You guys are amazing. SO MANY wonderful floral and plant ideas – this is a blog post I’ll return to over and over again when I’m seeking ideas for botanical source inspirations!
I’m surprised that no one mentioned my own personal favorite – Mimosa!
I adore both the delicate, puff-like and brilliantly fragrant flower AND the drink. It makes me sad that it’s considered a ‘noxious weed’ here in MN (the plant, not the drink.)
There used to be a Mimosa tree in front of my apartment on W. 85th Street in NYC, the smell of those fluffy blossoms on a Spring evening was pure heaven!
The winner of Hunter’s wonderful book, The Knitter’s Curiosity Cabinet
20 Patterns Inspired by Vintage Botanical Illustrations, entirely chosen at random, is Tina, of Peacefully Knitting dot Com.
Thank you to EVERYONE for your great comments!
BEAUTIFUL NEEDLE GIVEAWAY
And now for another giveaway (I’m going to have a TON of these over the next few weeks…)
Recently while I was at TNNA I had a chance to try a new type of knitting needle from Indian Lake Artisans, with an hexagonal shape.
I’ve used various square needles (I love how they sit in my hands and don’t turn around as I knit) but these hexagonal ones were new to me.
They were lovely – absolutely charming, rubbed to a beautiful, rich beeswaxy glow with adorable copper ornaments at the ends (hand made in Michigan.)
The first time I used these Indian Lake Artisans needles they felt oddly familiar, then I realized I was essentially holding an elegant version of my old Ticonderoga #2 yellow pencil.
Here’s a bit about the needles from Indian Lake Artisan’s website:
All of our knitting needles are handmade with great care and attention to detail. Each needle is sanded by hand and finished with natural beeswax that enhances the color and grain of the wood. The walnut, cherry and birch wood that we use is very light in weight and warm to the touch.
I was given a pair to give away, size 9 (5.5mm) 14″ carved in cherry wood and embellished with a wonderful pair of rowboats at the ends.
These can be yours (if you’re lucky AND you leave a comment!)
In the comments section of my blog, tell me what type of needles you generally like to use, or what type is difficult for you to use…
(Or some other pertinent bit of your own personal needle-related lore! Be creative!)
I’ll also throw in a ball of Valley Yarns 100% Wool Greenwich so the lucky winner will have something to put ON the needles. This is a GORGEOUS yarn, soft and lofty, in a steady, neutral dark tan that would make a great short collar, cowl or hat for a man or a woman.
Shipping Disclosure: If you live in the States and your comment is selected at random, I’ll send these out to you (I’ll contact you later for your address)Â If you’re out of the USA, I’ll ask you for $5 to offset international shipping (I’ll cover the other $5, we can split the $10 international shipping charge.)
After all, what are new needles without some new yarn?
A COOL PROJECT
If you enjoy weaving, high tech stuff AND documentaries (this is starting to sound like an unusual personal ad) then this project will be right up your alley.
Coded Stories will document the artwork of Guillermo Bert, who uses bar codes in his pieces. The Coded Stories Project will examine the work of the Mapuche people, a little-known group in Chile, while raising issues of loss of identity, globalization, and modernization that affect all of us.
Mapuche women still craft their remarkable textiles in the generations-old manner, weaving patterns of intricate geometric shapes that almost bear a relationship to … bar codes?
If this sounds interesting to you, you can be part of the funding of this project by visiting The Coded Stories Project kickstarter page and becoming a backer.
Personally, I cannot WAIT to see the finished documentary, but then I tend to like stories about indigenous peoples, high tech stuff, weaving, piña coladas and long walks by the beach…
Sorry, I got my blog post mixed up with a darned personal ad again…
My tool kit is stuffed to capacity with Addi Turbos and Lace tips. However I recently acquired a set of Hiya Hiya interchangeable needles and they go with me everywhere I go. I love them to pieces!
Beautiful needles…I am not loyal to any one kind…depends on the project.
Most often I use circs because I am a bit of a klutz with straights!
My current favorite needles are Knitpicks Harmony interchangeable circulars. I like the way a sweater’s weight sits in my lap and isn’t held up by my wrists, the grab-i-ness of the wood on the wool and the way the cables don’t curl up. However, having just stuggled to complete a cardigan using the 10mm(!) tips, I must say that I find the tips too short when they get into the larger needle sizes, probably because they become all needle tip and no shaft. They could have done with the shaft being 2 or 3 inches longer. My hands kept cramping.
Since the finished cardigan came out too tight, I’ve decided to frog it and reknit the body. That means another two weeks of cramping hands. [ Sigh ] Still, it’ll be worth it in the end.
I love wooden needles. Part of the knitting pleasure is to see the way color of yarn and tones in the wood talk to each other while I knit!
Needles! Needles! Needles! I like a variety of wood/bamboo and metal. My favorite for small guage knitting is Kollage Square in circular and especially in double points. Even in the smallest guage, they are strong and don’t get too bendy. And they have a brushed surface so the grip yarn almost like wood – the best of both. I also have a set of Colonial Rosewood interchangables which I love.
I like a variety of needles, although circs and dpns are my go-to’s. Bamboo, metal, wood – all good, depending upon the project. Clover, Susan Bates, Knit Picks, Addis, and Signature – all in my stash, together with the 10-cent store ones I inherited from my grandmother.
I actually haven’t met a needle type except the really old aluminum
ones AND the square ones that I dont like so I am intrigued
by these!
BTW, thanks for the fabulous links on the post about the coded stories projects — off to read those now!
I love my addi clicks, but I also love to knit with rosewood needles. When it comes to double points, I like ’em metal and square. But knitting with ticonderoga pencils, that would definitely be old-school.
I’m probably too late for the giveaway, but I am really behind in my blog reading! I usually use knitpicks interchangeables, but I have been having some hand arthritis issues, so I bought some of the Knitter’s Pride square interchangeables. I also have issues with my gauge, (continental knitter) and these are suppose to help gauge too. My purl is MUCH looser than my knit stitch. I try to do everything I can in the round, but can’t always figure it out!
What needles do I like to use? Actually I like most of the ones I have tried. I have Knit Picks Harmony. Addi. Hiya Hiya. Signature dpns. Assorted bamboo. Straights. Circulars. Dpns. I made a sweater using 1 curved aluminum (originally straight) & 1 plastic needle because they happened to be the only 2 size 10 needles I had when I cast on & they worked fine so I just kept knitting with them. I have a few VERY old needles that I am not crazy about, but sometimes they are fine as well.
When I started knitting I had a love affair with bamboo needles. A few years later I purchased a set of metal needles and now prefer them. I have metal circulars in 3 sizes now.
Just learned “lever” knitting and very interested in these longer needles. I think they would work beautifully! They are lovely too!
I just got my first set of Knitpicks Options interchangeable circulars, the nickel plated ones. I love them! I also love wooden or bamboo needles, especially when the weather is hot – they don’t absorb and give back as much heat from my hands as metal ones do.
I learned the basics of knitting and crocheting from my mom. But I learned the “tricks” from self-teach books. I have found a book in the library today and it had a ton of links in it. From one link to another I found your website. I really do enjoy the dedication you have for the craft. I’m still relatively young (28 next Sunday) and I think it’s important that young people learn crafts and get to be creative. I’m absolutely glad that the crafts are so trendy at the moment! I feel inspired to pick up my needles again (the small ones, because I do barbie sized miniatures) 😀 I’m going to bookmark this blog!
I’m pretty much a addi addict. But, I would love some beautiful straight needles. Sometimes form is what I’m looking for, not just function…
I love Knit Picks too much. These look lovely and I do need some 9’s for something.
I love knitting with wooden needles – Dreamz interchangeable and DPN’s are my current favorites. I just love the colors.
I typically use metal needles, but I like wooden as well. I’m knitting with a pair of square dpns right now, and they’re bending. I don’t know if this is the needles’ fault of the fact that the sock fabric seems to be denser than normal. Thanks for the giveaway!