Nickel-Plated Options Interchangeable Needles

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Permalink Reply by knitty50 on September 8, 2008 at 7:18pm

I love your Options Nickel plated needles so much!! I love the Harmony wood also, for the more slippery yarns like Comfy. I was just wondering if there will ever be any needle sizes any larger than 17 or 19? I have read alot about "speed knitting" with size 50 needles!! I have seen patterns for afghans and baby blankets that can be knit up in an hour or two. It would be nice if you could come up with some of the really larger needles! It'd be fun to see what an afghan with Wool of the Andes Bulky would look like knit up with four strands on size 50 needles.

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Permalink Reply by clockworktomato on October 1, 2008 at 7:25am

Many thanks and kudos to Nancee in Customer Service. I was having a problem with one of my Options needle tips not securing onto the cable and even though my Options Kit was out of warranty (how time flies, I didn't even realize it'd been so long since I ordered it), she's got a replacement tip on the way!

I really appreciate this excellent customer service; it helps build even more confidence in Knitpicks' already great products. Thanks again, Nancee!

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Permalink Reply by kylesmith on October 2, 2008 at 1:50pm

Well I've only been knitting for about 1 month now (I've been crocheting for about 5 years now though), but after a week of knitting with X-Mart bough straight needles and a couple circulars I realized that it wasn't a hobby that i'd soon put down so after a lot of internet checking I decided on the Knit Picks Nickel Plated Options Set (among other things; Nickel Plated DPN Sock Set, Boye Cable Needles, the other sizes of cables, and maybe more i don't remember).
Wow. I'm really glad I didn't wait any longer. They feel and perform so much better than any of the other needles i've used (susan bates, boye, clover bamboo circs). I haven't picked up any of the other needles yet and have no intentions of ever using them again. I actually enjoyed knitting more once i got these needles, it just felt so much better to use than the alum and bamboo ones i have. I also just placed my order for the other sized not included in the set 13, 15 and 17 as well as a pair of Harmony size 8 tips (and harmony cable needles, and a few other items).
At first i was worried about the yarn snagging at the join and the potential for the cables being stuck twisted (since i had those issue with the other circs i bought even though they weren't interchangable) and I haven't run into either of these problems at all. Actually I haven't had any problems of any sort with anything I've purchased.
I went to my first SnB meeting last night and one of the members saw that i had a set, she showed me her harmony set and said "knit picks are the ONLY needles." She said she hasn't picked up her Addi Turbos since she got her Knit Picks set.
The only complaint I've got is that you guys don't make crochet hooks :) But I guess the name Crochet Picks wouldn't really make any sense haha. That would actualyl make my day though having a set of crochet hooks from you guys.

Thanks for the great products,

Kyle

(sorry about the super long post)

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Permalink Reply by cajuncloth on October 5, 2008 at 6:19pm

I would love to see 16-17" cables added to the Options! I hope this has been considered.

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Permalink Reply by kylesmith on October 6, 2008 at 7:12am

i'm not 100% possitive of this but from what i know the reason they aren't available is because the cable would be too short when you consider the needle length is 4.5 inches each so that's already 9 inches. a 7-8 inch cable wouldn't be overly usable. The only real way they'd be able to do it is if they developed a set of interchangable needles that were only 3 3/8ths inches each like their fixed circulars. which seems like an idea but then it would be a completely separate set of needles to buy.
again i'm not 100% sure of that but i'm pretty sure i remember reading that. i don't work for the company or anything though so again i could be wrong.
i agree with you though i would really like it if there was a cable to make 16" needles but i don't think it would overly usable considering the needle length. if they did develop shorter needles i would be interested in at least buying a few sizes that i use often for hats and other things and maybe a set of all the sizes.

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Permalink Reply by kylesmith on October 6, 2008 at 7:58am

i knew i read that somewhere. i looked into it, it's at the bottom of the FAQ here


kyle

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Permalink Reply by Vicki K on November 2, 2008 at 11:30am

Many Thanks to the customer service at Knit Picks. I had a problem with my cables coming out of the join and customer service was so pleasant and quick. Now that I'm back on a knitting spree (stepped away from crochet), I don't leave home without my set.

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Cincyq on January 1, 2009 at 8:23am

I just got my Options Nickel-Plated needles the other day and I LOVE, LOVE THEM!!! I have taught myself how to knit a pair of socks on two circular and have really loved how the needles slide through the yarn,BUT I would love to have Options in the smaller size needles also so I could use them with my fingerling wt yarn... I know I can purchase the fixed sizes I love ( 0-3) in the lenghts I would use, but was just wondering if I am the only one that would love the small size options also........Will never buy any other brand of neeldes.............
.

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Permalink Reply by Cincyq on January 3, 2009 at 11:09am

Was wondering why the Options are not available in the smaller sizes of 0-3 for sock yarn that is fingerling wt? I am sure there must be a reason. I have taught myself how to knit TWO SOCKS AT THE SAME TIME on two circular needles, and am enjoying doing this with the Options. What do other sock knitters us for this weight of yarn? do you purchase two of each size needle? Would appreciate your input.......thanks.....

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Permalink Reply by clockworktomato on January 3, 2009 at 10:23pm

I thought someone else had asked this question once before in this forum, but I didn't seem to find it. I'm pretty sure the reason small sizes aren't available is because the threaded joins on the existing Options cables/needles are larger than the diameter of those small needle sizes. In order for KP to make the joins small enough to fit into a sock needle, it would compromise the stability and sturdiness of the join. This is why KP offers fixed join needles in these sizes -- those joins can be reinforced for the small sizes and made sturdy, since they don't have to be interchangeable.

Personally, I'm a dpn user for socks, myself. I've never been able to find the same "rhythm" with socks on two circs that I feel with a good set of dpns. :)

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Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on January 4, 2009 at 4:46pm

You are totally right about the small sized joins not working. It's been explained more than once I believe.

I couldn't get my brain around the 2 circular method, but then I discovered the Magic Loop method, using one circular. I whip out socks in no time, and have never had a stitch slip off the needles. You have to rethink the patterns a little, but not that much. I love this method, and have knit probably 10 pair of socks in the last year - in fact, I'm getting to try two at once using this method. I think I can do it.

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Permalink Reply by trixhilda@sbcglobal.net on January 6, 2009 at 4:38am

Hello to all Knitters new and "old" I use that term very loosely since I have found knitters age wise could be very young but the amount of time they have been knitting could put some of us shame, and while I have been one of the lucky ones who's Granny taught me to at least knit and purl when I was about 5 years old she also taught me how to sew and do embroidery and crewel work but since she used to to alterations for a womens clothing store, I had a tendency to choose sewing projects over other things then when I was about 14 yrs old I started purchasing the embroidery kits that were available at the time but I always seemed to have a sewing project in progress at the same time. Then a few years later when I was married and had a couple of girl babies they started dance classes and their teacher found out that I could sew well we are now 15 years later and several thousands of costumes made and several more years of them to come since my youngest daughter still has her high school years to come I figure that many more to come but while the costumes are different each time I found that I needed something else to help my creativity flowing and again it was the girls dance coach who started my knitting again, each year at Christmas time she askes her students to help the homeless and the needy buy doing "The Shoebox Project" which amounts to the kids to collecting ltems for the boxes such as toothbrushes and toothpaste gloves, gloves, hats, soap, and any other personal items that are difficult for them to receive in any manner possible. and one of the most requested items that they ask for is scarves and from making so many costumes and such I had tons of left over yarn and I started making just basic garter stitch scarves, well that first year I made somewhere between 15 to 20 scarves at the same time I was working on the christmas show costumes and I only had from sometime in September till December to get as many done as possible I quickly learned to work on them continuously throughout the year but ohh what a habit it created I knitted those first scarves with the needles that I had first learned on some 40 years later somehow even though my granny had passed away about 30 years ago the needles had been packed away for all those years I figured out very quickly that there have to be a better type of needles and from some trial and error from my local yarn stores I quickly found knitpicks and originally only 1 pair of size 8s to try and was hooked on the from the cast on stitches and my first row completed I actually very quickly figured out the give and take of patterns and then before I actually figured out that I knew next to nothing about reading a knitting pattern and an involved lace pattern at that I agreed to make my mother a lace cardigan from "Modern Classics" by Louisa Harding but I did have enough sense to tell her if you want that one my payment would be the entire nickel plated interchangeable set of needles that I now know is the only reason that I was actually able to complete the sweater because at the time I knew just enough knitting to get by but had I known even a little bit more than I did I probably would not have even attempted the project ignorance can be a blessing at times it took me about 4 to 5 months to complete it but I did and she gets so many compliments on it that I am so happy I was able to complete it, But I do know that it would not have been possible without my interchangeables and I am currently waiting "patiently" for my new set of the harmony interchangables and dreaming of the endless possibilities that are in my future. After finishing that first sweater without the knitting knowlegde I now have I can't wait to see what idea I come up with next but I can tell you that as far as I'm concerned there is no other choice for knitting needles but Knitpicks and only Knitpicks. I can actually think of 7 or 8 prople that have changed needles completely just from borrowing mine for just a few hours to a couples of days but never longer because I wouldn't trust them for longer because I don't think I would ever get them back because everyone falls in love with them immediately. They are the only needle of choice whether you choose the nickel plated or the wooden harmony needles as far as I am concerned knitpicks are the only option for needles every other company should just quit making needles because they are a huge big waste of time on there part.Sorry for the huge long dissertation but I didn't know another way to make my point. Thank you for the additions to your web sites to allow people like me to state there points of view but it also allows for a great way to learn new techniques and have items that you may not understand someone is always there to help explain in a way that does make sense Thank you to everyone at knitpicks for there devotion to knitting and everything that that entails.Thank you does not even cover how much I appreciate the information and products that you make available. Love everything your website covers: Trixhilda

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