Options Interchangeable Needles by Knit Picks….

Everyone and their brother now have their own brand of interchangeable needles, from the very first Boye Needlemaster on up through Addi Clicks, Denise, Takumi and of course Knit Picks. But, not everyone has them in the swirling colors of the Harmony Options Set.

Beautiful, smooth sharp tips, made from birch wood are what I’m talking about. Strong, sharp tips capable of knitting lace as well as bulky weight cables. I love to knit with wooden needles, they are just easier on my old farmer, arthritic fingers, with plastic and bone being a close second.

I’ve been knitting up a storm with these, trying out all of the different sizes of needles and cables. The set includes needles sizes 4-11 and has 2-24″ cables and 2-32″ cables. Of course you can hook these cables together and make one very long one. The cables do not have a memory, so they don’t kink. Right out of the package, they are as smooth as can be, and…. people…. they’re PURPLE!!

There are lots of accessories to go with this set, and you can get additional needle tips and cables, with the needles coming in sizes 4-17, and cables in sizes from 24″-60″.

Check them out for yourself, over at Knit Picks, and tell them I sent you! Click HERE!

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

Have you read?