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By Sharon Hines

Knitters today have so many more choices of needles than my mom did back in the sixties. She pretty much had her choice of aluminum or steel for straight needles. For circular knitting needles, there was aluminum or nylon.

I still have all her needles (she passed away in 1971). I’m happy to report that after 50 years, they are still in great shape and work just as well as they always did. (How many things can you say that about?)

But, to tell you the truth, I’m not too keen on her circular needles. Most of them are plastic (technically, nylon) with a clear nylon cord. I’m not too thrilled with nylon knitting needles in general because I like my yarn to slide more smoothly than what the plastic allows. But my real objection is to the clear nylon cords. They just don’t want to unbend. I’m always fighting with them because they want to flip around as I’m working.

When I started knitting again in October 2008 (after a 30-year hiatus) my mom’s old needles were all I had. But after making a few scarves, I needed a new size. I decided to go with aluminum. I knew I’d like the metal part, but I had no idea how much better I’d like the new black nylon cord–hardly any fight in it at all. What a pleasure to knit with a tool that isn’t constantly trying to have its own way.

I didn’t know if it was the material or the newness that was important. Who knew what might have happened to the chemical structure of the old plastic cords through multiple freeze-thaw-heat cycles in my un-insulated outbuilding?

Well, now I know. Age had nothing to do with it. Here’s the story.

Earlier this week, I had to go for jury duty. Being the serious (-ly addicted) knitter that I am, I went to my local national crafts chain to buy some non-metallic needles. (Remember, I’m going into a courthouse.) I decided to try bamboo since people rave about them so much. And I picked up a plastic crochet hook in case I happened to drop a stitch. (A good plan, as it turned out.)

Anyhow, when I got home, I moved my project (a very easy knitting pattern) from the aluminum needles to the bamboo ones. The bamboo was indeed smooth and the yarn slid on easily. However…the cords were clear nylon. And much to my disappointment, they were as unwilling to unbend as their 50-year-old predecessors.

Why should color matter? I’m not a chemist, so I can’t answer that. All I know is that the black cords are more flexible than the clear ones.

So my advice is, don’t bother with bamboo circular needles unless you can find some with the black nylon cord. Unless, of course, you have jury duty or need to travel by air. Then you’ll just have to put up with it. And I would definitely take them over the all-nylon alternative. For me, jury duty is over, so it’s back to my favorite aluminum and black nylon needles.

Oh, and by the way, if you ever have jury duty, be forewarned. The guard very pleasantly and discretely informed me (an inch before I had finished my row), “we don’t do that while the judge is on the bench.” OK…I gotcha (sigh).

Sharon Hines is an author and ordained minister. In her two previous careers, she performed quantitative business analysis and owned a gas/convenience store. Her passions include needlework, movies, roller coasters, frugal living, and organizing just about anything.
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Article Source: Sharon Hines == Easy Knitting Patterns Work Best on These Needles

Filed under: Knitting

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