Sunday, January 07, 2007

cranky knitter


i am knitting even slower and slower ... because i already have a case of second sock syndrome ! ... and i haven't even finished sock #1! i am lame! i love the colors, and know they're going to fit. so then, what is it? i think it's this ...


i am not enjoying knitting with these needles. i had trouble on the gusset, getting the tip of the needle under both my stitches for the decreases ... i think the tip is too blunt for my liking. also, i'm in constant fear that i'm going to snap one. i'd rather be knitting with my crystal palace dpns. they have better points, are more slick, 1/2 the price, and flex without fear. all this ridiculous needle anxiety has made for an unpleasant knitting experience, and they're just socks !


before christmas, i downloaded anna bell's flicca sweater coat pattern. i swatched it last night, on both 10.5 and 10.75 needles. i often have a hard time gauging in rib. the swatch on the smaller needles looked very stressed when blocked to the measurements. but, i liked the fabric better than the swatch on the larger needles. what does this mean? maybe i can knit the larger size sweater with the smaller needles ....

9 comments:

Mouse said...

Those points look entirely too dull to knit something as tiny as socks with..
I love sharply pointed bamboo dpns for socks.. my favorites are Chiagoo and Plymouth.

jackie said...

you are making me glad i didn't splurge on some sock stix of my own. they're pretty, but if they don't work, then... one of my lantern moon straight needles has splintered on the end too. i think i am over those guys' needles.

Eero said...

Those dpns look REALLY dull! I hope this isn't a knitting faux pas, but I had blunt needles and...well...I sharpened them. In a pencil sharpener. Then I sanded them smooth.....much better.
P.S. Sock colors are really nice!

Saun said...

The wrong needles can definitely ruin the mood when knitting. I hope you find the right needles.

I like the look of the rib on the smaller needles. I hope everything works out. I'd love to see how the sweater looks when you're done.

Tania A said...

Huh. I have their destiny circulars (in 4's no less) and I'm finding them to be rather nice to knit with. But the tips seem pointier than what you pictured there on the dpns.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous sock, but I can understand if the needles are taking all the fun out of it for you. I have LM size 2's and they seem sharp enough, but I think I would definitely be afraid to snap #1's.

Amazing sweater coat---can't wait to see you tackle that one.

knitspot anne said...

i'm disappointed in my sox stix too—if i use wood at all, i like the plymouth bamboo best. too bad, cuz i love the wood!
have you tried rubing them with waxed paper and buffing them with a nylon stocking to reduce the drag? it doesn't improve the tip, but it will make the yarn slip better . . .

Anonymous said...

wow, thems some blunt looking needles! there is no point! No wonder you are flustered. You sock however, is looking great! Love, love the colors!

Anonymous said...

Don't continue on those needles...I couldn't make socks on those blunt ended guys. Enjoy knitting...end your frustration.