Thursday, July 28, 2005

Grandmother's needles

My mom brought over a box of knitting needles that belonged to my grandmother and I believe some that belong to her. Now, I know the double pointed needles belonged to grandmother since I remember her knitting mittens for us (now living in Florida, I am trying to think how many times we actually NEEDED to wear them -- maybe a few??? ) I suspect that my cousins in the north may have also gotten them and they were much more practical and probably used more. I found some Magic Stripes yarn at a store going out of business and decided to give it a try making socks So I pulled out the dpns in the size 3 sleeve pictured here:


I have PLENTY OF SIZE 3 dpns - right? WRONG!!! Out of all of those needles, which, dear grandmother, happen to be mostly size 2s, there are only 3 - 3 dpns - which I am guessing with knitting socks would be like sitting on a two legged stool. So I try the gauge out, thinking that I might need size 2s after all and would be on my merry way. NOPE, size 3s (which you can test with 2 dpns) work nicely with the gauge.
Now, my memory escapes me, but someone offered me their spare pair of dpns not too long ago, and I said I had plenty - scads - and I passed them up. If you happen to be reading this and offered me those and they ARE size 3s, then I will humbly say "yes, I would LOVE to have those set of size 3 dpns. If they were another size and they were NOT size 2s, which I have more than a full set, I will take them too. IF ANYONE HAS A SPARE set of any size (3 and up), just email me and I will take them :)
I did get my hair done yesterday and took a picture of the top of my head to see my new do, but my dh said, now you know why we worry about you, doing stuff like that, so I will restrain my inclination to do something a little off the wall to protect the innocence of my family.
Update on the sampler shawl - leave it to feeling confident and clicking lickety split to have an error kick you around and remind oneself not to get too cocky and sure of oneself with the needles - that'll kick you around and remind you who is in control. So, dear needles, I bow to you, as we work in reverse, that you (and I should say "y'all") are the ones that have the final say.
On a final note, my fingers will be doing double duty as I will sub for the organist at church this Sunday, so my fingers will be getting an extra workout. You can't "tink" on the organ.......

2 comments:

Emily said...

My needles keep me humble all the time, too, lol.

kbsalazar said...

It's not common for needles to come in sets of only three, but some do. Traditional double pointed British knitting pins (prior to 1940, and in some remote spots after) came in sets of three needles. I've got several sets of steel needles in about 16 inch lengths - all three to a set.

Yes, if you're knitting in the round the first couple of stitches are tough to get into, but with a little practice, your three-needle set should be workable, as is.

For the record, you may not get the same size 3 you have on hand. US #3s are one of the sizes that seems to have "migrated" over the years. Some are 3mm in absolute measurement, some are 3.25. Some are between those two absolute measurements. Contemporary differences among needle brands are here:

http://string-or-nothing.blog-city.com/knitting_needles__part_v.htm

Older needles diverge even more widely.