The Needle War

Well, it's not really much of a war, but it is a contest of sorts. I've been trying out various high quality needles and attempting to decide which brand I want a full interchangeable set of. Of course, most of my knitting has been done on Boye and Susan Bates to date. Those are the two brands I could get my hands on easily at Hobby Lobby. However, I recently splurged and bought a total of 4 circulars. One is an Addi Turbo, another an Addi Turbo Lace, and two are Hiya Hiya circulars. When working with regular yarn, the Addi Turbo is a dream. I love my Addi Turbo Lace needles for working on delicate lace. Enter the Hiya Hiya needles. I received those in the mail yesterday, so they're still in the testing phase.

I'm currently using the size 7 Hiya Hiya circulars on a lace type shawl that uses DK weight yarn. I'm using the Spa yarn by Caron. I'm saving the size 4 circulars for use on an upcoming lace shawl that will be done using MadelineTosh lace yarn. I'll start that shawl on May 7.

So far, I have to admit that I like the Addi needles better. In a way, I'm sort of sad by that. Why you might ask? Well, it all boils down to cost. The Hiya Hiya needles cost about half of what the Addi's do. My guess is it's because they are made in China while the Addi's are made in Germany. The joins on the Hiya Hiya's are smoother. I'll give them that. However, the points on the Addi lace needles are sharper and I like that. The Hiya Hiya's are stainless steel versus Addi Lace's brass. Though the interchangeables are nickle-plated brass.

I'm a little worried about that nickle-plating. You see, I have high acidic sweat. Isn't that funny? I think it is. I've worn off most of the letters on several keyboards over the years. I've also worn off the silver-plating on my favorite thimble where my finger rests on the inside. So, I have no doubt that I will wear off that nickle-plating on those needles over time. The nice thing about the Hiya Hiyas is that I wouldn't wear off any plating since they're just stainless steel. Unfortunately, those points are a big selling point for me. They slip under the yarn effortlessly and make knitting more enjoyable.

Until I can afford the price tag on the Addi Turbo Lace interchangeable needles, my current needle collection will work fine. While I like the Hiya Hiya needles just fine, I do believe I will end up going with the Addi Turbo Lace needles. However, it's nice knowing that there are choices out there for everyone.

I should have known I'd go with the needles with the sharpest point. I always do. In cross stitch, I went with the sharps even though tapestry needles would have worked just fine. In quilting, I always preferred the thinnest and sharpest needles I could find. So yes. It goes to reason that I would pick the same sharp points in knitting. I suppose I'll set my knitting budget aside for a few paychecks until I can get them. Maybe for my birthday. :-)