Knitting

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Meet Knit Picks’ Newest Needle

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knit picks sunstruckI’m a big fan of the Knit Picks interchangeable knitting needles. Both the original nickel-plated Options and the wooden Harmony needles are in regular rotation in my house (so much so that there are very few of them actually in their holders right now!) and are usually the first needles I will look for when starting a new project.

Knit Picks has just announced a new member of its knitting needle family: Sunstruck, which is the same laminated birch wood as the Harmony needles, just in a blond finish. The lighter color should make it easier for you to see your stitches when you’re working with dark yarns, and they have the same quality and performance as the original Harmony needles. (They’re also available in straights and fixed circulars, but I’ve only used their interchangeables.)

I haven’t gotten a chance to check these out yet, but I’ll give you a full report as soon as I do!

[Photo by Knit Picks.]

Comments

  1. I love my Harmonies interchangeable needles, too. I have the Options, also but I use the Harmonies the most. The different colors on the needles does make some of stitches hard to see in certain colors and yarns. I love the different colors, they are so pretty. I will have to try a pair of these.

  2. I really like my bamboo but would be eager to try yur Sunstuck needles. I have made over 125 prayer shawls for local nursing homes so I knit every day.

Have you read?

Stitch a Simple Sack Hat that Looks Like a Turkey

If your family is the sort to do a turkey trot for Thanksgiving, or even just to take family pictures, you’ll want to get started knitting up some Turkey Sack Hats with this pattern from Underground Crafter. 

The pattern uses super bulky yarn and is rated easy. It’s knit flat but there are a few skills in here around the shaping of the eyes, which includes changing colors, working bobbles and doing a wicked purl 3 together decrease. Twice. 

But that’s all in one row, and the rest of it is pretty simple. The beak is worked separately and sewn on, and the side of the hat is stitched up to make it into a hat. 

What’s great about this one is that it comes in 10 sizes, ranging from newborn to adult large, so you really can make one for everyone in the family. And because it uses super bulky yarn you can knit a bunch pretty quickly if that’s a thing you’d like to do. 

It’s also fun because you could use this base pattern to make different animals or for different holidays. Make it all in orange and stitch on a jack o’lantern face for Halloween, or make a white one that’s a snowman, for example. 

In any style this would also be a fun gag gift for that person in your life who has everything or doesn’t want gifts, or if you do a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange at work or elsewhere. 

And make sure whether you’re making it a turkey or some other character that you include the pom poms at the top! They’re just so cure and a great way to add a bit more color to the project, and they’re easy to make. (See also: ways to make a pompom with yarn.)

You can grab the free pattern at the Underground Crafter website. 

[Photo: Underground Crafter]