A Needle Pulling Thread Spring 2016 Sampler | Page 24

We’ve all heard the phrase, “use the right
tool for the job.”
What are the right tools for knitters? The
shortest answer to that question is, “The
ones that work best for the knitter.”
Not all knitting tools are created equal.
When I first began my knitting career, I had
two options for needles: Aero or Milward.
Oh, if I searched, I could find some Boye,
but they were American made, and at
the time, most local yarn shops carried
either Aero or Milward, both of which
were made in England. Boye made a set
called Needlemaster. I saw those sets in
American craft magazines and dreamed
of the day I could spend $60 on a full set
of needles!

Stoppers

Straight Needles
I tried the Milward, but I didn’t like the
shape of the tips – they were similar to
the shape of a bullet – rounded down
from the shaft to the point – whereas the
Aero needles had a nice, straight taper,
which made it easier for me to do knit two
togethers. I quickly decided that Aeros
were for me, and I purchased a full set.
This experience with straight needles
showed me that there is an element of
personal preference involved in choosing
knitting needles.
As time went on, other manufacturers
expanded into the Canadian market. In the
early 1980s, I discovered Inox, a European
manufacturer which eventually purchased
the Aero brand. Inox had a needle called
“Tric”. These needles had a full-size shaft
for about 4 inches near the tips, but the
remainder of the shaft was tapered to a
thinner diameter. This was ostensibly to
allow a knitter to crowd more stitches on
the needle, but it also had the advantages
of making the needles lighter in the hands
and lighter to ship.

Wood needles

Soon, Clover (from Japan) introduced
bamboo needles, and then Bryspun
introduced a plastic needle that was
flexible and had a concave shape to their
tips. Brittany created a beautiful walnut
needle with ornately-curved finials, and
they later introduced a birch needle with
a simpler style stopper. Skacel, a German
manufacturer, introduced Addi needles,
a metal needle that was chrome, or
nickel, plated.
Needle tips
A NEEDLE PULLING THREAD

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Spring 2016

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