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Dot
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
350 Posts |
 Posted - 03/28/2002 : 4:29:45 PM
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Great new category. Even though I haven't been knitting long enough to accumulate gadgets, I'll start this thread. I'm a new knitter but an old cook and I'm finding myself reacting to knitting gadgets the same way I respond to kitchen gadgets which goes like this..."Why do I need that? Why does anybody?" I don't need special choppers because I have good knives and good knife skills. Yet I did break down and buy a mandoline when I realized I was spending a lot of time getting thin, uniform slices of things when feeding lots of folks, particularly at holidays. It was worth every penny, although I never use it when I need the same result for a few people. Knife's fine. So when I considered what "accessories" I needed for my knitting bag I went for crochet hooks and stitch holders. A friend gave me some row counters. I wouldn't have bought the row counters myself but I am really glad that I have them. I use them.
So, is there a mandoline equivalent for knitters? Something that a gadget-phobic person would resist but ultimately realize was a splendid tool even if it's not often used?
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Smock7
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
491 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2002 : 5:10:50 PM
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My most favorite gadget is the "catcha?" which is a counter. You just click on the top and it rolls a number to count stitches or rows. I bought this at Hobby Lobby and it's distributed by Clover. I have two of them and seriously need another one to two....for each wip!
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stitches
New Pal
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2002 : 5:40:50 PM
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I also have one of those kacha kacha counters. I need another one or two also!
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AtomicKnit
Chatty Knitter
USA
120 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2002 : 6:49:04 PM
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My knitting "mandoline" is a yarn swift and a ball winder. I used to tell myself that they were waaay too expensive (nearly US$100 the pair)and that I was perfectly happy spending hours with the skein stretched across my feet laborously winding yarn onto a paper-towel tube. But the yarn would pick up dog hair, cat hair, lint, what-have-you, and the centerpull ball would be a misshapen blob. I finally got the swift and winder, and I could kick myself for not investing in them sooner! I wind about 60% of the yarn I buy (the rest comes in centerpull balls already), and it saves so much time and the yarn is clean and evenly wound. Hurrah!
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Clara
queen bee
USA
4362 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2002 : 9:04:17 PM
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Aaaaaah, I have to second Kim's comments. I waited a long, long time to get a swift and a ball winder. And when I finally did, I treated myself to an exquisite Siske cherry swift (Halcyon has them at:
http://www.halcyonyarn.com/odds_ends/Swifts_ConeBall_Winders.html)
Between the luxury of being able to wind yarn effortlessly and the sheer aesthetic delight I get from looking at the swift (which sits upright in my studio like a prized sculpture), I feel like every penny was worth it. It's the only swift I'll ever, ever own. Even when I don't use it, I just love having it around, a physical manifestation of my passion for fiber. Sigh...  
Clara
Your friendly Knitter's Review publisher
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Lissa
Permanent Resident
USA
4942 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2002 : 9:31:00 PM
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Is there something wrong with me? I just use the skeins as they come - and let them flop around. I have a plasic bucket I could put the yarn in to keep it from dancing across the living room, but it usually just stays on the couch. I just figure with the fibromyalgia, (which is now in my hands  ) and its accompanying exhaustion issues, I'd rather put the effort into the knitting , not the winding...
ohmygosh - I just used an inappropriate apostrophe - FIBROFOG!!! editeditedit
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BessH
Permanent Resident
3095 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 03:14:43 AM
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Lissa, some yarn comes in hanks - big 3 foot circles of yarn, loosely tied at one or two points. That is how yarn is dyed - then the bigger companies have machines that can wind the yarn into pullout skeins. Smaller companies, and individuals who do custom dye jobs can't afford the machinery nor the staff to wind up the hanks so they just twist them and sell them to you that way. Many of the yarn companies we purchasers might think of as "big names", think Mountain Colors or Koigu, are really one or two woman shops - check out Handpaint Country and you'll see.
Now, if you have ever put 600 yards of mohair around the backs of two chairs and stood a couple of hours hand-winding a ball then you will see why a swift and ball winder is such a wonderful pair of gadgets. Only, I hardly call them gadgets. The swift is so beautiful it looks like some kind of weird bird with wings outstretched. There's a funny story in the archived section of "Knitting Gifts Received" here on the forum I wrote, about how I got my set last year for a birthday gift - from DH. gotta look for posts from mid-December - under Clara’s gift’s not received if you want a laugh.
So - my favorite gadget is the swift and ballwinder. truly a thing of beauty.
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Gerri Robb
New Pal
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 09:54:52 AM
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| My favorite gadget is the "dentist's tool" from Patternworks. It looks just like what they use to poke around your teeth. It can't be beat when you've dropped a stitch or need to get out a knot. I have two--just in case I lose one temporarily! |
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Lissa
Permanent Resident
USA
4942 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 10:06:35 AM
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Thanks, Bess. I get using a swift if you're going to ball, but I don't ball...
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passionknit
New Pal
Canada
5 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 10:28:29 AM
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My favorite "gadget" that i don't use a lot but really love is the Bond I-cord maker. It really works!! And when you have a I-cord to do but would rather not ... It works with fingering to DK weights, with the I-cord produced being heavier with the thicker yarn. I am working on (intermitently) a rug for my son using up odd ends and this I-cord maker is awesome!!
Wannietta
President of the CKDA
http://www.canknit.com/
Free Pattern
http://canknit.com/free/crystal.html |
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fmarrs
Guardian angel
USA
9776 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 10:42:49 AM
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Lissa,
Just a few comments on swifts and winders. I too have painful hands and a lot of muscle weakness. Strange as it sounds, some skeins are just too difficult to pull without pain. With center pull ball, the yarn practically floats out. No resistance at all. I can't wind a ball without arm and shoulder pain, but I can turn that little handle. winding a skein with a winder is so fast, you wouldn't believe it. I also use it if my prewound skein misbehaves at the end like some of them do if they don't wear their bras or stockings...LOL The most I have done at one time is 6--50 gm. skeins, but that would have taken me 6 days without the swift and winder. I don't rewind skeins that pull easily.
Fran
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KnittinMom
New Pal
6 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 3:31:07 PM
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quote:
I also have one of those kacha kacha counters. I need another one or two also!
Thanks for reminding me. I have been meaning to order two more kacha kachas, but, to tell the truth, I felt embarassed--like I shouldn't need more than one. But I do! No matter where I am, my one k-k seems to be somewhere else or under something and out of site.
Thank you :-) |
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KnittinMom
New Pal
6 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 3:38:09 PM
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quote:
"dentist's tool" from Patternworks
What is this called? I can't seem to locate it at Patternworks.
Thanks :-) |
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BLN3320
Permanent Resident
USA
3808 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 3:51:47 PM
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The dentists tool from Patternworks is terrific. It has a crochet hook on one end and a pick that the dentist uses on your teeth on the other end. You can do all sorts of things with this. Beverley
Bev |
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mornin
New Pal
15 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 4:05:36 PM
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The dentist tool from patternworks is the first thing that came to my mind too. My mom purchased it for me for a gift, and I use it for so many things, I don't know how I got along without it!!! Dawn
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ginimac
New Pal
15 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 4:10:05 PM
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i think the thing a use everytime i knit is not the gadgets, but the zipper pouch that i carry ALL my gadgets in!!!! i go nowhere without it!! it houses items such as the indispensible crochet hook for droppsies; a tape measure; stitch holders of all lengths; a yarn needle for sewing up finished pieces; markers; a pen; a flat metal measuring tool for calculating guage or measuring a small length or finding out the size of a round needle that is no longer in it's wrapper; and the necessary tool of all trades, the safety pin( i have 3 different sizes in there)!!!! i have used all types of pouches from a bank deposit bag to the freebies from cosmetic companues. i wait to see what kind of pouch ESTEE LAUDER is giving away before i decide if i want to be bothered buying the items necessary to acquire the latest most fashionable bag!!!!!!!! see, we knitters are nuts, but we're terrific people!!!!!!!!
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BLN3320
Permanent Resident
USA
3808 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 4:10:10 PM
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When it comes to gadgets I am what you might call a "collector." I have the swift and ball winder; needles galore; markers by the gross--all different kinds but the ones I like best, at the moment at least, are the split rings you can put on at any time. I also have stitch counters that slip on the needle; stitch counters for circular needles; stitch, row, increase, decrease and whatever counters. I too have several kacha kachas. Crochet hooks also come in handy to rescue dropped stitches. The dentists tool comes in very handy for this. One thing I find very handy are little snips I pick up in the nursery. I believe they are for bonsai. One of these days between all of my craft gadgets, cookbooks, craft books, kitchen gadgets, etc.,I might have to rent a second apartment--one for me--one for the "stuff." Beverley
Bev |
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mokumegane
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
558 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 4:21:45 PM
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Actually, Lissa, you don't have to let them flop if you can find the end in the middle. It's usually pretty easy to find but sometimes even I give up. I am happy to find that middle end and let it be pulled from the middle, ending the floppy mess. If I roll it into a ball (which works great starting with four fingers for a bit, fold that in half and wind holding it with three fingers... there's a bit more to it, really) the ball rolls around. I don't have a good knitting bag or anything like that which stands up by itself and it's really annoying to have to gather everything up after a few stitches! I do want to get one of those craft bags that are free-standing due to the wooden frame around them.
quote:
Is there something wrong with me? I just use the skeins as they come - and let them flop around. I have a plasic bucket I could put the yarn in to keep it from dancing across the living room, but it usually just stays on the couch. I just figure with the fibromyalgia, (which is now in my hands ) and its accompanying exhaustion issues, I'd rather put the effort into the knitting , not the winding...
ohmygosh - I just used an inappropriate apostrophe - FIBROFOG!!! editeditedit
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Helen
Chatty Knitter
USA
103 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 5:42:40 PM
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I love my yarn winder too! After reading your posts I am going to have to give in and buy a swift. I rest the yarn on my knees, holding them apart to hold the yarn as I wind it. I have been telling myself it was good exercise for the old inner thighs...but the swift sounds like its just to much fun.
Several people mentioned stitch holders and markers. I just love using left over yarn for both. They don't create holes and work just great for me. I use a contrasting color so they are easy to see and I don't accidentlly knit the stitch holders.
I love strings |
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knitfanatic
Chatty Knitter
Canada
160 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 7:25:24 PM
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I also have purchased recently a ball winder and swift and can't believe I lived without it. The ball winder is great when you are working with several different colours and want small balls. I used to butterfly all my colours, but now I can get my kids to use the ball winder which they think is great.
Kelly
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BLN3320
Permanent Resident
USA
3808 Posts |
Posted - 03/29/2002 : 7:36:07 PM
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Dot: Just happened to think, yes there is a knitting tool equivalent to a mandoline (Sp.!)--its whatever you covet more than anything else. Me? I must covet all kinds of stuff; however, being a pack rat (its in the genes--at some point I decided to go into competition with the public library--books galore)you collect lots of "things!" I am not sure if the term I prefer more is "things" or "stuff?" Actually I believe I like stuff better. If you think I am a little strange, you could be correct. But then I did work at least 5000 years in the Family Law Court which might account for it. I do have a good laugh with my friends who are former Court workers. Beverley
Bev |
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