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Ever since posting more and more of my personal knitting practices, I've had a lot of people ask about what I use and where they can find my tools. So today, I'm putting together a list of some of my go to knitting related products that I think are fantastic.
First things first: I am a wood needle knitter. You can certainly use metal needles, I've heard wonderful things about Chiagoo or Knit Picks, but they aren't for me. I'm not entirely sure why I have such challenges knitting with metal needles, but my stitches constantly slip off metal needles. It doesn't matter if they're straight or circular, I lose them all the time. I suspect it is because I'm a very tight continental knitter who uses Norwegian purl (iykyk)...
So if you're like me and prefer wood needles, I absolutely swear by Lykke Knitting Needles. I tried a pair of 10mm (U.S. Size 15) needles several years ago to work up hats, and I've not wanted to use anything else since. I personally prefer to use circular needles for pretty much every project, and lean toward having 16, 20, 24, and 40-inch interchangeable needle cords to make sure I am able to make anything from hats to sweater for my size.
Some of my current stash of Lykke Knitting Needles. I have one, 16-inch, 4.5mm non-interchangeable set of circular needles because I knit 1x1 ribbed DK beanies for my spouse on those needles.
I even have many of my needles in different colors, so it is much easier to distinguish between them when I am starting a new project. Those bright pink ones are 8mm needles!
I highly recommend trying them out yourself before committing to a whole set. I'm finally getting myself a set of 3.5 inch, 3.25-6.5 mm, Lykke Knitting Needles this year after purchasing individual needles for years! You can find these at many local yarn stores. A warning: they sell out fast!
Since I am a tight knitter, my hands can get pretty sore with repetitive patterns like those 1x1 DK ribbed beanies for my spouse. I got a pair of Compression Gloves/Arthritis Gloves for Christmas and haven't looked back! I know several knitters who wear these during periods of rest or while sleeping, but I personally wear them while I'm knitting. They can stick to fluffy mohair or alpaca yarn, but when working with primarily cotton or mohair, they're absolutely perfect.
My Swirlpool Beanie in Mustard Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn, with accompanying pom pom.
When designing new patterns, I prefer to use lower cost yarn in case of any mistakes and frogging needed. For super bulky beanies, I often use Lion Brand Yarn Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn to work through my own designs. After the pattern is finalized and in the test knitting process, I always knit them in my own hand-dyed yarn.
If you're new to beanies, I would recommend picking up a simple set of Pom Poms to work with initially. I've purchased a variety across big businesses, and do like these for machine washable hats.
For winding any skeins of yarn into cakes, I used to hand wind by stretching the skein over my knees, but graduated to actually using a Yarn Winder and Yarn Swift. While I still hand wind any leftover yarn or mini skeins, the winder and swift are so fantastic for winding hundreds of yards of yarn for large projects.
Last but not least, I love my Mini Sewing Scissors. To keep my projects somewhat organized, I made little bags of notions to go with each project bag. In each bag, I have plastic sewing needles, my mini sewing scissors, adorable stitch markers I've purchased from local yarn stores, and spare interchangeable cords.
I brought one such little notion bag with me on vacation last year and finished a beanie for my spouse!
These tools and notions have gone a long way in helping me be a more organized and satisfied knitter. I hope they help you too!
Happy Knitting!