Trying something new…Bamboo!

It took about three weeks, but Lhiabelle and I finally managed to make it to Calgary’s newest knitting store, The Loop.  The Loop is run by Annie, who previously worked (managed?) both Make One Yarn Studio in Bridgeland, and The Knitting Room off Crowchild Trail.  Annie’s new digs are a bit smaller than I would have expected, and a little sparsely stocked at this time (new store, postal strike…join the dots), but it shows great promise.  She’s known for stocking the unusual, trying new things…and I suspect that will come with a bit of time.

Speaking of new things…in addition to the now-standard display of Addi Turbo and Addi Lace needles behind the counter, she’s also added a new brand: Chiaogoo.  She had quite a large selection of the bamboo needles. Not sure about the steel, but after having tried the bamboo, I would love to give them a spin.  I have determined that the Chiaogoo Bamboo Circulars are one of the few bamboo needles that I can actually use and enjoy.

I was worried that the bamboo needle would be a little too flexible, and prone to snapping with the kind of pressure that I tend to exert on my needles.  My Addi Turbos have a tendency to bend, though their metal tends towards the soft end of the spectrum. The bamboo here is very sturdy and seems to work well with my grip, not being too bendy nor too brittle. The join for the needle & the cable are practically seamless with the wood.  You can tell that there is some craftsmanship at play. I haven’t had any difficulty with my yarn snagging on the join.  The cable itself is a little stiff for my liking. It appears to be a thin, flexible stainless steel cable that has been coated in a plastic or nylon to keep from snagging on one’s knitting. It reminds me a bit of the kind of metal cabling that one would see on a bridge, only in miniature scale. Maybe I just need to break them in, or need to try softening them up, but while my Addi cables will lie softly under my palms when magic-looping, these give a bit more resistance. Perhaps I just need to get used to them.

I haven’t had any problem knitting with the Chiaogoo needles.  If anything, I’m really enjoying them for the work I’m doing.  I transferred the Gush sock I was working on yesterday to the 32″ needle that I picked up. I was finding that with my well-worn Addi Turbos, my hands were feeling sticky and gross most of the time.  We’re starting into summer here in Calgary, and part of that involves alternating heat and rain. Usually we’re a fairly dry city, but lately we’ve had quite a bit of moisture and humidity. My hands were sticking to the nickel of the Addi needles and just feeling slick.  I’m not having that issue with the Chiaogoos.  The bamboo needles aren’t making my hands any more or less sweaty, and the wool is sliding over them quite nicely. Considering that I’m doing a lot of knitting through the back loop plus purling, the slight grip of the wood needles gives me a little extra control that under less humid circumstances might have stitches dropping off the needles.

I’m also noticing that my stitches are a little more even gauge-wise.  I have no idea why this is happening.  Maybe it’s because I’m not sweating as much into the yarn or holding it as tightly, so it has the ability to plump up a bit.  My speed has gone down considerably, but I believe that is due to the knit/purl pattern rather than the needle type.

A couple of final remarks: The price point on these is amazing. My Addi needles generally cost me around $20 CDN. The Chiaogoo needles were around $8.50 CDN per set. Also in its favour? They’re wood.  They’re not metal.  For those of you who are travelling, this might be what allows you to keep on knitting after going through airport security. Plus?  They just look damn classy.  The dark patina on the wood is absolutely gorgeous.

I’d love to try other wooden circulars, but so far I’m sold on the Chiaogoo circs. They probably won’t totally replace my everyday needles, but they’ll definitely go into the regular rotation! These are earmarked for, at very least, completing my Gush socks.  They’re behaving a heck of a lot better than they were, and that’s made the sock a lot more enjoyable to work with.