tips that either screw or click into the ends of a cable. They are sold in sets with a number of different sizes of tips plus different lengths of cables. Such sets offer a lot of flexibility because you can easily change the length of your needles by switching cables. Interchangeable sets can be somewhat expensive depending on the type of materials used and the brand. Interchangeable needle tips and cables can also be purchased in single sizes and lengths, so it is possible to build a set over time. This is also a good way to expand your set of interchangeables.

I use my interchangeable needles the most. Over time I have added a variety of needle tips in different materials to my first set, so now I have the option of using either nickel or wood tips. I also have added extra cables in different lengths. I usually have more than one project on needles at any given time, so it’s great to have duplicates of sizes and cables available. I recently received a second interchangeable set of needles that has stainless steel tips. I find that enjoy using these, so I will be purchasing some duplicate tips in the sizes I use the most.

Recommendations to New Knitters:

  1. Try out different types of needle materials so that you learn what works best for you. If you are planning a project with a slicker yarn and need a new set of needles for it – consider buying one made of bamboo or birch wood. Likewise, if your project uses a sticky yarn, go for a metal set, and if possible, select a metal than you haven’t used before.
  2. If you belong to a knitting group, you might find some members that will be willing to let you try out one of their needles on a swatch.
  3. If you haven’t used circular needles before – consider buying circulars instead of straight needles for your next project.
  4. Big box stores sell knitting needles and supplies but if you have a local yarn shop near you, consider buying from it. Some local yarn shops may also offer you the chance to try a type of needle before you buy. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

Aftermath of the SnowstormAftermath of the Snowstorm

I thought I’d post some pictures of all the snow we received over Tuesday and Wednesday. We really did not get completely dug out until Thursday — after the snowplow finally made its way into our subdivision.

Blizzard3_Dec2009
This drift was on our front step — interestingly shaped by the high winds — it was about 24 inches deep. The shot is looking down the steps.

Blizzard_Dec2009
Here is DH snowblowing the driveway — yes, the drift covers our knockout rose bushes — and is a good 30 to 36 inches deep. (Those lights are 12 inches high) The drift went all the way across our driveway.

Blizzard2_Dec2009
We had to dig out our blow up Santa Claus figure. He actually looks great with all the snow around him when inflated.

Three Days before ChristmasThree Days before Christmas

As the title of this post states, it’s just three days before Christmas and I am down to the wire with two Christmas presents still on needles. I just haven’t had enough time this last week to knit very much. But I DO have all my Christmas shopping done. (This includes all the supplies for Christmas dinner.)

There’s a Winter Storm Watch in place for Omaha and most of the surrounding states and if the weathermen are correct, we will be snowed in for Christmas. The snow is supposed to start on Christmas eve after 2 days of freezing rain, which is supposed to start tonight.

Fortunately, our only traveling member of the family — my DD from Boston, has already arrived ahead of the storm. Now all we need to do is batten down the hatches and ride out the blizzard — I sense some long uninterrupted knitting time in my near future….

Hopefully, I will have a chance to take some pictures and post them before I need to wrap up the unfinished knitted projects. Happy Holidays!