thoughts on variances in needle sizes
I recently got a set of Clover bamboo DPNs in a size 0 in the mail. I was planning to use these to start the second sock of the pair I am working on, so as to not forget how I did the toe and to avoid possible Second Sock Syndrome.
So the needles arrived and I decided to compare them to the current needles, which are a set of gold toned Susan Bates size 0's from the sock set of needles. And my findings?
The bamboo are a hair bigger around than the Susan Bates ones. So then I pulled out one of the KnitPicks DPNs in a size 0 (these are for the person who is receiving the socks I am currently making), and those... they are a hair smaller than the SB needles.
This wouldn't annoy me so much if I had started with a good pair of needles, but even with my set of 5 SB needles, there are inconsistancies in size - two of them are pointier than the other three, and two (not necessarily the two pointier ones) feel smaller in my hands.
I am seriously contemplating trekking to the one LYS to see if they have Addi size 0's, but do I really need three sets of DPNs in a size 0?
The smallness of the bamboo ones freaks me out too. I expect to break at least two of them the first time I do decide to use them.
And even worse than all this? I realized the other day that the needle case I made for my DPNs doesn't have a slot (or slots) for anything smaller than a 1. I wonder if I can tweak it a little, make the size 1 and 2 slots a little narrower to squeeze in a third slot for the smaller than size 1's. Unfortnately, the sizes are written on in silver pen. And I don't think it'll come off.
So the needles arrived and I decided to compare them to the current needles, which are a set of gold toned Susan Bates size 0's from the sock set of needles. And my findings?
The bamboo are a hair bigger around than the Susan Bates ones. So then I pulled out one of the KnitPicks DPNs in a size 0 (these are for the person who is receiving the socks I am currently making), and those... they are a hair smaller than the SB needles.
This wouldn't annoy me so much if I had started with a good pair of needles, but even with my set of 5 SB needles, there are inconsistancies in size - two of them are pointier than the other three, and two (not necessarily the two pointier ones) feel smaller in my hands.
I am seriously contemplating trekking to the one LYS to see if they have Addi size 0's, but do I really need three sets of DPNs in a size 0?
The smallness of the bamboo ones freaks me out too. I expect to break at least two of them the first time I do decide to use them.
And even worse than all this? I realized the other day that the needle case I made for my DPNs doesn't have a slot (or slots) for anything smaller than a 1. I wonder if I can tweak it a little, make the size 1 and 2 slots a little narrower to squeeze in a third slot for the smaller than size 1's. Unfortnately, the sizes are written on in silver pen. And I don't think it'll come off.
Labels: needles
2 Comments:
from what i've been told (i hate DPNs so i only use circs) bamboo DPNs usually bend instead of break. birch needles tend to break more often.
I love DPNs and I have that set of Susan Bates, if you mean the one that claims to have four sizes as marked. I have very carefully compared them to every double point needle I own smaller than a size one, and they seem to be sizes all of their own. What is supposed to be the size one fits through at least one of my needle guages in the zero hole.
This totally inconsequential thing is driving me mad. Mind you, I pick up needles everywhere, including thrift shops and any time anyone at my guild is destashing, so I have a million of them. (Which is good because I am forever loosing them.)What is driving me crazy is not knowing how big they really are. Why should I care? All I need to know is whether I am getting guage or not, and which one is bigger than which other one, which I can clearly see....
This confession brought to you by Thea, for you to hold in reserve and pull out the next time you feel crazy, so you will know for sure SOMEONE out there is crazier than you are....
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