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I am a big user of the Inox Nickel plated circular needles with the black cord. The cord never kinks. I recently for some lace work I purchased Addi turbos lace needles. Now here is the question. Do any of you have a recommendation of interchangeable needle sets? I keep hearing about Denise and Knitpicks Harmony. Would you mind sharing the good, the bad, the happy the sad?

I'm interested in the stiffness of the cord and does the yarn catch at the join, or does the cable ever just come off...Those kinds of things.

Thanks


Marge Colletta
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I just signed up, and have been pondering this very question myself. I'm afraid I am unable to answer your question but hope that someone will come to our aid. I don't know if you are aware that Addi Turbo has interchangeables as well. I only use Addi's, but since I am looking for a set, I'd like the points to be a bit more sharp, I'm hearing good things about the Options set by Knit picks. Does anyone have any information to add? Thank you

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I just ordered a set of Options (metal instead of the wood harmony) and mine are wonderful. I have a boye set and now the Options (that is what I am comparing it to) and the cables are wonderful. The needles seem "slicker" than the boyes, so far nothing catches on anything. The only bad thing I have heard about both options and harmony is that a few have a factory defect but Knit Picks stands behind their product and if you have a problem they send you a new one immediately (which I have also heard they do a really good job of this). A girl in our group has the Harmony set and she just loves them, the only reason I did not order them was because I am a total klutz and figured I would more than likely break them at some point and they are way too pretty. I don't work for Knit Picks but you can always ask them questions before you purchase.

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I have the Boye set. I find that stitches do catch at the join. Especially for the smaller-sized needles or really "fragile" yarns.

I love having all sizes of needles in one compact kit. The Boye set comes with these screw on "ends" so you can create seperate needles with flexible cords if you don't want circulars. My set is now about 8 years old and looks it. The needles' color is scratched off on some of the more regularly used sizes.

I have never looked into the other brands. I guess it is time to do so.

All in all, the concept of interchangeables is a great idea. Whether you use one brand or another is probably an individual preference such as, do you prefer needles that are sharply pointed, do you like slippery needles like the Addi's, that sort of thing. In my book, they are worth the investment once you decide on the type that suits you.

Hope this is helpful.

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I have always loved the idea of interchangeables and have heard, here and elsewhere, that the Knit picks ones are very good. I'm definitely thinking of investing in them.


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i have heard the interchangeable needles. now that the tips and cables can be changed easily, so i wonder they will come off when knitting. since this case happened frequently. i am not a fan of the brand, i prefer the needles which are cheap and easy to work with. i have received my needles from 8season-knitting.com they have fabulous needles and unbeatable price.


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I looked at the interchageable set on knitpiks.com as this is something I'm definitely interested in. I just completed a scarf using my size 6 round bamboo needles with some vintage wool yarn I found at Goodwill. It's striped in a soft blue and chocolate brown and came out wonderfully.

I was dissappointed this set carried only 2 cable lengths. Is there a set of these interchangeables that has the shorter lengths of cable, like 8 or 10 inches? If I'm going to invest that kind of money, I want the set to be extremely versatile.


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I haven't heard of interchangeables coming with the short cables, let me know if you find any. What do you use the shorter cables for?



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I've used my bamboo rounds (size US 6)which are 16" (total length) for baby hats. I transferred to the double pointed needles for the decrease on the baby hats. I've also done a scarf knitted in the round. It came out wonderfully and I'd like to have larger needles to do a few more with different yarns. But I want them to be about 4" wide so I would need the shorter cables.

I poked around on the internet the other day and found the individual circular needles with the smaller length cables. However, it would be great, and maybe cost effective, to have an interchangeable set with a larger variety of cable sizes.


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I was poking around on the internet for interchangeables with shorter cables too (after your post), but couldn't find any...I wonder if that could be an entreprenueral opportunity!?



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My husband (then boyfriend) bought me a set of Boye interchangeable circular needles when we were still in college--a big investment at the time. And I've been using them ever since (*cough* 20+ years). I love them, and have certainly gotten my money's worth out of them. I've been thinking of replacing them, either with the Denise needles or with Knitpick's wooden needles, only because it's getting increasingly difficult for me to buy replacement parts (the dog has chewed up a few of the cords, for example). But I love always having my needles in this one, tidy case. And I've also done the occasional pattern where I screw one size needle on one end, and a different one on the other, for a cool effect.

Anyway, I think interchangeable circulars are a terrific investment. I never knit with straights because these are so darn handy.

Hope that helps!

Becky


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I'm definitely putting some on my list to buy. The feedback here has been great and helped me decide.


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They have a set of Denise Brand interchangeables at Patternworks. Marge, thanks for that weblink in another post. The set includes needle sizes from 5 to 15 and cable sizes from 5" to 19". They also carry the accessory kits with larger needles and cable lengths.

However, these are plastic needles. The only plastic ones I have used are my "honking" big 35's and 50's, which everyone laughed at, but loved the stuff they made. My husband joked he could make me some larger with wooden dowels from the hardware store.

The set is very affordable, but has anyone ever used these? With them being plastic, I'm concerned with the joining mechanism wearing out with use. This brand was mentioned in an earlier post. So hopefully someone has some experience with them and can share the scoop. If they are not going to last, I'm not going to put them on my Christmas Wish List.


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By looking around in the Ravelry forums the Denise needles are loved for being nice and slick and hated for being too sticky. I think the best bet would be to find someone you know or a local yarn shop and sit down and try them. People do seem to use the Denise brand when they are working on bigger projects and stay away from them for lace.

In my experience, not having used Denise needles, I think plastic needles are sticky and the yarn grabs on, so plastic aren't my favorite. I like nickeplated needles (Inox) and when I have really slippery yarn I use Clover bamboo needles. Neither of which is interchangeable.

Hope this helps.

Edited to add this link to a blog where she compares them.
Last edited by Marge_Knitting; 10/07/08 06:23 PM.

Marge Colletta
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I have 2 full sets of the KnitPicks interchangeable in the nickel plus extra nickel and wood tips in the more popular sizes. I use one for everyday and have one in my to-go bag. I have been using them since they came out several years ago. They are absolutely marvelous, pointed tips, and fast. The cables are extremely flexible, much better than either the Denise or Boye set.

They have a key for tightening tips to cable. They may occassionally work their way loose, but I seldom have had that happen. Usually if they are coming loose, the yarn begins to catch a bit and you can separate the stitches and tighten right up again. It takes seconds. At the beginning, some of the cables came loose from the joins; KnitPicks immediately sends out new ones if this happens. I have not had it happen on the newer set.

I have several sizes of the wood tips for very slick yarns but much prefer the metal. It is nice to be able to pick up extra tips and cables individually to cover the ones you use most.

I have interchangeable sets of from Boye (metal), from Denise (plastic), and Plymouth (bamboo). I only use the KnitPicks ones; the others are have been sitting here for about 2 years now and will soon get sold, traded, or given away.

I wouldn't be afraid to try them. If you don't want to buy the full set, buy one set of tips and one size of cable, about a $10 investment. If you choose a size you use a lot, then you just have a bonus when you get the full set. Otherwise, there are lots of people on Ravelry who also want to try them out and you could re-sell or gift them to someone.

The reason KnitPicks does not do 16" cables in their set (they do full, fixed 16" circulars in the same nickel as the set) is that the tips are just long enough that the cable to make it 16" is too short to use. I think other manufacturers find the same thing, because I don't think there is a 16" cable in any of my sets.

I hope you will give them a try. I think you will find you do enjoy them!


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Thank you so much for the great review I think I will add these to my Christmas list!


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I'm really eager to get my hands on a Boye set. Here in Sweden there's nowhere to buy it.
I've seen some on Ebay but is there anywhere they are sold used?


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I haven't looked, but you could try Craig's List. Do they have a Craig's List in Sweden? I hadn't even thought of getting a used set to try them out. That would be really cost effective. Thanks for that great idea.

We have a Yahoo group in our area called Freecycle, where you can offer or ask for things for free. I've received quite a bit of yarn from fellow Freecyclers. I think I'll post a request and see if anyone in the area has a Denise set of the plastic interchangeables they're not using. I don't think there are any yarn shops within 75-100 miles. But I need to check in Jacksonville, FL and see if there is one. If anyone knows of one there or maybe in the Daytona Area, please post the info. We'll be in Daytona later this month.


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Never heard of Craig's List, but thank's for the tip.

The interchangeables have just recently come to Sweden, but they're not a success here. So they are a lot more expensive here so far.

I thought I'd try worldwide, as I have a PayPal account and can pay through that.


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The other place to try is www.ravelry.com You sign up for free, get on a waitlist (it is only a couple of days), they send an invitation to join. Once on there is a forum there that allows you to trade with others. It would be a great place to start.

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Marge Colletta
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Thanks for the tips.
It doesn't seem to be much activity on the Swedish Craig's list...


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I haven't had any responses on Freeycycle either. But I did find two yarn shops about an hour away in Florida. There is one near Daytona Beach, I'm hoping my Mother-in-law and I will have time to visit later this month. There's also one near my daughter's house in Columbia, SC. So maybe I'll get to try the plastic interchangeables before buying.

However, I may be too late to put this on my Christmas Wish List for my husband. I always jump to other websites using the pull down menu. When I got home from work this afternoon, and used the menu, there was a website listed for a Navajo Squash Blossom Necklace. I'll take a squash blossom necklace over knitting needles any day! Don't get me wrong, I love to knit, but after my husband and child is my love for Native American Jewelry, and that's genetic, I think.


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Did you have any luck with Ravelry?


Marge Colletta
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Okay, jewelry, knitting supplies, jewelry knitting.....it would be a tough choice! wink


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I've posted ISO ads on Craig's list and Ravelry. No luck so far though.
You're all great, thanks again.


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I'm going to request access to Ravelry, but I'm hoping to get to try Denise's Plastic set before I purchase. As for the choice of knitting needles versus jewelry, I'm a bit unique. If it's gold and diamonds, I'd take the knitting needles. If it's Turquoise and silver, that would be my pick.


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I hear you about trying them first, I'd check with your local shop first?


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Well I didn't get the squash blossom necklace for Christmas or the interchangeable needle set. My husband ordered the necklace and when it arrived the quality was so poor, he returned it. By that time he had forgotten about the needle set. But that's OK. I stopped by the Salvation Army thrift store today to check on some things my daughter needs for her house and you won't believe this - they had the complete Boyle set for $3.99, still in the package!!!! Needless to say, they came home with me.

The set doesn't have the smaller cables, but maybe my husband can figure something out. When he saw my US size 50's, he offered to make me some a bit larger out of wooden dowels from the hardware store. I'm not certain if he was joking or trying to be helpful.

Last edited by lcp012586; 12/31/08 06:27 PM.

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Okay, that has to be the find of the century. Good for you. Are you enjoying them?


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Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to even try them. My best friend's Mother passed the next day and I just returned from NC this Monday. My Grandmother took a turn for the worse this morning and was life flighted to the heart hospital, so we'll be leaving for SC tomorrow afternoon. I'll be sure to pack them in my knitting tote when we go up.

My Mother-in-law gave me this awesome knitting tote for my birthday. I love the yarn compartments with holes in the top. It really helps to keep the dog hair out of my yarn. It's large enough for several projects and has zippered compartments for markers and row counters.

My Grandmother being in the hospital 2 years ago jump started my knitting again after all these years. I'll be able to get quite a bit done on my numerous projects at the hospital.


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