Remember this project from a few weeks ago? As you can see, it’s gotten bigger. A lot bigger.
Last time, this project was living on a Knit Picks Sunstruck 32″ circular needle; I’ve been using Knit Picks circulars exclusively for years and have been a happy camper. However, the more the project grew the more it became apparent that my trusty Sunstruck needle was going to be a temporary living situation—I was unable to spread out the shawl (yep, it’s a shawl) to look at it, which is kind of important from a design point of view. For one thing, I wasn’t exactly sure how large the thingummybob was going to turn out…
As I wasn’t planning a Knit Picks order any time soon—nothing personal, just shipping charges—I’d need to buy a new needle somewhere else. Enter this Knitter’s Pride Dreamz circular needle, which I ordered from Eat.Sleep.Knit, one of my favorite mom-and-pop yarn stores, along with extra yarn for the monster shawl. Apprehensive and unsure what to expect, I slipped 400-odd laceweight stitches onto the new needle. After two days of knitting with it, I say in the words of Captain Virgil Hilts—WOW!
My outstanding impression of the needle is smoothness. Right out of the package the cable immediately uncoiled itself without any kinks or bends, despite having been coiled up neatly for storage. The bamboo has a warm, sleek feel with just enough resistance that I can only describe as buttery. But the best part, the part most circular connoisseurs will be interested in, is the cable join.
The joins of cable to metal and metal to wood are almost undetectable to the fingers. If you know what you’re feeling for, there’s just a hairline crack between materials, but I really do mean a hairline. My Sunstruck circular has served me well, but the metal-to-wood join is a bit wider than this, and it’s just the right size for laceweight yarn to get caught as the stitches slide; I didn’t realize how annoying it was and how much it slowed my progress until I switched to the Knitter’s Pride needle. With the wacky double-sided lace pattern featured in this shawl, there is sometimes still a tiny catch as I push the stitches along, but nothing too aggravating.
Now, the big question (the one Knitter’s Pride would probably be most interested in) is, am I going to switch needles after all these years? I have more than one complete set of Knit Pick Interchangeable Circulars and a number of open stock fixed circulars, accumulated bit by bit over time; and I’m not sure it’s economically feasible to switch out a couple dozen pairs on a kick.
However, I’m extremely pleased with this pair and will not hesitate to buy other sizes; and it’s possible, depending on the circumstances, that these will become my go-to open stock needles. Is the politician in me trying to make everyone happy? Maybe. But these needles are pretty super.
Oh, and about this shawl—there’s another thing I’m extremely pleased with. Keep a sharp lookout for more updates!
