Customizable Needle Sets

Got this interesting link from my friend Jinky (lyfasastitcher over at Plurk) who discovered Kinki Amibari bamboo circular interchangeable needles!

I know for a fact that Clover brand Japanese-made bamboo crochet hooks and knitting needles are very expensive here in Manila. It's a preferred brand on eBay as well, and priced accordingly. However, the interchangeable mechanism on these Kinki Amibari needles look pretty well-engineered. They even have 9" circulars for small circumference projects!

Must warn you though: I tried accessing the downloadable Knitting Accessories pdf catalogs, and this caused my Firefox 3 to crash. Three times. I can't imagine why, but then I'm only using a modest-processor netbook and not a core 2 duo machine. Anyway, FF3 filed a report and they'll probably look into it.

God is telling me that I have enough (cheaper, made in China) bamboo fixed circulars and (lifetime warranty, made in Germany) Addi Turbos from pre-recession era and that I shouldn't forget to give thanks! I do, I do! I make useful stuff using them! Laborare est orare! (To work is to pray.)

Time was when the Knitpicks nickel-plated interchangeables and their Harmony wood interchangeables were the relatively affordable must-haves. (They still are, based on price points. But I am a fixed circulars girl.)

Trust Jinky to find more new knitting items to drool over. She also referred to me Signature Needle Arts, who offer interchangeable knitting needle points (talk about customization!), and I can bet the "stiletto point" will be one of her must-haves, since she is very brave and does bigger lace projects. However my knitting budget for this year is way done, and I must knit more stuff to show for everything I have bought.

Yes, Jenny. THIS is the reason why I haven't been spending on my fountain pens.

Knitting is joy. Joy to the world!

Pinch me, PLEASE

At one point over lunch today I asked Incredible Joie to pinch me very, VERY hard.  Why, she asked. Good question.  I was feeling a little blue due to the time of month and had indulged in some online retail therapy.  Remember my eBay bleached bamboo needles?  I mentioned lusting after the carbonized ones.  Incredible Joie had bought her carbonized bamboo crochet hooks from a certain reliable seller earlier this year and I couldn't stop being amazed at their smoothness and lightness.  The seller claimed they were harder than bleached bamboo needles and weren't subject to mildew because of the carbonization treatment.  And doesn't bleaching weaken fibers or something?  At any rate, I was intending to go to great lengths to get them eventually.  Earlier today I just did.  Boy, did that drive the blues away!

I'm smiling now, but for a few seconds after I hit that checkout button earlier, several thoughts passed through my head.

1)  There's a global financial crisis!  The currency exchange rate is at PhP47.25 = USD1.00! (Alarm bells!  Sirens!)

2)  You don't have the carbonized bamboo dpns yet.  (Warning!  Danger!  The rabbit hole!)

3)  How about Knitpicks Harmony circulars?  (These are beautiful beech wood needles with the same flexible nylon cords I've come to love.  Dream on.)

4)  Now you'll have cheaper circular needles from 16" to 40"!  (Ecstasy!  Delirium!)

5)  Oh dear, they're only 12 oz in weight.  I have to get 20 oz more to qualify for Johnny Air Cargo's 2-lb minimum!  (More on this next month.  This was the point of no return.)

6)  NOW is the time to get yarn before Christmas!  (Knittipina in Wonderland steps off the cliff dazed at the sunset... and lands on a woolly beach seeing stars.)

To make a long story short, there was a sale in Knitpicks.com.  I ended up getting 500g of discount sock yarn and Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears.  Figured that would make the Johnny Air delivery service worth it.  *sheepish grin*

And this was all because last weekend I made one sock using the new size 1 and 2 bleached bamboo needles.  The size 1 bends a bit, but because of that I don't hold it too hard.  Because I don't hold it too hard, my hands don't cramp.  Yay!  Such smooth, light and relaxing knitting! Now when the sock was done I realized the color wasn't suitable for an adult.  Too busy a colorway for my personal taste.  Maybe for a child's sock.  I won't frog it though, there is always someone in the world who likes something like that.

I decided to make another test sock, in a plain color but with texture and pattern.  I frogged the first attempt, Christine Walter's Zigzag Socks from Vogue Knitting's Ultimate Sock Book, because I realized after completing 16 rows that my ssk's were going in the wrong direction (how funny is that!).  Maybe later when I'm not so frustrated.  Or should I say, later when I'm not so excited over my retail therapy that I can't think straight.  I'll probably try one of the short-multiples stitch patterns recommended in the same book too. 

Right now I started another cable rib sock for fun, in mercerized cotton this time.  I just want to see how cables work in cotton.  I'd love a good fit.  To non-knitters this all sounds like a lot of work after a long day, but that's relaxation for me.  I like the rhythm of the needles in my hands.  Knitting stitches in a repeating pattern are sort of like using prayer beads.  There's the clicking sound for some needles that lulls me, there's that smooth glide when the two tips rub against each other.  There's that counting going on that sounds like a mantra.  This is what drives me to add needles to my collection and yarns to my stash!  The endless possibilities of lovely things I could make! *starry-eyed* 

Somebody pinch me, PLEASE.

Famous last words:  It'll be at least six months before I do anything this crazy again.  In the next breath:  Yeah, right.

Bamboo Circulars from eBay

It's Christmas in October this time! The bamboo circulars I got from eBay finally reached me after 30 days (international transaction). These are 2 lots from the same seller, US size 0 to 15 in 29" and in 32". They are smooth, not too pointy, and the joins look good. However, they are bleached bamboo and not carbonized. I still want to get carbonized ones. If later on I get carbonized ones, I'll sell these via the Pinoyknitters yahoogroup or the Pinoy Ravelers group. How fantastic though, to have needles in sizes bigger than US 10.5 (I have no bigger sizes in Addis), for quick baby afghans and the like.

For the future: Carbonized bamboo needles in 16", 24", 29", 32", 40". And dpn versions from US size 0 to 15 if I can get them.

I know, it seems like overkill (didn't I say this already in a previous post?) in these times of financial crisis. But life is short. I want them while I'm still 30 years away from arthritis. I want to knit as much as I can, no matter where I am.

Knitting with Bamboo

I found some 14" bamboo straight needles at Dreams one Saturday, and since they were reasonably priced (under PhP 100/pair at Dreams, vs. PhP 36/pair in Divisoria -- the difference of which compensates for transport and parking costs) I got them in 4mm, 5mm and 6mm.

I tried knitting with them using DMC's lovely Senso crochet yarn (cotton-rayon spun) in green (cotton) with variegated lavender-to-turquoise-to-white (thinner rayon). The result looked like a summer lawn sprinkled with tiny flowers. And I discovered few things:

1) Stitches don't slip off because of the traction on the bamboo surface;
2) Therefore I can knit American/English style (with thread coming from right hand) without too much thinking!
3) Knitting is slower but I am enjoying not hearing the metal "clinking" I get with straight metal needles.
4) The points are a bit too round for me, but that's not too bad.

And so... I embarked on another crazy mission, which was to buy sets of bamboo circulars on eBay in 29" and 32" lengths. For USD 19.98 per set, and international shipping of USD 2.98 per set, it's not too bad. Comes out to roughly PhP 69/circular. I bought from an American knitter seller rather than one of those Shanghai or Hong Kong-based suppliers because I wanted to avoid communications issues (like Joy had with Joyce Supershop in HK). I also had it posted directly to my home address because people at the post office here are unlikely to steal bamboo needles.

Although I must say, the cooking chopsticks I bought in Unimart look like a US size 10 (6.5mm). And the ultra thin barbecue sticks that we like come out to a US size 1 or 2 (2.25-2.5mm).

I really wanted the bamboo for travelling. But when push comes to shove, I'll bring the barbecue sticks, hahaha!!!