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Knitting Friday

#1 Chiaogoo Interchangeables

I don't prowl the Amazon site (I'm looking at you, DH) but once and a while I go on to find low-priced knitting accessories in case we need a "filler" to reach the new $35 free shipping threshold. That's how I happened to find the complete set of Chiaogoo Interchangeables (US 2 through US 15) for $120. Which is a very good price since they usually sell for the small (up to US 8) or large (above US 8) for $85 each or the complete set for around $160. Luckily, I hadn't bought them (not enough reviews out there) and I gave myself an early holiday present and quickly ordered them. (5 available when I first saw them; only 3 available when I placed the order a little later.)

#2 The works

Since I love to make up theories, my theory about Amazon is that they place these teaser prices all the time to get to you to continually watch their site so that a once-in-a-lifetime bargain won't slip by.

Here's what you get inside the CI case, #2:

CIs are different from other interchangeables (at least the ones I have) in that you get small and large cable joins. So you wouldn't put a cable from the small container on a US 10 nor one from the large container on a US 7. That's a little cumbersome because you must keep the cables separated but this might be why the joins are so smooth. And smooth they are. There is no snagging. But the joins do untwist, even when you use the locking key.

#3 I have locking keys!

And talking about the locking keys: I didn't get them. I didn't get the cable ends (which creates straight needles). I didn't get the connectors to make the cables longer. Well, I thought, It was only $120. I should have thought: What a dummy you are! Because if I had looked carefully above the case's red ribbon, I would have seen the zippered compartment. In #3, you'll see the treasure trove in there.


Bottom line review: Great price, very smooth joins, unscrewing even after using the locking key on patterns with a lot of movement (k2tog, ssk, sk2p, etc.), excellent sharp points, OK flexible on their cables, not great flexible. If this were my only interchangeable set, I might pay the full price. (At $120, it's $9+ a needle tip as compared to Knit Picks at $6+ (All KP interchangeable sets have come down in price due to moving the factory to China.)

#4 Harmony wood hooks

On another foray into the Amazon, I got a mother lode of wood crochet hooks because I have no wood hooks and I thought: Why not? The answer should have been: Not. The wood hooks are OK. I like that sizes include up to N but the tips are cut differently from metal hooks and I find it needs more concentration so I'm sure not to drop the yarn. Bottom line: OK, but sometimes inexpensive means just cheap.

#5 I'm whole, before frogging

In the two weeks since my last KF, I forayed into the wonderful world of frogging. In #5 you see a thin, lace scarf I made from ends of fingering wool about 6 months ago. It was an OK scarf, but way too long and way too narrow. So I frogged the baby and here are some pictures of the kinky yarn before washing it:

#7 Curlier than a pig's tail

#6 Oh, what a tangled mess!

You can see from #6 and #7 that I have some serious washing and weighting work ahead if I want to make this skein usable in anything but the trinity stitch, which is my go-to stitch for kinky yarn.

So I soaked the skein in conditioner and cold water for a very, very long time. Then I hung it over a plastic hanger in the basement with a whole bunch of more plastic hangers hanging from the bottom of the loop, really weighing this baby down. Here's what I got:

#8 Compare me to #7

#9 I'm so pretty

As you can see, the kinks are almost gone and I was able to start a new lace scarf. But this time, I cast on 40 stitches and all the lace patterns are reversible.

Below is the start of the new scarf:

#10 New scarf, old lace

There is no pattern for #10 since I'm just collecting reversible lace patterns and working them so they all blend in (no garter/seed rows between the patterns.) I cast on 40 stitches and have two K edge stitches each side. That count is not changing. If I have to fudge the stitch count, like one pattern calls for 15x stitches, I work it this way: From the 40 stitches, I need 30 stitches for the pattern and 4 stitches for the edges so I have 6 unneeded stitches or 3 stitches each side. So, for each row: K2, K1 back loop, K 2nd stitch on the LN in the back loop then K the first stitch on the LN in the front loop for two twisted stitches, work 30 stitches of pattern, work a twisted stitch as before, K1 in the back loop as before, K2. I just have to remember that on every row the stitches bolded above must be worked as K in order to make them reversible. Easy peasy.

#12 Also frogged.

That's it for today. Next week: How Red Heart yarn with 25% wool finally found a project and it's not these two knit patterns, (#11) and (#12):

#11 So promising, so frogged

 See you next week. Happy knitting.