I am almost exactly 30 inches into my second Retro Redux, which means I am at the point where I can start decreasing needle size again for the last 8 inches. Again, I am not really sure you want pictures of black lace. How about I show you a picture when I've got the sleeves seamed and have picked up stitches for the edging and collar? It's been going quite quickly, although I know that's easy to say when I'm using worsted weight yarn on US 10.5 needles.
As an aside — when I first got the point where I needed my US 10.5 circs, I couldn't find any. Ridiculous, because I know I have made various and sundry hats, cowls, sweaters, etc., with my trusty US 10.5 needles. (Sure enough, I found a pair, tucked into the wrong pocket in my needle case. But I digress.) For a few rows, I was forced to use a pair of 10.5 straight needles. Talk about a drag. The needles were long and unwieldy and felt foreign in my hands. It wasn't long before I went on a search for a pair of circulars, and for a bit I even considered using US 11 instead of the 10.5 the pattern required. That was last week, and ever since then, I've been thinking off and on about whether or not it's worth it to keep my straight needles. I haven't used them in years, and I've been trying to come up with a scenario in which I would actually use them. I think I did donate a bunch of straight needles in medium sizes to someone in the guild who was starting a knitting club for teenagers, so I have no sizes between a US 6 and a US 9. I know I could use some of the more unique needles as some kind of decorative element, but mostly I'm curious — is there any reason to keep them? Some technique that I'm not thinking of that is easier on straights than on circs?
I've been having a lot of pool days lately, which means I'm getting quite tan (at least tan for me, anyway). I still have a lot of freckles, but I'm more tan than freckled at this point. It's been years since I've had a decent tan, so I'm quite pleased with my efforts. Work is, as ever, exhausting, but I've been trying to get out more and meet new people. I think I'm doing an OK job.
3 comments:
I also tend to use circulars for larger projects (I still love my DPNs for socks, magic loop slows me down).
However, I have recently found that the shorter straight needles (9" or so) are much better when working with laceweight; trying to scootch stitches back on to the needle is harder when the tiny tiny lace yarn gets caught on even the smallest of snags on the cable join.
But if you have no plans to do lace or don't take umbrage with your cable joins, then go ahead and ditch the straights.
I must concur with the first post - I like doing lace scarves or just plain old scarves on straights. I am also a weird straights-lover - I love swatching with straights.
Oh, btw - I know it is pleasing to be golden brown, but you might want to re-consider being tan every summer. I look at wrinkly 35 or 40 year olds and bless my whiteness. Sun + skin do not do well together in the long run. I always curse my stupidity when I get sunburned (the last two summers I got burnt, not having figured out yet that Yes, it is closer to the equator in the Bay Area than where I'm from, and Yes, one burns more quickly and easily! ARG!)
Anyhow, back to the subject - there's probably some weirdo in your guild or knitting group who'd love your straights! :-)
my straights sit in a vase collecting dust. I call it art. I can't remember the last time I used them, oh no wait. I taught a bunch of 6th grade girls to knit. Oh, I TRIED to teach a bunch of 6th grade girls to knit on them. I'd use them as decoration or donate away.
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