@@cloknits I gotta admit, it’s the cable needles. They fall out anyway. I use the No cable needles method myself. I have also used Bobby pins. The ridges hold the stitches tight. And the needle stoppers. And the counters. And the straight needles. I think we all do what you do lol.
I agree with you on almost every one of those gadgets . . . except the straight needles. I was taught to knit on straight needles, I’ve continued to knit on them and have a large collection now. A week ago I saw a beautiful dress at a yarn show and just HAD to buy it. Oh oh. Circular needles needed. 😱 You are now showing me how to knit continental style, after 70 years of using straight needles it’s a bit of a shock to say the least 😂
I LOVE my yarn bowl. I mostly knit at home and enjoy looking at the beautiful wood bowl that I purchased from a talented woodworker. I do use project bags when I leave the house and take my knitting with me. But at home it’s the yarn bowl.
A lifetime knitting on straights, then, one day, realising that circulars evened out my tension issues and were just better for everything. Never going back to straights. Thanks for creating and sharing!
Thank you, it’s so interesting to hear another perspective. I have a beautiful handmade yarn bowl that I bought from a potter. I love using it for big projects that I’ll only be working on in one place, as you said. I think of it more as a piece of art and a memory of my vacation. I also have one of the wristlet yarn holders and I do use it for car and plane travel when knitting on projects with mini skeins. Otherwise, I see your points on the other gadgets. Love your videos!
I’ve been knitting for about 43 years and only started using circulars a few years ago. I learned from my mom and used the longest needles available because we hold one needle under our right arm and throw the yarn to make stitches but one day I made a hat that was knit in the round and learned to knit by pulling the yarn with my needle and I found it so convenient that I almost got rid of all my straight needles but I hold on to them out of nostalgia and fear of needing them at a certain point.
I’ve been knitting for about 51 years and crocheting about 57 years and I have never had a desire for a yarn bowl. I think they’re unnecessary, but that’s just my opinion. They’re unnecessary for me.
For knitting I either use the yarn from the centre of the ball, but if that is not an option I use my wool winder. This gives a nice stable ‘reel’ effect and all the balls stay still. Depending on how many colours are in use at any one time I put them in a paper tray, all used from the centre they stay where they were put.
Thank you! I always look forward to your videos. I am a new knitter (just a few months), and have crocheted for 50+ years. My yarn "bowl" is a plastic bag, the top of which gets tied so as to keep the yarn inside, except for the strand of working yarn. Since I do most of my knitting and crocheting while sitting, this can rest on the floor without getting any pet hair on it. I do have a digital ring row counter that I only use for knitting. I find it convenient because I can wear on my index finger and just hit the button with my thumb. As for keeping my stitches on, I pop a safety pin between the holes of my circulars as you described with the bulb stitch marker. I own cable needles but have never used them. Of course, I am not confident enough in my skills to do anything other than very basic cables. Again, thank you for your tips.
Wow, that tip about putting the light bulb marker through the holes of interchangeable needles is brilliant! I'm definitely going to start using that. I do have needle stoppers (but basic ones; I don't need or want the pricier cute ones) and use them as well as rubber bands. Both work well but I love your idea, too.
I've used ear plugs I've had on airline before now but don't really use them as I push the project into the centre of the interchangeables . Would never use straight needles!
Learned on straights, started using circular (for everything!) discovered interchangeable and now have several sets (2 wood, 2 metal, and a set of sort of imitation wood) that i primarily use. Then I discovered the Skacel Rocket 2 (squared) that I truly love. No yarn bowl, lots of bags. Use row counters when knitting lace and stitch markers for same. I also use stitch markers on flat stockinette to tell my brain when on purl rows to knit last three or four stitches. Use stitch stoppers only when I have to as the cats tend to steal them. The ones I have are very basic. Your idea of putting stitch markers through the holes on interchangeables is super smart. So glad I found your channel!
I have a yarn bowl and I LOVE it. I use it almost always - but I can understand why other people wouldn't. The yarn bowls that are sold in most stores are way too small. Sure you can special order larger ones - but then there's cost. My little brother made me this one in Shop class 16 years ago. So I feel I got lucky with the one I've got.
I only use circular needles, too and when absolutely necessary I like double pointed needles, but I am very different than you on other things. I don’t know what ai would do without my mats and pins 😊. I enjoy my yarn bowl, too. It takes zero effort to pick up my yarn and project and put in in a bag. I think a lot has to do with lifestyle. I am elderly and wouldn’t be caught dead walking and knitted (or may I should rephrase and say I might be dead if Indid that. 😂😂). I can’t risk falling. The last two times I fell I broke something. The last one kept me from picking up a needle or crochet hook for 1.5 years. 😊 I did enjoy your video though. It’s interesting to see what works for some people. I especially liked hearing you talk about about cables. I don’t do that much and when I do I’ve used double pointed needles even though I have the cable stick holders.
Thanks for sharing! Like you, I love watching videos and going "wow everyone does things I'm different ways". Most important is the fact that you love what you do and how you do it.
Interesting video. I do use a yarn bowl, cable needle and stitch stoppers. All other items you mentioned completely agree they are also unnecessary for me. I also do not use those stitch holders that look like big safety pins.
Love your videos. I do use the very short straight needles for very small items but i use circular for everything else. I only ever knit at home and wouldn't be without my note book and pen so when i have a few things on the go i always know exactly where i left off.
Merci beaucoup,Clo. Not negative at all. You speak the truth. I subscribe to many of your tips/practices and there is no need for purchases for the sake of. Go well in your days. You offer much with your enjoyable videos.C'est vrai.🙏👋🌏❤xx
I like the straight needles for scarves and practicing new stitches. I learned quickly with larger projects why everybody uses circular or double ended needles, though.
Ahhh, Straights! Once circs came into my life… so much easier !! 9”circs for socks + saved for a long time for C.G. Interchangeable set. I actually DID have to dig for a cable needle! Fingering wt, kinda slippery yarn, 2-st (or 3??4??) cable… finally found them (wooden set)!!! Very different from heavier yarn, sweater w oh-so-yummy cables! Didn’t need any extra needles there! For socks, I use bulb markers every 20 rnds (or, rather, knit til where I “think” I need to stop…then put in markers). The cute stitch stoppers are my treat for not getting (more!!) things I don’t “realllly” need…ahem. What is that…a new sweater…I see ??? Thanks! Keep kool! Keep Knitting!!
I do projects often from a particular designer and she changes colors and patterns often. They’re fun. But for me, I definitely need a counter of some kind because things change so often and I find counting does a pain.
The stuff I’ve used the most are things I’ve had since I was a little girl - we learned crafts very young. And I have all of it! Straight, circular, hooks, needles, you name it. Each thing has a purpose. And sentimental value for sure.
Same here, yarn bowls are silly, I use a big vintage bowl from my great aunt. It's place is on the table and whenever I have time I sit and run through a couple of rows. It's amazing how quickly projects knit up for me. All these trendy things cost money I could be using to buy more yarn. Thanks for this video.
I'm good with your choices with the caveat do what works for, or just pleases, you. I do urge people not to be too fast to rid themselves of all their straights especially if you're having problems with your hands . Weight depends on if you're knitting seamless or seamed and knitting English cottage style with your right needle held under your arm, allows knitting with very little gripping at all. Then again people don't always jump at changing their knitting technique. It's sort of like having to crawl after knowing how to run. Sometimes you have to.
The tool I don't use is stitch markers specifically for knitting (the circle ones that don't open) as someone who is both a crocheter and a knitter it makes more sense for me to buy the locking ones for my crochet and just use it for knitting as well. I also only ever use my blocking mat for crochet granny squares when I want them all the same size and basically never for any other crochet or knitting project... def agree blocking mats aren't necessary
Great episode Clo...AGREE to all except i do have a ceramic yarn bowl which is substantial and BEAUTIFUL which i dont use to much but LOVE. It was made by a local potter to my specs so very special to me. It is always on the floor next to my knitting chair, never on top of a table. I dont use it a lot but love it. I also use my knit picks blocking pins instead of individual straight pins on most sweaters that i am drying flat. Love those. I use dollar store bags for most of my projects and have a substantial amout of light bulbs pins for marking my rows. Have never used a counter. Pencil and paperworks for me. Again, dollar store. 50 of them for $4(?). Have always used circular and dpn's, never straight needles for the last 17yrs. Enjoyed this episode! Thank you! 🥰🇨🇦Sharon.
I agree with most of these. I do, however, like to use a cable needle when I'm crossing 3 or more stitches. It's not that I can't cross more stitches without a needle, it's that I find it faster if I use one. My row counter is a pencil and paper. One thing I never use is a lifeline. I'm okay with ripping back until I'm a row or two away from the mistake and then undoing the remaining row(s) more slowly. I prefer to use straight needles. Even though my hands are small, I hold my needles a fair way back from the tip and circular needles are just too short for me to hold comfortably. It's great to learn what other crafters use and the reasons they like or dislike them.
Enjoyed this and agree with all you said. The less I need to buy for my hobby the better. I just use paper and pen to count rows. I recently purchased a Norwegian thimble and I'm giving that a try...I think I like it and it prevents all the yarn twisting I used to have with colour work. I think my stitches are more regular but we'll see once I finish this hat.
Let me know how you liked the thimble. I couldn't make it work for me, it's too big, it twists on my finger and overall I have better control of the yarn without.
@@cloknits It's working for me. I ordered it from Amazon and received two sizes in the package. The larger one fits perfectly. I figure if it loosens I can put some tape or putty on the inside to make it smaller.
I learned to knit on the long needles when I was little, but I never liked it. I really started knitting as an adult, when a friend introduced me to interchangable circular wooden needles. I dont use most of the other things you mentioned. However, I started to use the caps, or how to call it, mainly because i like knitting small rounds in double pointed needles and I kept losing stitches. I also intend to buy a small row counter to use on needles, because I feel like an idiot counting rows all the time. I am not that careful and my socks tend to come out a few rows different. I always take comfort in reminding myself that two feet are never the same size, either 🙈
Thank you for sharing your yarn tool thoughts…as a knitter since childhood now pushing retirement, I have a lifetimes’ worth of tools I am now decluttering. As my life and career changed, I found my yarn bowls collecting dust and I use project bags. I think that wrist yarn holder thing is the silliest😂 for me. I too never use yarn counters! I am keeping 1 yarn bowl just for posterity’s sake and maybe as I grow older I’ll be knitting more often on my craft table and be more sedentary…yeah, right😂😂😂
Agree with everything you say, except the cable needle! Sometimes we can get clogged up with too much stuff! My project bags are all recycled cloth bags, i love them because they are flexible so can be stuffed into other bags etc
I got a set of interchangeable needles a few years ago on a good buy, and I HATE them. The points are so long, plus the inch-plus long connectors on each end of the cable, that it is literally impossible to knit with any of the cables shorter than 16". As a result, I have circs in the lengths I need for each project, purchased as I need them.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your interchangeable needles, they aren't cheap most of the time. I swear by my Chiaogoo and Lantern Moon interchangeable.
My favorite thing is a Darth Vader bucket to collect candy for Halloween. It’s big enough to hold yarn and a project like a shawl or scarf. The bucket hangs on a hook that is glued to the edge of my desk on my right.
I just knit a small bag for my hip to feed the yarn from. A different bag is used to hold that and the project if it's big enough not to fit in the small feeder hip bag attached by a clip of carabineer.
I agree with your take on knitting tools. Marketing has gotten really ridiculous these days with everything. I have in the past bought into some of these tools and then found I never used them. I have others that I need to donate. I have also gotten very clear on what it is that I do knit. I am a practical knitter now and I won't knit things I don't actually wear, and I don't knit for others. I'm a perfectionist and it's too anxiety producing to knit for someone else. 🤣🤣🤣
I definitely still use my straight needles. I have straights in basically every size up to 14. I use them for scarfs, towels and washcloths. Or anything smaller width.
Unless I’m knitting in the round or knitting something that’s very big, I don’t use circular needles. One of WIPs is a shawl that needs to be knitted on circular needles because of the length. I have a Chevron Afghan on my “to make” list that would also require circular needles.
Some knitting bowls can be $100. It’s cheaper to use a soup bowl from your kitchen cabinet. The needle stoppers are cute. My cats think so too and bat them along the floor like a hockey stick. Such fun! Straight needles always roll into the sofa so you have to dig them out. Interchangeable needles come with a stopper if you want to convert them into straights. I put the stoppers on if I want to knit another project with the same size needles. Just put your second WIP on another cable.😊
Agree with all of these - the bags are so much better because I can toss three project bags into my luggage and have a variety of things to work on. That's too many bowls to take along 🤓
Yes I'm a big fan of the bag too! Reminds me I need to make another to replace one I lost! It was the little one perfect for socks. I have been using one that doesn't have a good handle since I lost it :(
I always think I want a beautiful yarn bowl, but then I remember how heavy they are and that I’d have to keep a project bag for notions still and that just adds the things I have to maintain when I want to knit. I have cable needles and never use them. If I need a cable needle then I use a DPN. I try to have multiple purpose tools, my blocking mat is an irons pad, and my pins are pins for sewing.
I do like to use needle tips. I've lost too many stitches from falling off the tips of needles. I'm not very good at picking up stitches after they're off.
I do cable without cable needles, but on occasions, when the cables are large or when my fiber is splitty, I do use cable needles. I have a yarn bowl (offered by a friend) it serves more as a notions/pen holder, but an accessory I use all the time since I got is ia a" Lemonwood Mini Minder Original" perfect for car knitting or knitting outside, walking and knitting, perfect to keep the linen balls from getting all tangled, at home I aslo use my yarn buddy quite a lot. I use very plain row counters, my eyes are not so good anymore and when I knit with dark yarn or fuzzy yran it is a bit harder for me to read my knitting. I always use my knittng mat and pins to block, I have little space at home so the mats go on the bed during the day and switch to the kitchen table at night when something thick takes a long time to dry. 😉 I often knit big lace shawls on my too small cables, so I do use stitch blokers a lot, I also use my cylindrical needle keeper for tiny needles or wooden needles especially when I travel.
I agree with you on the straight needles and the wrist yarn holder but as someone who isn’t the best knitter I need all the help I can get. So I have all kinds of gadgets to help me knit better.
You’re so right about Blocking…… you go to so much trouble to knit or crochet something that know one else has , the stitches and loops look textured and crunchy ! You block it then it looks lifeless, flat and just like a shop bought sweater. Anix🍓
Hi, your videos are very helpful. I have never used circular needles and would like to. The weight on the needle gives me shoulder problems. I wonder if you use a specific brand? Or you can recommend, which material is best and which sizes do you use most?
I personally love metal needles and Chiaogoo are my favorite brand. For wood needles I like the Lantern Moon. When it comes to sizes, it really is dependant on what you like to knit, maybe think about what you made most in the last years to figure out what sizes would be best for you. Or buy the sizes one at a time for the pattern you want to make.
Bonjour, j’ai utilisé des aiguilles à torsades avant de connaître la technique pour s’en passer grâce à ta vidéo, merci de rendre le tricot plus agréable!
I'm with you with using what I have around the house and getting creative. I'm curious about your cable method, though, do you use something as a substitute for a cable needle or use nothing at all? I'd love to see a demo of how you cable. I'm embarking on an all-over cable sweater and I'd love to think I could ditch the cable needle all together!
I coveted my DSIL’s yarn bowl that she purchased years ago. It was beautiful! She didn’t knit and proudly kept it on an end table. It started collecting keys, pens, and miscellaneous items. I like center pull yarn also and realized the bowl was useless to me. Money saved. I hated straight needles also and didn’t know why. I have a nice collection of circular needles and don’t need yarn stoppers as I just push my project to the center and half knot my circulars to keep the project from sliding off.
I use my knitting needles only when I make squares to sew together for a blanket. Those are the only thing I use my blocking boards for as well and that's to make shure my tension was right for my squares and they are all the same size.
My mother used 14” single point needles exclusively. She knitted hats, mittens, and scarves. I use the same pattern for the K2P2 hat Mom and her mother always used, but on 16” circulars. I hate sewing the seams together. It was a happy surprise to discover that it’s quicker just to knit round and round than to use the 14” single points.
I cut a 1 inch plastic tube , the type in the fish tank for pumping air as my stitches stopper to avoid stitches slip off the needle, it works very well.
I have a yarn bowl which has a swirl to put yarn through - Which I don’t do! I hand-roll each of my yarns into balls before use, just place the yarn in the bowl and don’t use the holes at all because that is so damn annoying! So, I use the yarn bowl until I’ve finished that knitting session and then put it away in a project bag (I have about 7 canvas bags I use for knitting projects only) I use the bowl mostly to lessen cat hair being stuck to the yarn. And I love stitch stoppers/point protectors especially having cats, if I leave my knitting for one minute they kick it off my chair. LOL!… My old/new sewing/knitting accessories obsession are my needle minder magnets. I used to cross stitch every day, and started collecting fun needle minders then I sold them because I took up knitting and now I’ve started collecting them again and using them when sewing up my knitting! 😅
I use a little wastebasket for my yarn. When I need to take my knitting with me I just pop my project into the basket with the balls of yarn and then pop the whole thing in my knitting bag. I carry other things in my bag so I don’t want to just put my project straight into the bag. The little wastebasket only takes up 1/2 my bag so there’s still room to put my notions pouch and other assorted items I may want to take with me. At home I just keep the wastebasket on the floor beside me and it works great!
I don’t use cable needles either bc the sizes are usually too small. I use one of my crochet needles that’s about the same size as my knitting needles . I love that the pointy end slips the stitches really easily and the opposite ends knits very well with the knitting needle. Also it doesn’t get lost easily
I don't like circular needles very much so I use straight needles all the time lol big fan of doing anything with a small enough circumference on DPNs. circular needles are only cool when the piece is so big that you don't have to pull out the cable anymore and can just go round and round and round (and I wouldn't want to knit a sweater in the round on DPNs, just too big) I did buy a yarn bowl and regret it. I do love my row counters, but I use ones designed to be used in sports where you press a very satisfying button (made of metal)
Hi,I am new to your channel. I was wondering what pattern are you wearing? It definitely looks like something I would love to have in my handmade wardrobe.
The row counter I use is something I made. It has beads 0-9 with jump rings between each number. I put the needle through the jump rings for counting and switch to the next ring on each row. I also have two sets of beads 0-9 on clips that I can add at the very end to make numbers 10-999. No one can mess up my row counting or walk off with my clicker.
My partner got me a yarn bowl for Christmas. I don’t have the heart to tell them I’d rather not use it but it was such a thoughtful gift so I’m an unapologetic bowl user now 😂
Same. My husband put a lot of thought into finding one he thought I would like, and it is beautiful. I do use it for sock knitting, it seems to even out my tension just that bit more.
def agree with this! i still use straight needles since im a noob (trying to save for some interchangeable/circular but here at my country are very pricey ☹️) so when i tried cable knitting i used one of them instead of the cable needle. i tried once the knitting safety pin thingy (mine is 10cm long) but it was unconfortable for me to use, i should try with crochet hook (as one of the comments said) to see how it goes. also, one thing i absolutely hate, is plastic knitting needles. i bought once some 2.5mm plastic needles (they were on sale lol) but they bend so much im worried that if i knit with these they end up breaking in middle of a project. i also have a 2mm plastic crochet hook and have a similar experience, though with crochet i feel more "safe" since the hook doesnt have to carry the weight of the project you knoww. also, with both the needles and the hook, there are some uneven parts (i assume it could be bc they make them on a mold?) and the yarn gets in these parts and end up breaking some parts of the yarn. way more comfortable using aluminium ones while still being in the "cheap" side of needles/crochet hooks
I have a counter app on my phone. No worries that someone will change the numbers on the counter. I have glaucoma with a major vision loss. It's too difficult to try to look at the knitting and count rows.
when knitting from a cake, I prefer to pull from the middle. I do like to use a yarn bra. 1) reduces yarn barf 2) keeps the cake clean & 3) outer tail doesn't come loose
Vraiment d’accord avec toi,il y a tellement de superflus dans certaines présentations Nous sommes capables de réaliser de beaux tricots avec peu d’accessoires Merci de nous sensibiliser
This row counter is very intriguing! After watching your video ive been trying to find it online but cant find it anywhere. Could you give me some clue ?
I agree that you don't need a yarn bowl however I think that we have different views of the purpose of the bowl. I my world the purpose is for when pulling from the outside of the skein/ball the ball is contained inside the bowl rather that rolling all over, not for storing projects or taking along. I don't use cable needles however I did use a dpn at one point when using slippery yarn since I keep dropping the stitches when cabling one of the ways.
You are right that the purpose is for keeping yarn in place. Since I always center pull, I don't have the need to keep it in place so I forget that for some people it's necessary. I still feel like my bag could serve the same purpose though. ❤️
To count rows, there’s an app you can install on your Apple Watch (if you own one), and it comes very helpful when you’re doing icords or things like that, otherwise, I just measure my work, and based on the swatch I know approximately how close I am to what the pattern is saying and when I’m about close enough, I count my rows just to be sure.
I love my yarn bowl. I have a dog who sheds constantly and it keeps the yarn from rolling around and attracting dog hair like a damned magnet. It also keeps the yarn from rolling around uncontrollably. I always wind my yarn into a ball and don’t use a center pull cake. Just my preference. I don’t like to use the center pull balls. They collapse at the end and that just doesn’t work for me. I’ve been knitting for about 50 years and I actually like winding my yarn by hand. I feel like I know my yarn by the end of the skein.
Hi, I never use cable needles either, they hinder me so much, twisting the stitches over is so easy and quick. I wish I could get on with the interchangeable needles but I always seem to have a problem with the knitting coming off smoothly from the plastic to the rigid metal piece, they frustrate me so much. Other than that I’m on the same page as you with everything else. Like minded people. I look forward to watching your other videos, as I have just discovered you. ❤
Like every other tool, there are interchangeable needles that work better than others. I love Chiaogoo and Lantern Moon, they both have a really smooth join.
I do think that yarn bowls are unnecessary and I mostly use bags, but a friend 3D printed me a really cool dragon yarn bowl and I use it almost daily mostly because it's cute, it reminds me that I have awesome friends and it's convenient that I can stash my needles, hooks, cable needles, stitch markers and other bits and bobs that I don't want to lose track of in it. I mostly use it for "home projects", but if I want to take my current "bowl project" on out on the go I just toss the whole thing in my knitting bag.
I cannot use circular needles, despite trying on multiple occasions. I also cannot use metal needles of any form - they cause me severe wrist pain. Wood or bamboo are fine to use.
i do not use a yarn bowl unless i am at home with a Swift wound ball of yarn (never with a pull skein) , like you i have a bag when i am going places with a project. I don't use cable needles, i take a 4" dpn (double pointed needle) in the appropriate size. I made my own row counters with beads, bead wire and small lobster claws. I only pin to rough block something, pretty much anti-conformity when it comes to my piece work. I inherited 24 pairs of straight needles of different lengths from one of my grandmothers...didn't knit much until i i found cabled needles.
I have none of the things that you say you don't use other than an old cable needle that I don't use. I use circular needles, I count my rows or read my knitting to see where I am on a pattern/pattern repeat. I do cables a lot but do them without cable needles. My wips are in zip lock or grocery bags. Also no ball winders. I use my hand or a paper towel roll to wind my yarn if needed.
I love knitting gadgets but I have to restrain myself from buying them cause I know that most of them can be easily replaced by everyday-use items. The only thing I don't save on are knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn.
Have you tried magic loop (using two circulars instead of dpns)? On the one hand, I think magic loop distorts the knitting, but on the other, something with a really short turn radius (like the finger of a glove, or the arm of a doll sweater) seems to need a dpn every third stitch to not distort even more than magic loop...
@@webwarren I have and wasn’t a big fan. I actually found the technique to be very frustrating, probably because I’m more comfortable with dpns and mainly knit socks, gloves, wrist warmers, and lace shawls.
I don’t use straights, row counters, expensive bags or fancy stitch markers. With regard to blocking though…..isn’t it better to lay your knitting out to dry onto something that will allow water to evaporate (heated floor, foam mats, plastic) rather then soak up moisture (towels, bed etc.)?
I've also been knitting for over 50 years so ... I'm with you on the yarn bowl, I have so many project bags (I also sew). I didn't know blocking was a thing until the internet and social media happened, I knit, I wear, I wash. Job done. I use row counters, they fit on the end of my long straight needles, I can and do use circular needles for working in the round or for holding tons of stitches but it feels weird and I knit much slower with a looser tension. My natural knitting style is apparently Northern English Lever style, I use the longer needles because the right hand working needle is held under the arm, and the right hand only holds the yarn and taps the needle tip to complete the stitch,
I usually use a yarn bowl, but then, I can’t move around when I knit. I’m not that good. 😂 Plus, I’m usually sitting on the couch and we have dogs, so it keeps my yarn from getting covered with fur. I use bags when I want to take my project with me, so they are great and agree - never use the holes. Why cut yarn if you don’t have to? 🤷🏻♀️ I do use counters, stoppers, and cable needles, but it’s just my preference and I don’t do enough cable to be able to without.
Which tool do you never use? Is there one in my list that surprised you?
@@cloknits I gotta admit, it’s the cable needles. They fall out anyway. I use the No cable needles method myself. I have also used Bobby pins. The ridges hold the stitches tight. And the needle stoppers. And the counters. And the straight needles. I think we all do what you do lol.
Where do we find those bags, please?
@@YehowahDaughter I like Jesabelle B on etsy and Dolphina Collective
@@YehowahDaughter Walmart or Amazon
carries them.
I agree with you on almost every one of those gadgets . . . except the straight needles. I was taught to knit on straight needles, I’ve continued to knit on them and have a large collection now.
A week ago I saw a beautiful dress at a yarn show and just HAD to buy it. Oh oh. Circular needles needed. 😱 You are now showing me how to knit continental style, after 70 years of using straight needles it’s a bit of a shock to say the least 😂
I LOVE my yarn bowl. I mostly knit at home and enjoy looking at the beautiful wood bowl that I purchased from a talented woodworker. I do use project bags when I leave the house and take my knitting with me. But at home it’s the yarn bowl.
I will always love a beautifully made wood anything!
Agree love the beauty in the wood of my bowl. But it’s also to keep my cat from playing with the yarn.
I would love to see a video of you doing cables (not just a basic one) without cable needles!
Great video! All my wood knitting needles are now nicely arranged in a pretty vase decorating a shelf in my craft room.
Great idea!
A lifetime knitting on straights, then, one day, realising that circulars evened out my tension issues and were just better for everything. Never going back to straights. Thanks for creating and sharing!
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, it’s so interesting to hear another perspective. I have a beautiful handmade yarn bowl that I bought from a potter. I love using it for big projects that I’ll only be working on in one place, as you said. I think of it more as a piece of art and a memory of my vacation. I also have one of the wristlet yarn holders and I do use it for car and plane travel when knitting on projects with mini skeins. Otherwise, I see your points on the other gadgets. Love your videos!
I’ve been knitting for about 43 years and only started using circulars a few years ago. I learned from my mom and used the longest needles available because we hold one needle under our right arm and throw the yarn to make stitches but one day I made a hat that was knit in the round and learned to knit by pulling the yarn with my needle and I found it so convenient that I almost got rid of all my straight needles but I hold on to them out of nostalgia and fear of needing them at a certain point.
I’ve been knitting for about 51 years and crocheting about 57 years and I have never had a desire for a yarn bowl. I think they’re unnecessary, but that’s just my opinion. They’re unnecessary for me.
Same for me.
I got a yarn bowl. It is handy to keep yarn balls from rolling off my lap into the floor. May be handy for fair isle to.
For knitting I either use the yarn from the centre of the ball, but if that is not an option I use my wool winder. This gives a nice stable ‘reel’ effect and all the balls stay still. Depending on how many colours are in use at any one time I put them in a paper tray, all used from the centre they stay where they were put.
Yarn bowl=dust catcher
@@brendamoore1190 sad but true in my case
I’m only one year into my knitting journey and I agree with all of your comments except my blocking mat and pins, I find them very useful, good video❤
Thank you! I always look forward to your videos.
I am a new knitter (just a few months), and have crocheted for 50+ years. My yarn "bowl" is a plastic bag, the top of which gets tied so as to keep the yarn inside, except for the strand of working yarn. Since I do most of my knitting and crocheting while sitting, this can rest on the floor without getting any pet hair on it.
I do have a digital ring row counter that I only use for knitting. I find it convenient because I can wear on my index finger and just hit the button with my thumb.
As for keeping my stitches on, I pop a safety pin between the holes of my circulars as you described with the bulb stitch marker.
I own cable needles but have never used them. Of course, I am not confident enough in my skills to do anything other than very basic cables.
Again, thank you for your tips.
Thank you for the great comment
Wow, that tip about putting the light bulb marker through the holes of interchangeable needles is brilliant! I'm definitely going to start using that. I do have needle stoppers (but basic ones; I don't need or want the pricier cute ones) and use them as well as rubber bands. Both work well but I love your idea, too.
I always have those pins laying around!
I've used ear plugs I've had on airline before now but don't really use them as I push the project into the centre of the interchangeables . Would never use straight needles!
Learned on straights, started using circular (for everything!) discovered interchangeable and now have several sets (2 wood, 2 metal, and a set of sort of imitation wood) that i primarily use. Then I discovered the Skacel Rocket 2 (squared) that I truly love. No yarn bowl, lots of bags. Use row counters when knitting lace and stitch markers for same. I also use stitch markers on flat stockinette to tell my brain when on purl rows to knit last three or four stitches. Use
stitch stoppers only when I have to as the cats tend to steal them. The ones I have are very basic.
Your idea of putting stitch markers through the holes on interchangeables is super smart.
So glad I found your channel!
Thank you for leaving a comment, it's always appreciated.
I have a yarn bowl and I LOVE it. I use it almost always - but I can understand why other people wouldn't. The yarn bowls that are sold in most stores are way too small. Sure you can special order larger ones - but then there's cost. My little brother made me this one in Shop class 16 years ago. So I feel I got lucky with the one I've got.
I only use circular needles, too and when absolutely necessary I like double pointed needles, but I am very different than you on other things. I don’t know what ai would do without my mats and pins 😊. I enjoy my yarn bowl, too. It takes zero effort to pick up my yarn and project and put in in a bag. I think a lot has to do with lifestyle. I am elderly and wouldn’t be caught dead walking and knitted (or may I should rephrase and say I might be dead if Indid that. 😂😂). I can’t risk falling. The last two times I fell I broke something. The last one kept me from picking up a needle or crochet hook for 1.5 years. 😊 I did enjoy your video though. It’s interesting to see what works for some people. I especially liked hearing you talk about about cables. I don’t do that much and when I do I’ve used double pointed needles even though I have the cable stick holders.
Thanks for sharing! Like you, I love watching videos and going "wow everyone does things I'm different ways". Most important is the fact that you love what you do and how you do it.
Interesting video. I do use a yarn bowl, cable needle and stitch stoppers. All other items you mentioned completely agree they are also unnecessary for me. I also do not use those stitch holders that look like big safety pins.
Love your videos. I do use the very short straight needles for very small items but i use circular for everything else. I only ever knit at home and wouldn't be without my note book and pen so when i have a few things on the go i always know exactly where i left off.
Merci beaucoup,Clo. Not negative at all. You speak the truth. I subscribe to many of your tips/practices and there is no need for purchases for the sake of. Go well in your days. You offer much with your enjoyable videos.C'est vrai.🙏👋🌏❤xx
Thank you Annie!
I like the straight needles for scarves and practicing new stitches. I learned quickly with larger projects why everybody uses circular or double ended needles, though.
Ahhh, Straights! Once circs came into my life… so much easier !! 9”circs for socks + saved for a long time for C.G. Interchangeable set.
I actually DID have to dig for a cable needle! Fingering wt, kinda slippery yarn, 2-st (or 3??4??) cable… finally found them (wooden set)!!! Very different from heavier yarn, sweater w oh-so-yummy cables! Didn’t need any extra needles there!
For socks, I use bulb markers every 20 rnds (or, rather, knit til where I “think” I need to stop…then put in markers).
The cute stitch stoppers are my treat for not getting (more!!) things I don’t “realllly” need…ahem.
What is that…a new sweater…I see ???
Thanks! Keep kool! Keep Knitting!!
I do projects often from a particular designer and she changes colors and patterns often. They’re fun. But for me, I definitely need a counter of some kind because things change so often and I find counting does a pain.
🥰 Love the "i think i need to stop"
The stuff I’ve used the most are things I’ve had since I was a little girl - we learned crafts very young. And I have all of it! Straight, circular, hooks, needles, you name it. Each thing has a purpose. And sentimental value for sure.
A cork also works well for the end of needles.
I’m really enjoying using chain row counters, especially for pattern repeats. No getting lost if I have to stop quickly for any reason.
I have yet to try those. Maybe I'll get some to test it out.
Same here, yarn bowls are silly, I use a big vintage bowl from my great aunt. It's place is on the table and whenever I have time I sit and run through a couple of rows. It's amazing how quickly projects knit up for me. All these trendy things cost money I could be using to buy more yarn. Thanks for this video.
I'm good with your choices with the caveat do what works for, or just pleases, you. I do urge people not to be too fast to rid themselves of all their straights especially if you're having problems with your hands . Weight depends on if you're knitting seamless or seamed and knitting English cottage style with your right needle held under your arm, allows knitting with very little gripping at all. Then again people don't always jump at changing their knitting technique. It's sort of like having to crawl after knowing how to run. Sometimes you have to.
The tool I don't use is stitch markers specifically for knitting (the circle ones that don't open) as someone who is both a crocheter and a knitter it makes more sense for me to buy the locking ones for my crochet and just use it for knitting as well. I also only ever use my blocking mat for crochet granny squares when I want them all the same size and basically never for any other crochet or knitting project... def agree blocking mats aren't necessary
Yes locking stitch markers are much more versatile
For drying projects, in the summer, I've used mats placed on my vehicles bag seat, as we know those vehicles warm up fast.
Great episode Clo...AGREE to all except i do have a ceramic yarn bowl which is substantial and BEAUTIFUL which i dont use to much but LOVE. It was made by a local potter to my specs so very special to me. It is always on the floor next to my knitting chair, never on top of a table. I dont use it a lot but love it. I also use my knit picks blocking pins instead of individual straight pins on most sweaters that i am drying flat. Love those. I use dollar store bags for most of my projects and have a substantial amout of light bulbs pins for marking my rows. Have never used a counter. Pencil and paperworks for me. Again, dollar store. 50 of them for $4(?). Have always used circular and dpn's, never straight needles for the last 17yrs. Enjoyed this episode! Thank you! 🥰🇨🇦Sharon.
Yes they can be super pretty!
I agree with most of these. I do, however, like to use a cable needle when I'm crossing 3 or more stitches. It's not that I can't cross more stitches without a needle, it's that I find it faster if I use one. My row counter is a pencil and paper. One thing I never use is a lifeline. I'm okay with ripping back until I'm a row or two away from the mistake and then undoing the remaining row(s) more slowly. I prefer to use straight needles. Even though my hands are small, I hold my needles a fair way back from the tip and circular needles are just too short for me to hold comfortably. It's great to learn what other crafters use and the reasons they like or dislike them.
I never use a lifeline either but I tell people to use them all the time until they feel confident ripping back. Thanks for your wonderful comment! ❤️
I use the padded ironing side of my quilter's cut-and-press for blocking everything from quilt squares to heirloom sewing to yarn projects, as needed.
I love a multi use tool!
Enjoyed this and agree with all you said. The less I need to buy for my hobby the better. I just use paper and pen to count rows. I recently purchased a Norwegian thimble and I'm giving that a try...I think I like it and it prevents all the yarn twisting I used to have with colour work. I think my stitches are more regular but we'll see once I finish this hat.
Let me know how you liked the thimble. I couldn't make it work for me, it's too big, it twists on my finger and overall I have better control of the yarn without.
@@cloknits It's working for me. I ordered it from Amazon and received two sizes in the package. The larger one fits perfectly. I figure if it loosens I can put some tape or putty on the inside to make it smaller.
I love my yarn caddy to hang on things, when I’m outside. And also when I’m standing at a craft fair for hours. I make a soft wristband for mine.
I learned to knit on the long needles when I was little, but I never liked it. I really started knitting as an adult, when a friend introduced me to interchangable circular wooden needles. I dont use most of the other things you mentioned. However, I started to use the caps, or how to call it, mainly because i like knitting small rounds in double pointed needles and I kept losing stitches. I also intend to buy a small row counter to use on needles, because I feel like an idiot counting rows all the time. I am not that careful and my socks tend to come out a few rows different. I always take comfort in reminding myself that two feet are never the same size, either 🙈
Thank you for sharing your yarn tool thoughts…as a knitter since childhood now pushing retirement, I have a lifetimes’ worth of tools I am now decluttering. As my life and career changed, I found my yarn bowls collecting dust and I use project bags. I think that wrist yarn holder thing is the silliest😂 for me. I too never use yarn counters! I am keeping 1 yarn bowl just for posterity’s sake and maybe as I grow older I’ll be knitting more often on my craft table and be more sedentary…yeah, right😂😂😂
A tool declutter is much more likely to happen than a yarn destash for me! 😅
Agree with everything you say, except the cable needle! Sometimes we can get clogged up with too much stuff! My project bags are all recycled cloth bags, i love them because they are flexible so can be stuffed into other bags etc
Bags for everything!!!! ❤️
Good podcast and not negative at all; I agree with your assessment. Thanks!
Thanks ! ❤️
I got a set of interchangeable needles a few years ago on a good buy, and I HATE them. The points are so long, plus the inch-plus long connectors on each end of the cable, that it is literally impossible to knit with any of the cables shorter than 16". As a result, I have circs in the lengths I need for each project, purchased as I need them.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your interchangeable needles, they aren't cheap most of the time. I swear by my Chiaogoo and Lantern Moon interchangeable.
My favorite thing is a Darth Vader bucket to collect candy for Halloween. It’s big enough to hold yarn and a project like a shawl or scarf. The bucket hangs on a hook that is glued to the edge of my desk on my right.
I just knit a small bag for my hip to feed the yarn from. A different bag is used to hold that and the project if it's big enough not to fit in the small feeder hip bag attached by a clip of carabineer.
I agree with your take on knitting tools. Marketing has gotten really ridiculous these days with everything. I have in the past bought into some of these tools and then found I never used them. I have others that I need to donate. I have also gotten very clear on what it is that I do knit. I am a practical knitter now and I won't knit things I don't actually wear, and I don't knit for others. I'm a perfectionist and it's too anxiety producing to knit for someone else. 🤣🤣🤣
Do what you love and love what you do!
I definitely still use my straight needles. I have straights in basically every size up to 14. I use them for scarfs, towels and washcloths. Or anything smaller width.
Interesting! I know some do, I just don't find them practical at all.
Yes! Point for point! We should be friends! Although as a new cable knitter i am intrigued and tempted by tjhe spiral cable needles.
We should be friends for sure! ❤️
Ive been knitting for 73 years and have tried circular needles many times but couldnt get away with them, long straights for me
Unless I’m knitting in the round or knitting something that’s very big, I don’t use circular needles.
One of WIPs is a shawl that needs to be knitted on circular needles because of the length. I have a Chevron Afghan on my “to make” list that would also require circular needles.
Some knitting bowls can be $100. It’s cheaper to use a soup bowl from your kitchen cabinet. The needle stoppers are cute. My cats think so too and bat them along the floor like a hockey stick. Such fun! Straight needles always roll into the sofa so you have to dig them out. Interchangeable needles come with a stopper if you want to convert them into straights. I put the stoppers on if I want to knit another project with the same size needles. Just put your second WIP on another cable.😊
All of this is the truth! 🥰
Agree with all of these - the bags are so much better because I can toss three project bags into my luggage and have a variety of things to work on. That's too many bowls to take along 🤓
Every project has it's bag!
@@cloknits YES!!!
Yes I'm a big fan of the bag too! Reminds me I need to make another to replace one I lost! It was the little one perfect for socks. I have been using one that doesn't have a good handle since I lost it :(
@@jeanetteholmes3727 If I can recommend one, i'm a forever fan of JesabelleB on Etsy.
I always think I want a beautiful yarn bowl, but then I remember how heavy they are and that I’d have to keep a project bag for notions still and that just adds the things I have to maintain when I want to knit.
I have cable needles and never use them. If I need a cable needle then I use a DPN.
I try to have multiple purpose tools, my blocking mat is an irons pad, and my pins are pins for sewing.
Less is more!
I do like to use needle tips. I've lost too many stitches from falling off the tips of needles. I'm not very good at picking up stitches after they're off.
I do cable without cable needles, but on occasions, when the cables are large or when my fiber is splitty, I do use cable needles. I have a yarn bowl (offered by a friend) it serves more as a notions/pen holder, but an accessory I use all the time since I got is ia a" Lemonwood Mini Minder Original" perfect for car knitting or knitting outside, walking and knitting, perfect to keep the linen balls from getting all tangled, at home I aslo use my yarn buddy quite a lot. I use very plain row counters, my eyes are not so good anymore and when I knit with dark yarn or fuzzy yran it is a bit harder for me to read my knitting. I always use my knittng mat and pins to block, I have little space at home so the mats go on the bed during the day and switch to the kitchen table at night when something thick takes a long time to dry. 😉 I often knit big lace shawls on my too small cables, so I do use stitch blokers a lot, I also use my cylindrical needle keeper for tiny needles or wooden needles especially when I travel.
I love reading that others have completely different needs than me. It's fun that we all get to enjoy our craft in our own ways. ❤️
@@cloknits I totally agree, no young children nor pets at my home so our lifestyle must be totally different. 🌞
I agree with you on the straight needles and the wrist yarn holder but as someone who isn’t the best knitter I need all the help I can get. So I have all kinds of gadgets to help me knit better.
I do have my favorite gadget too, but yes, as you get more and more confident I think you need less of them.
You’re so right about Blocking…… you go to so much trouble to knit or crochet something that know one else has , the stitches and loops look textured and crunchy ! You block it then it looks lifeless, flat and just like a shop bought sweater. Anix🍓
I do block, but I don't stretch. So the stitch are more even but not completely flat, if that makes any sense.
Hi, your videos are very helpful.
I have never used circular needles and would like to. The weight on the needle gives me shoulder problems.
I wonder if you use a specific brand? Or you can recommend, which material is best and which sizes do you use most?
I personally love metal needles and Chiaogoo are my favorite brand. For wood needles I like the Lantern Moon. When it comes to sizes, it really is dependant on what you like to knit, maybe think about what you made most in the last years to figure out what sizes would be best for you. Or buy the sizes one at a time for the pattern you want to make.
Bonjour, j’ai utilisé des aiguilles à torsades avant de connaître la technique pour s’en passer grâce à ta vidéo,
merci de rendre le tricot plus agréable!
Merci Nicole pour ton commentaire! ❤️
I'm with you with using what I have around the house and getting creative. I'm curious about your cable method, though, do you use something as a substitute for a cable needle or use nothing at all? I'd love to see a demo of how you cable. I'm embarking on an all-over cable sweater and I'd love to think I could ditch the cable needle all together!
I coveted my DSIL’s yarn bowl that she purchased years ago. It was beautiful! She didn’t knit and proudly kept it on an end table. It started collecting keys, pens, and miscellaneous items. I like center pull yarn also and realized the bowl was useless to me. Money saved.
I hated straight needles also and didn’t know why. I have a nice collection of circular needles and don’t need yarn stoppers as I just push my project to the center and half knot my circulars to keep the project from sliding off.
It's always wise to wait a bit before impulse buying. It saves me tons of money for sure.
I use my knitting needles only when I make squares to sew together for a blanket. Those are the only thing I use my blocking boards for as well and that's to make shure my tension was right for my squares and they are all the same size.
The wrist yarn valet works better if you use it on the opposite arm that you hold your yarn...Continental put it on the right side, and vice versa.
Ohhhh interesting!!! I'll try that.
What opposite arm? I knit ambi, always looking at the fashion side of the work.
@@webwarren Then I guess you would have to change which arm has the yarn valet every row if you knit flat.
@@CloTricots not losing time and getting things twisted by changing things and turning things every row is the reason I knit ambi
@@webwarren Than that's definitely not the tool for you, and that's perfectly fine. 😘
My mother used 14” single point needles exclusively. She knitted hats, mittens, and scarves. I use the same pattern for the K2P2 hat Mom and her mother always used, but on 16” circulars. I hate sewing the seams together. It was a happy surprise to discover that it’s quicker just to knit round and round than to use the 14” single points.
So quick!!! Hats a much more fun project in the round.
@@cloknits so very true!
I cut a 1 inch plastic tube , the type in the fish tank for pumping air as my stitches stopper to avoid stitches slip off the needle, it works very well.
That's a great idea!
I have a yarn bowl which has a swirl to put yarn through - Which I don’t do! I hand-roll each of my yarns into balls before use, just place the yarn in the bowl and don’t use the holes at all because that is so damn annoying! So, I use the yarn bowl until I’ve finished that knitting session and then put it away in a project bag (I have about 7 canvas bags I use for knitting projects only) I use the bowl mostly to lessen cat hair being stuck to the yarn. And I love stitch stoppers/point protectors especially having cats, if I leave my knitting for one minute they kick it off my chair. LOL!… My old/new sewing/knitting accessories obsession are my needle minder magnets. I used to cross stitch every day, and started collecting fun needle minders then I sold them because I took up knitting and now I’ve started collecting them again and using them when sewing up my knitting! 😅
I use a little wastebasket for my yarn. When I need to take my knitting with me I just pop my project into the basket with the balls of yarn and then pop the whole thing in my knitting bag. I carry other things in my bag so I don’t want to just put my project straight into the bag. The little wastebasket only takes up 1/2 my bag so there’s still room to put my notions pouch and other assorted items I may want to take with me. At home I just keep the wastebasket on the floor beside me and it works great!
I love that
I don’t use cable needles either bc the sizes are usually too small. I use one of my crochet needles that’s about the same size as my knitting needles . I love that the pointy end slips the stitches really easily and the opposite ends knits very well with the knitting needle. Also it doesn’t get lost easily
Good tip!
I don't like circular needles very much so I use straight needles all the time lol
big fan of doing anything with a small enough circumference on DPNs. circular needles are only cool when the piece is so big that you don't have to pull out the cable anymore and can just go round and round and round (and I wouldn't want to knit a sweater in the round on DPNs, just too big)
I did buy a yarn bowl and regret it. I do love my row counters, but I use ones designed to be used in sports where you press a very satisfying button (made of metal)
I gave away all my straight needles fifteen years ago. I never used a yarn bowl - I also use bags.
Bags for everything!
I love my row counter. I hate having to stop and count rows.
Hi,I am new to your channel. I was wondering what pattern are you wearing? It definitely looks like something I would love to have in my handmade wardrobe.
I'm wearing the Summer Secret Crop by Jessie Maed Designs
The row counter I use is something I made. It has beads 0-9 with jump rings between each number. I put the needle through the jump rings for counting and switch to the next ring on each row. I also have two sets of beads 0-9 on clips that I can add at the very end to make numbers 10-999. No one can mess up my row counting or walk off with my clicker.
Amazing!
My partner got me a yarn bowl for Christmas. I don’t have the heart to tell them I’d rather not use it but it was such a thoughtful gift so I’m an unapologetic bowl user now 😂
Oh if a loved one gave me one, I would 100% use it. It's adorable when they care about our hobbies.
Same. My husband put a lot of thought into finding one he thought I would like, and it is beautiful. I do use it for sock knitting, it seems to even out my tension just that bit more.
def agree with this! i still use straight needles since im a noob (trying to save for some interchangeable/circular but here at my country are very pricey ☹️) so when i tried cable knitting i used one of them instead of the cable needle. i tried once the knitting safety pin thingy (mine is 10cm long) but it was unconfortable for me to use, i should try with crochet hook (as one of the comments said) to see how it goes.
also, one thing i absolutely hate, is plastic knitting needles. i bought once some 2.5mm plastic needles (they were on sale lol) but they bend so much im worried that if i knit with these they end up breaking in middle of a project. i also have a 2mm plastic crochet hook and have a similar experience, though with crochet i feel more "safe" since the hook doesnt have to carry the weight of the project you knoww. also, with both the needles and the hook, there are some uneven parts (i assume it could be bc they make them on a mold?) and the yarn gets in these parts and end up breaking some parts of the yarn. way more comfortable using aluminium ones while still being in the "cheap" side of needles/crochet hooks
Yes plastic is less expensive but less durable. Metal is my favorite and then wood for bigger sizes (smaller sizes snap)
I have a counter app on my phone. No worries that someone will change the numbers on the counter. I have glaucoma with a major vision loss. It's too difficult to try to look at the knitting and count rows.
when knitting from a cake, I prefer to pull from the middle. I do like to use a yarn bra. 1) reduces yarn barf 2) keeps the cake clean & 3) outer tail doesn't come loose
Vraiment d’accord avec toi,il y a tellement de superflus dans certaines présentations
Nous sommes capables de réaliser de beaux tricots avec peu d’accessoires
Merci de nous sensibiliser
De la laine et des aiguilles!
Thank you for today’s podcast 👌💝🙏
Thanks for watching!
This row counter is very intriguing! After watching your video ive been trying to find it online but cant find it anywhere. Could you give me some clue ?
It's called "The Knit Kit"
I agree that you don't need a yarn bowl however I think that we have different views of the purpose of the bowl. I my world the purpose is for when pulling from the outside of the skein/ball the ball is contained inside the bowl rather that rolling all over, not for storing projects or taking along.
I don't use cable needles however I did use a dpn at one point when using slippery yarn since I keep dropping the stitches when cabling one of the ways.
You are right that the purpose is for keeping yarn in place. Since I always center pull, I don't have the need to keep it in place so I forget that for some people it's necessary. I still feel like my bag could serve the same purpose though. ❤️
To count rows, there’s an app you can install on your Apple Watch (if you own one), and it comes very helpful when you’re doing icords or things like that, otherwise, I just measure my work, and based on the swatch I know approximately how close I am to what the pattern is saying and when I’m about close enough, I count my rows just to be sure.
When I'm afraid my stitches could fall from my needles, i stick the needles through the yarn ball. It's usually good enough.
I love my yarn bowl. I have a dog who sheds constantly and it keeps the yarn from rolling around and attracting dog hair like a damned magnet. It also keeps the yarn from rolling around uncontrollably. I always wind my yarn into a ball and don’t use a center pull cake. Just my preference. I don’t like to use the center pull balls. They collapse at the end and that just doesn’t work for me. I’ve been knitting for about 50 years and I actually like winding my yarn by hand. I feel like I know my yarn by the end of the skein.
I often push my needles in my yarn ball to stop my work from sliding off the needle. :'D
Always a good option
Hi, I never use cable needles either, they hinder me so much, twisting the stitches over is so easy and quick. I wish I could get on with the interchangeable needles but I always seem to have a problem with the knitting coming off smoothly from the plastic to the rigid metal piece, they frustrate me so much. Other than that I’m on the same page as you with everything else. Like minded people. I look forward to watching your other videos, as I have just discovered you. ❤
Like every other tool, there are interchangeable needles that work better than others. I love Chiaogoo and Lantern Moon, they both have a really smooth join.
@@cloknits thank you I will give them a go.
I did enjoy this very much ...... thank you ❤
You're welcome!
I do think that yarn bowls are unnecessary and I mostly use bags, but a friend 3D printed me a really cool dragon yarn bowl and I use it almost daily mostly because it's cute, it reminds me that I have awesome friends and it's convenient that I can stash my needles, hooks, cable needles, stitch markers and other bits and bobs that I don't want to lose track of in it. I mostly use it for "home projects", but if I want to take my current "bowl project" on out on the go I just toss the whole thing in my knitting bag.
If a friend made me something cool, I would absolutely use it no matter what!
I cannot use circular needles, despite trying on multiple occasions. I also cannot use metal needles of any form - they cause me severe wrist pain. Wood or bamboo are fine to use.
i do not use a yarn bowl unless i am at home with a Swift wound ball of yarn (never with a pull skein) , like you i have a bag when i am going places with a project.
I don't use cable needles, i take a 4" dpn (double pointed needle) in the appropriate size.
I made my own row counters with beads, bead wire and small lobster claws.
I only pin to rough block something, pretty much anti-conformity when it comes to my piece work.
I inherited 24 pairs of straight needles of different lengths from one of my grandmothers...didn't knit much until i i found cabled needles.
Point protectors you need something. I use ear buds for mine. If you have intergrid knitting, that poses a problem
Ear buds, great idea!!!
Thank you for your videos! ❤ You sound Quebecoise. 👏🏻💞
That's because I am! haha
I only cable occasionally. And i use onenof those big safety pin stitch holders.
That's a great option!
I never use row counters mostly because I usually forget to use them to count. Like you I just use my eyes or a tape measure
The nice thing about eyes is that I never forget to bring them
Love your yarn tat!
Thank you! It goes all the way down my ribs... i'll show the knitted part one day.
I have none of the things that you say you don't use other than an old cable needle that I don't use. I use circular needles, I count my rows or read my knitting to see where I am on a pattern/pattern repeat. I do cables a lot but do them without cable needles. My wips are in zip lock or grocery bags. Also no ball winders. I use my hand or a paper towel roll to wind my yarn if needed.
The needle stoppers, I use them to protect my bags from being punched by my Chiagoo
That's a great point! Pun intended.
I love knitting gadgets but I have to restrain myself from buying them cause I know that most of them can be easily replaced by everyday-use items. The only thing I don't save on are knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn.
I almost exclusively use dpns and circulars these days. I never really did like using straight needles, they always felt awkward and unnatural to me.
Have you tried magic loop (using two circulars instead of dpns)? On the one hand, I think magic loop distorts the knitting, but on the other, something with a really short turn radius (like the finger of a glove, or the arm of a doll sweater) seems to need a dpn every third stitch to not distort even more than magic loop...
@@webwarren I have and wasn’t a big fan. I actually found the technique to be very frustrating, probably because I’m more comfortable with dpns and mainly knit socks, gloves, wrist warmers, and lace shawls.
Love these , always interested in how others think . :)
Me too!
I don’t use straights, row counters, expensive bags or fancy stitch markers. With regard to blocking though…..isn’t it better to lay your knitting out to dry onto something that will allow water to evaporate (heated floor, foam mats, plastic) rather then soak up moisture (towels, bed etc.)?
Yes it is, but depending what's available to you, you can get away with just about anything.
I've also been knitting for over 50 years so ... I'm with you on the yarn bowl, I have so many project bags (I also sew). I didn't know blocking was a thing until the internet and social media happened, I knit, I wear, I wash. Job done. I use row counters, they fit on the end of my long straight needles, I can and do use circular needles for working in the round or for holding tons of stitches but it feels weird and I knit much slower with a looser tension. My natural knitting style is apparently Northern English Lever style, I use the longer needles because the right hand working needle is held under the arm, and the right hand only holds the yarn and taps the needle tip to complete the stitch,
I would love to try English lever knitting! It looks so cool.
I'm thinking a crossbody bag would be nice ,hands free
I do have 2 crossbody bags and I love them.
Did you say there was a link in your description for the knitting bag? Small for socks and a bigger one? Both hang on your arm? I don't see the link.
I might have forgotten to link it. It's Jesabelle B on Etsy. I'll go back to add it.
@@cloknits thank you❤️
I usually use a yarn bowl, but then, I can’t move around when I knit. I’m not that good. 😂 Plus, I’m usually sitting on the couch and we have dogs, so it keeps my yarn from getting covered with fur. I use bags when I want to take my project with me, so they are great and agree - never use the holes. Why cut yarn if you don’t have to? 🤷🏻♀️ I do use counters, stoppers, and cable needles, but it’s just my preference and I don’t do enough cable to be able to without.
All valid point! The dog hair in the knitting is a constant problem. 😂
I have wooden bowls in different sizes. I use them for different thread crochet projects when at home. They are too heavy to put in the craft bag.
What is that yarn in your last project (at15::34) ? So pretty
It's a hanspun brown/gray wool held with a light blue mohair and Rico Designs Make It Tweed. Isn't it fun!