Nose Candy Anyone?

My dealer (er... friend), hooked me up with a couple packages of those Ice Breakers Pacs that have Police and the Soccer Moms who harass them into caring, up in arms. In case you haven't heard, apparently the instant their Ritalin enslaved zombie-children see-ingest these things, they're going to start picking up and eating all those random packs of cocaine you find lying all over the place. After all, children are mindless, I remember when I was five years old, I listened to one Black Sabbath song and instantly went on a killing spree. I wasn't allowed to play Intellevision for a month!

Anyway, there had to be a knitting aspect to this somewhere. Well, once you're done blasting off, the transparent blue plastic case with it's sliding lid makes a very handy notions case for stitch markers, needle size tags, endcaps for interchangeables etc. I just peeled off the plastic tags and soaked them in hot water to remove any stuck on bits. There was some remaining adhesive on the lid which removed easily with a smear of vegetable oil (washes off with dish soap). They're good looking, sturdy little boxes and the mints are tasty too.

Counting My Chickens Before They've Hatched

The US government is in the process of approving a tax rebate for citizens who meet certain criteria in order to boost the economy. The original plan was an $800 check, but it's looking like $600 is going to be the amount if in fact it is approved. Nonetheless, I'll take it! Though I take everything our government says with a proverbial grain of salt, I'm jumping the gun on this one. Maybe it's the winter doldrums, maybe it's the after holiday poverty or maybe it's the promise of several hundred dollars worth of knitting books and supplies! Tom and I tend to be very simple, practical people who don't splurge on much of anything. Even our income tax returns never go towards anything fun; they go toward things we need, not things we simply want. Tom and I decided that this would be "free" money for us, we can each spend our half however we please. Of course this had me poring through knitting catalogs/websites as well as my Amazon wishlist in order to compose what I called my "$800 List". Well, it looks like I'll be paring the list down a bit but I'm not upset, after all it is money that I wasn't even expecting. I was only at an estimated $700 of my $800 list anyway. At least I didn't get too carried away.

KP Options Harmony Wood Interchangeables

Today was my day. I arrived home from work with a hunch that I would see a parcel from KnitPicks with my name on it and sure enough, there is was. I carefully opened the package and beheld what I had longed to behold (for seven business days at least)... my spanking new Knitpicks Options Harmony Wood Interchangeable Knitting Needle Set! My quest for interchangeable knitting needles came about last November. I decided that an interchangeable set would be the most practical and economical way of obtaining a good arsenal of assorted knitting needles. I did a bit of research on interchangeable sets and the Harmony set won me over.

The needles have the perfect feel in my opinion, the birch needle tips have that paradoxical combination of hard and soft texture that makes me partial to wooden needles. The finish on the needles is hard and slick with just that minute amount of "drag" which I'm sure will be much appreciated when working with slippery yarns. The needles are also nicely tapered and have good points. The colors are lovely as well, they're not at all as garish as I was lead by some reviewers to believe. I even think they're more subdued than the pictures on the KnitPicks website. Then again, I'm of Swedish and Pennsylvania Dutch heritage so I'm not afraid of color. The joins are smooth and align virtually seamlessly to the cables. The cables have a nice amount of flexibility to them but they're not droopy and have a good bit of memory to them. Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with the construction and appearance of these needles.

Before receiving my set, the one thing I thought I wasn’t going to like was the case for these needles. It seemed too plasticky for such pretty wooden needles and it struck me as the type of thing women receive as a freebie from department store cosmetics counters. I was a bit hasty in judgement as I do find it practical for the time being and it snugly holds the needle tips in individual sleeves along each side of the bag. The provided case also leaves room for the size 13US (9.00mm), 15US (10.00mm), and 17US (12.00mm), needle tips (sold separately), as well as two additional sleeves for what you will. There is room in the center for the bag of cables, cable caps and various other knitting accoutrement. I may however, replace this bag as my only fear is it’s lack of harder, more protective sides. It was suggested to me that I look at sportsmen’s shops for a “worm binder” which is a case that fishermen use for their (synthetic) tackle. The Browning Fishing Jumbo Worm Binder looks like it would do the trick nicely.

I had also read a complaint that they didn’t come with any type of instructions as to how to properly attach the needles to the cables. I beg to differ; the card that is enclosed with the cables (the thing said complainer probably pulled out and threw away), has the instructions printed right on it, and frankly it's not that hard to figure out. I liked KnitPicks low-profile, low-waste product packaging, I wish more companies were as conscientious. Mind you, everything was packaged securely enough to arrive unscathed.

Because KnitPicks has the lovely policy of free shipping for orders over $50US I picked up two little extras with the money I had set aside in case of shipping & handling fees. I bought a set of the Needle Size ID Tags which are sturdy and convenient, as the needles themselves are not marked. I was also pleased that these tags displayed both Metric and US sizes. Finally I picked up a KnitPicks View Sizer, while not as pretty as the metal sheep needle sizer I had my eye on, it is solid and quite practical. It's a needle-sizer, magnifier, ruler, gauge check, and pattern marker all in one. This is also far more handy than my current (now previous), model.

In closing, I'll wrap up this review with...

The Rundown: Knitpicks Options Harmony Wood Interchangeable Needle Set

What You Get:

• Nine pairs of laminated birch needle tips. Sizes 4US (3.5mm), 5US (3.75mm), 6US (4.00mm), 7US (4.50mm), 8US (5.00mm), 9US (5.50mm), 10US (6.00mm), 10.5US (6.50mm), and 11US (8.00mm).
• Two 24" cables and two 32" cables.
• Eight end caps (for storing work on cables or making "straight" needles.
• Two cable keys for ensuring a snug fit when joining needle tips to cables.
• A vinyl cable case.
• A large zippered vinyl storage case with compartments for needle tips and room for additional pieces and notions.

Cost: $69.99US

***EDIT*** I previously forgot to mention I was also pleased with the needle tip length on these. The needle tips (from join to point) are approximately 4 1/2 inches (11 1/2cm) long with the wooden part (just the wooden "working area" excluding metal join) being approximately 3 1/3 inches (8 1/2 cm) long (this varies from size to size but the total length seems consistant). This suits me nicely as some interchangeables had much shorter needles and I have big hands.