Knitting

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Square Knitting Needles

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Now I ask you, who would imagine that square needles would be the next greatest thing in [tag]knitting[/tag]? I’m old school and still use my [tag]Susan Bates[/tag] and [tag]Berna[/tag]t needles that are 30 years old. Though I will admit I did buy a new turbo 40” circular needle to do the [tag]Magic Loop[/tag] sock thing – more in another posting, LOL.

 

Square NeedlesQuite by accident I found [tag]Kollage Yarns[/tag] advertising [tag]square needles[/tag]. The Kollage website writes that they are easier on the hands and enable you to knit faster with more uniform stitches. Well, I wanted to put them to the test so I went in search of a pair at my LYS. My LYS only had needles sized 9 and up, darn I wanted an 8 to do a dishcloth. Oh well, 9 it is!

Yes, they really are easier on your hands!Round needles are hard to hold especially if you have arthritis, carpal tunnel, or stiffness in your hands and fingers like I do.I was able to easily knit with these needles and did not have square stitches!

Another bonus – when you cast on, your stitches lay nice and straight on the “flat” side of the needle and don’t get twisted, sister! Makes it easier to do that first row.

I want to do a whole project with these needles to see if square needles change the look of a pattern, but that will need to wait for a bit. Need to find a store that sells smaller sizes and finish some of my other projects.

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Comments

  1. I have used the square needles on multiple projects now. They really do improve teh consistency of teh guage and are erally very nice to use. I find that I am able to knit llonger without my hands starting to ach. If you are still looking, http://www.yarmbazaar.com seems to always have the full selection of sizes in stock.

  3. I have not used them I think they look great probably easier on the hands to knit with I need to get some
    Louise

Have you read?

Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]