first project of the Fall (even though it's still Summer)

I actually have been doing more knitting than usual over this summer, not that i'm getting much done, but i am gradually working on several projects simultaneously.  These socks took me thirty-five days, which really is too long, but for the Summer is pretty good (not to mention that i probably only worked on them on five days all together).  I'm thrilled with how they came out, now i just hope that they fit the person i knit them for.

a glimpse into my purse

I like my knitting to be portable.  Even when i was working on Tangy Giselle, it was in my messenger bag most days right along with my textbooks.  I would work on it in class (when professors allowed), between classes while studying, it was heavenly.  The issue for me was always how to carry knitting supplies without losing them.  I was really worried about carrying scissors and poking a hole in my bag or losing my nice, birch cable needles (which have been borrowed and lost by family members, but oh well).  So, over time, i have gradually put together a compact kit that i will be able to travel with and keep some of the most important knitting supplies on hand.  The biggest thing that i'm missing is the ability to carry a crochet hook in it.  Here's what i carry with my knitting:

• The case is from the Icing store at the local mall:  i got it on clearance for $2.75.
• The tape measure is from Wal-Mart, i had it on hand, it probably cost me about $1.
• The stitch holders were a gift from a family member who knows that i knit.  I have some larger ones at home, but this is a handier size and prevents me from losing my stitch markers.  Sets of 3 with varying sizes are about $3-5 new from Michaels or Hobby Lobby
• The blanket pin is what i'm going to be using until i find a shawl pin that i like well enough to splurge on.  $2 from Michaels
• Cable needle, bought in a set of 3, probably from Michaels.  Again, about $2.
• Stitch markers...i use a lot of these (and lose them, too).  I have about ten on the needles right now, three off, and have lost 7.  These are nice and flexible, and come in two sizes (in the same package) and two colors.  I prefer orange and blue to the new green and purple.  $6 for 20 at Tangle, i think they were cheaper at Michaels.
• Nail clippers, found at Big Lots...i think they were $1.  These are short enough to make it through security at an airport.
• Not pictured, but often with me, is my row counter (which i have on a keyring, so it's usually with my keychains).
• Total cost of $10-15

Skacel Addi Turbo review

It doesn't rain but it pours, so i'm going to write up my opinion about the  Addi Turbos.  I'd heard good things about them for a long time, but i'm wary of metal needles:  my first couple of pairs were too heavy, the ones i inherited from my Grandma no longer have smooth tips, and i've heard that they can explode in cars due to static electricity or some such.  However, after knitting up the Boing socks separately, months apart, and with a gauge issues that made them two slightly different sizes, i was looking for a new solution to sock knitting that wouldn't leave me wanting to quit before i've even started.  The Brittany birch dpns (though lovely) tend to be too fragile in size 1 and 2 for my klutzy ways, and they're too short to for comfort (in my opinion, 7'5" isn't long enough, let alone 5", without risking dropped sts or adding weight with point protectors that fall off anyway), so i was looking for a new solution.

I did a little research, and can definitely see that sock knitting is largely about personal preference.  Some people knit two pairs of socks on one set of dpns (one inside the other) but most people seem to knit one sock at a time on one set of dpns.  But i'm one of those people who, upon completing the first sock, despairs at the thought of starting a second.  To me, binding off = project finished = time to wear.  Which is why i had two matching socks that don't fit exactly the same way and were knit months apart from each other.  So, when i stumbled upon the idea of knitting both socks at once, on two circulars or with one long circular and a magic loop, i decided this would be the way to go for me.

Which is why i decided to buy some Addi Turbos.  They are smooth, lightweight, the cables are thin, and my Bees Toes socks knitted up quickly and like a dream.  The cables are a bit stiff, but my guess of 32" long proved to suit my needs nicely.  They're already showing a little wear, but the tips are still smooth and i anticipate creating more projects with them.  5 out of 5 stars here.

What i have discovered, however, is that my tension is very loose compared to most people (perhaps this is because i now knit Continental style, rather than English:  i know that my tension while knitting English is tighter).  I originally thought i had bought size 2s (they were on the wrong hook, i'm guessing, as it's all right next door to each other), when i really had size 1s but was getting the gauge i expected from 2s.  So i went out to buy a set of 1s only to discover that i already had that size!  I now own a pair of size 0s and would like to order some 00 and 000 eventually. I still haven't decided if i want to get the size 3 tips to match my interchangeable set or just go with another set of Turbos.  It will be a hard choice.

There is a difference in cables.  My first set was just a Turbo, and has a beige cord.  My second set was a Turbo Lace and had a light blue cord that was slightly more flexible, so i prefer using them.  They've now changed the Lace cords to red, apparently, so i have no idea if those are more or less flexible than the blue ones.

Webs Interchangeable Needles Set review

And now for some needle reviews!

This past Spring i splurged on the WEBS Interchangeable Needle Set in bamboo.  I love knitting with bamboo needles, but in the past it's been cost prohibitive to buy yarn for a new project and the corresponding needles to go along with it.  I felt this would be an excellent solution, and it sounded like a great deal when you consider that it's nine needle sizes in numerous length combinations.  I have mixed feelings about my purchase, however.

Pros:  The tips are lovely, smooth, and not too sharp, they feel sturdy, and light.  The cables are a little thicker than i would like, but very flexible considering.  The screws fasten smoothly, and don't exactly lock, rather have a firm stop.  I haven't had any issues with them unscrewing themselves like i did with the Boye metal tips that i used to knit up my Flaming Snowboard Beanie ages ago.

Meh:  The cables come in two different sizes, brass and black (or thin and thick, respectively).  Tips size 4-6 come with brass receivers, while sizes 7-11 come with black ones, which indicates "which diameter of cable should be used."  The brass cables came perfectly set up, but with the black screwed ones required me to ease them a couple of millimeters farther out of the clear cabling in order for the receivers to be able to grip the screws properly.  This was nerve racking for me, i certainly didn't want to mess up my purchase, but once i adjusted them, most have worked fine.  As it turns out, the black receivers can take the brass screws, but then the cable doesn't form a smooth fit with the female end.  The brass screw cables are narrower, so the black receivers need to have a larger diameter to accommodate the thicker cables.

Weak Cons:  Some of the numbers on the tips are already starting to wear off.  One of my size 10 1/2 tips doesn't lock on most of the cables: it just keeps turning.  It's not going to fall off, so i can still use it, but it's annoying.  The size 7 and 8 tips are very snug on some of the cables, so it's trickier getting them locked in:  i think that the 7s would have been better suited to the smaller cables, but they have the black ends.  The case isn't quite as nice as i was expecting (the quality of fabric and sewing being the issue).

I wrote in the needle sizes by hand for quicker extraction.
As you can see, i currently have three projects on needles from this set.

Huge Con:  The real issue is with the 24" black cables:  most of the tips can't even grip the screws, and when one can, the other can't.  I cannot ease the screws farther out of the cables as i did with the rest of them, and trying to use pliars only damaged the screws.  So i have one damaged 24" cable and one 24" cable that i can't use, anyway.  My fingers are sore at the moment from trying to fix this, and i'm sure that i've tried other times in the past and gave up on it.

32" (left) and 24" (right)

The knobs work fine, but are a little smaller than seems rational.  I'm always paranoid about my sts slipping over them (not that they have, it's just a mental thing for me).

The connectors seem to work fine (except on those 24" cables, which is where i wanted to use them, of course), though the brass ones don't connect as smoothly as the tips do.  They haven't snagged anything yet, but i'm extra careful around them.

So overall... i guess i'll give it 4 stars out of 5.  It really annoys me that i cannot use those 24" cables.  I don't know if ordering replacement cables would help.  The kicker is that i didn't test everything out immediately after it arrived, just gradually as i started to use it, so i feel ridiculous about e-mailing or phoning them with a complaint now.  This seems to be the best set currently available online, but there is definitely room for improvement.

correcting an oversight

I just realized that i never provided an update on the knitting that i did while in Europe.  I ended up taking my Boing socks and Dashing Evi.  I think i probably took some other sock yarn, as well (probably the Regia for Bees Toes), but i didn't get around to using it.  I spent most of my time working on the Boing socks, predominantly while on layovers in the airports, on the train from Civitavecchia to Rome and back again, on the bus from Izmir to Ephesus, and on the bus to Cairo from Alexandria.  I did go to (what was supposed to be) a knitting meetup with my sisters on the cruise one morning and worked on my socks there, but no one else showed up!  So i finished my socks in Barcelona (bound off in the hostel and wore them on the plane home) and hardly worked on Evi at all.

It's surreal to think that i have now traveled (and knit) in Europe, Asia (questionable:  the part of Turkey that we were in is generally considered to be part of Europe, i believe), and Africa (a.k.a. the Middle East).