My Top 6 Favorite Knitting Gadgets
One of the best things about having a hobby is buyingeverything you need and even some things that you don't! Ifyou are into cars or motorcycles, chances are you spend alot of extra money on accessories, don't you? Cooking,exercising, camping, gardening, hiking, - you name it, thereare accessories for every amusement under the sun!
Knitting is no different. Gadgets abound, and you canget lost in a sea of extras. They all look good, but whatis necessary, and what can you leave for another time? Letme tell you about some of the knitting gadgets that areavailable to knitters, and then I will tell you my top *6*favorite knitting gadgets.
Needles and yarn aside, if you look around there arenumerous knitting gadgets. There are stitch markers, usedfor marking a particular place in your knitting wheredecreases or increases take place; row counters which keeptrack of each row as you are knitting; point protectorswhich are placed on the needle points to protect your workas well as yourself; bobbins, pom-pom makers, stitch gauges,graph paper, yarn swifts and ball winders, which can beuseful for certain advanced knitting projects, but willprobably spend more time collecting dust for most knitters.
So that is why now we come to my top *6* favoriteknitting gadgets,
and why I like them so:
#1 – Tape measure - for knitting, as for sewing, yourtape measure will prove to be indispensable. Whatever theproject, you always have need to know the length and widthof your knitting. Make sure if your tape measure wears outor becomes distorted in any way, that you replace it. Thisitem helps to make you look good!
#2 – Scissors - I like the small variety, especiallythe ones that fold up. They are handy to take anywhere(well, almost anywhere), and you can expect to use themfrequently. But, if you have larger scissors, they work,too. I would not recommend pinking shears, though; they arefor sewing projects only.
#3 – Cable needles - as you become more adept atknitting, one of the easiest new stitches to add on is thecable stitch. Cable stitches can be knitted in manyvariations, but they always need the cable needle in orderto utilize the stitch. Cable needles come in various sizes,and are always pointed at both ends. Some have a "bend" inthem, and some are "U" shaped, while most are simplystraight. They are also shorter than a traditional,straight, knitting needle. So if a pattern calls for cablestitches, better have some cable needles around!
#4 – Stitch holders - these look like giant safetypins. They are especially handy when knitting sweaters andyou need to place the neck stitches someplace until you needthem again, so on to the stitch holder they go! Stitchholders can be very small (2" or so) up to about 10" inlength. There are many varieties, but stay with the simpleversions, for best results.
#5 – Yarn needle - aka a tapestry needle. Theseneedles are longer than regular sewing needles, and haveblunter points and larger eyes. They are used to join yourpatterns together when finished. For any knitter, they area must-have.
#6 – Pins - last but not least, pins! Anyone whosews or knits, needs pins; straight pins, safety pins, T-pins. When you buy straight pins, make sure they havecolored tops; these are easiest to see in your knitting. T-pins are great for blocking your patterns, and also good forpinning heavier knits together. Safety pins always make agreat substitute for stitch holders, or to mark a spot inyour knitting that you need to refer to later on.
So, there you have it! Six gadgets I can't livewithout when I knit. If you are very serious aboutknitting, and like to see your project look its best whenfinished, then these *6* wonderful knitting gadgets shouldalways be close by.
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