I have honestly gotten tired of reading forums and Facebook groups requesting people’s favorite knitting needles.  I have always used Addi Turbos for regular knitting and Karbonz double-pointed for sock and hat knitting…and there wasn’t much I would listen to on this subject…my mind was closed.

Until…

Back in May, and then a second time sometime about a month or two ago, I was introduced to Lykke driftwood needles.

Tim Cardy who owns Cardigans Yarn & Fiber Shop in Santa Barbara California brought a bunch of straight needles from Lykke to donate to the guys who ran workshops at the retreat.  I was one of the grateful recipients, but honestly, I don’t use straight needles that often, so I didn’t really get to try them until earlier this month.  If you like knitting with wood, these are about perfect…silky smooth, lightweight, strong and with the perfect drag on my yarn whilst knitting.

Then, Doug Morris who runs The Perfect Blend Online started raving about the interchangeable set of Lykke Driftwood needles.  Despite how much I loved the feel and the strength of the Lykke straight needles, I was concerned about spending $125 for a set when I couldn’t be sure that I’d like other characteristics of the needles (cable flexibility, smoothness of joins, etc.).  When he recently held a site-wide sale, I decided I had to try the new set (and also get some more of the Dragonfly Pixie yarn I love).

Okay, I also got one of the cool wristband/measuring tapes he carries.

I loved the new color of Pixie and I needed to try out the new needle set, so I cast on a new Knitted Cross Stitch Scarf and I have been nothing but totally impressed.

The set comes in a beautiful case (I got the umber colored case) and has needle sizes from US 4 (3.5 mm) to US 17 (12mm). The set also includes 2 24″ cables, 2 32″ cables and one 40″cable, 2 cable connectors (to extend the length of the cables), 4 tightening keys and 8 stoppers.

First of all, I use two different size needles for the Knitted Cross Stitch Scarf and I love the convenience of being able to switch out the US 5 needle size for the US 13 needle size when I need to do the row with elongated stitches.

Second, the joins are very smooth…perhaps smoother than my Addi Turbos.

The rigidity of the cable is also very important to me.  I need it to be somewhat stiff so I can move my stitches along the cable easily without it collapsing (ChiaGoo needles have limp cables that drive me nuts) but they can’t be too stiff so that I’m constantly wrestling with the twist of the cable.  These cables are just about perfect.

If you ever get the chance to try these needles, you should…you’ll end up getting a set.  Doug has only a limited number of sets in the umber and indigo colored cases, so if that’s important to you, you may want to act more quickly.

Current Knitting

Before the new Lykke interchangeable set arrived, I started knitting a Seven-Up Scarf using some Madeline Tosh yarn I had hanging around.

The Seven-Up Scarf is on Addi Turbos, but since I have lots of cables and the correct size needle tips available in the Lykke set, I will be converting on the next row!  Isn’t that burnt umber color spectacular?