I just finished reading Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This is a must read book for anyone who is concerned about the lack of equality for women worldwide, as well as lack of decent health care and education for women and children throughout the developing countries of our world.
The book is very factual, yet filled with actual stories about real people and how they have been able to overcome extreme hardship with some small amount of help — in the form of microloans or sponsorships for education. There are stories that will make you weep and stories that will make you smile — but they all show a better way for those of us who have much more to help those who don’t.
The authors will challenge your thinking about large government funded aid programs and the role our government(s) should play in the developing countries of the world — especially Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They make a very strong case for approaching problems on a more personal and direct way.
I went to the fabric store yesterday. I didn’t go because there was a super sale going on. (There was, but I wasn’t aware that it was.) I went to buy buttons. Just buttons.
So when I went to check-out with my single-minded purchase, I was directed to the Express Line (5 items or less. Returns & Exchanges). Now the store was packed with eager shoppers getting great bargains on fabric, notions, Christmas items — you name it. They were having a great sale. The store’s staff was well-organized. They had set up a number system to handle the many shoppers needing fabric cut and it seemed to be working efficiently. They had enough staff on hand to handle both the fabric cutting duties and they cash registers. And they had all of their cash registers staffed and there was that staff member who was directing traffic. So while there were lines and everyone had to wait their turn, I thought things were being managed well and efficiently. My compliments to this store. This time of year, handling the crowds for an “After Thanksgiving” sale is an art form.
While standing in line, waiting my turn to pay for my purchase, this young woman came into the store and promptly through a hissy fit. She loudly grumbled as she made her way to stand behind me in line that she “didn’t know why SHE had to wait in line to just do an exchange!” The staff person directing traffic attempted to calm her down — but she was not willing to do so. So she continued to grumble loudly while standing in line behind me. Now the line was moving fairly quickly, but there were six customers ahead of me. This unpleasant young woman was rude and obnoxious to everyone around her and seemed to think that she deserved special consideration and was not happy that the store was not willing to give it to her.
While I ignored her as much as possible — I really try not to take on another person’s bad moods — I kept thinking that this young woman was selfish and terribly self-centered. I have tried to make excuses for her — maybe she was running very late for an appointment, maybe she was super stressed out, etc. But the bottom line is, everyone standing in those lines could have been running late or been super stressed — but no one else was making a scene and behaving like a spoiled brat. Yes, I felt that she was acting like a spoiled brat who wasn’t getting her way. After I completed my purchase — she slammed her item on the counter in front of the store clerk. I felt sorry for the clerk, who had been nothing but polite to me.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we will admit that we’ve all had times when we weren’t at our best in public. I hope that young woman has a better day than she did yesterday. I know she will come in to mind for me the next time I find myself losing patience while standing in line. This time of year, with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season upon us — please take a deep breath, find peace within yourself and act kindly to those around you.
Just finished importing my previous blog posts from Blogger. As part of my updating my website, I decided to switch to using WordPress via my hosting site, rather than have my readers go to the Blogger site to read my blog. WordPress provides me with more functions and features to better manage my blog.
I hope you like the new look for the blog and the updates to the website. The website will always be a work in progress — much like my knitting projects. Just spent quite a bit of time choosing a new color scheme and I am still figuring out how to modify my blog to match, so look for the color scheme to change.
One of the ongoing maintenance items for any website is the task of keeping links current. Links, particularly to individual knitting websites and blogs, seem to change frequently. It is always sad to discover that a site that I really liked and recommended on my website is no longer available. I found that I had several “dead” links when I went to check them. In some cases, I was able to find the updated link — in others, there is nothing to link to anymore.
The latter is the case with the Knit.with.us site. This site was really very nice when it was up and running. However, the owners of this site are no longer focusing on knitting and have moved into a completely different direction. Thus — no more Knit.with.us. I wish the owners well in their new endeavors — I will miss the content they offered.
If anyone reading this has suggestions for knitting related blogs that I can include in my links, please comment to this post and include the link. Thanks!
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:
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.
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.
If you haven’t used circular needles before – consider buying circulars instead of straight needles for your next project.
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.
