Anyone else have the knitpicks options set?

[Kama82]

My mother in law bought me the knitpicks harmony options interchangable needle set for christmas. They are beautiful and I love them but I can't find any patterns that I can knit on them (I found a cute sweater I would like to knit for my daughter on them but I think the details might beyond my current skill).

I found a hat that is knitted in the round that looks pretty straight forward but it requires 16" cables, in my stitch n bitch book it says that you must knit in the round on needles that are smaller than the project, the smallest size cable you can buy for the options needles is 24".

I can't see how this can be right, I can never knit anything but large projects on these beautiful needles? Why would they make them this way, why wouldn't don't they make 16" cables for it?

I have never knitted in the round before so this is confusing, my knitting skills are very very basic right now anyway. Is there some trick that makes it so that I can knit smaller projects on the longer options cables?

I am so confused. Any help is appreciated.

[Malva]

I use circular needles for everything.

I never use straights anymore and hardly ever use dpns.

You can knit on circulars the same way you would on straights. At the end of your row, turn your knitting and change hands. Forget that there is a cable between the two pointy ends. Does that make sense? You can also magic-loop the circulars to knit smallish things (hats or socks) in the round.

With a set like that, you will rarely need any other needles.

[MeepyCat]

I adore my Harmony set and use them for everything, but I am a hard core sweater knitter.

The reason for no 16 inch cable - the length isn't the length of the cable alone, it's the length of the cable, plus needles. With the Harmony tips being the length they are, you'd have very little cable at 16 inches total, and it would be hard to knit with.

Magic Loop is definitely the way to go.

ETA: You know you don't *have* to use these to knit in the round, yes? It's a dumb question, but you sound a little as though you are looking only for round projects. If that's the case, free your mind of that concern. You can use the circulars to knit back and forth just like straights.

[wrenmoon]

I don't use straight needles anymore either. for anything. Mostly because my two children are worse than cats when it comes to my knitting- if I am using cable needles then I can push the whole project onto the cable part and this gives me more time to get to the knitting before the kids can pull it off the needles. I love the fewer moving and removable parts of cable needles for knitting anything, round or straight.

If you become a fully addicted and sanguine knitter you can order more needles of a certain size in order to have many many projects on size 6's instead of a reasonable 1... Er, or so I have heard. I don't have any personal experience with that. I have heard of some people who have four sets of size 6's in their options set, but that is just a rumor...

[geekgolightly]

Magic Loop! You might need to order a longer cable, but it's supa cheap and then you can do all of your small circular knitting projects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtBSmxGomPk&feature=fvw << how to do the magic loop. i think knitwitch is pretty good.

[3boobykins]

I have the options set (the nickel one) and I don't use dpn or even 16' circs anymore. I got some 47" cables and always use Magic Loop. You can use 32' for small circumferences. I'd also get a 40"--sometimes the 47's are too long. I love the options set. From time to time a cable can break from the screw-on end. I've had this happen twice, and when I emailed KP they immediately replied with apologies and sent me replacements.

[SoCaliMommy]

I have a Nickle Plated Options Set but it's not the packaged set
I bought 2 47" cords 2 40" cords
then i bought the tips i needed and i also bought a size 2 and 3 fixed circs on 47"cord.

That method worked better for me since i use magic loop and saw no point in buying the packaged set with the smaller cords.

[Kama82]

Thank you for the replies! I am very new to knitting, so no I did not realize that you could knit back and forth on circulars, I have figured it out since this post though, I also googled magic loop and those were the words I needed to hear! Thanks so much for the help, I haven't quite got the magic loop thing figured out but I suspect it wont take me very long.

On knittinghelp.com she says the smallest cable she would use for magic loop is 24" so I thought for smaller projects the 34" cables should be fine, but I saw someone recommend the even longer cables, I am trying to knit a hat that calls for 16" circular needles, should that work with the magic loop method on a 32" cable?

[geekgolightly]

Originally Posted by Kama82

Thank you for the replies! I am very new to knitting, so no I did not realize that you could knit back and forth on circulars, I have figured it out since this post though, I also googled magic loop and those were the words I needed to hear! Thanks so much for the help, I haven't quite got the magic loop thing figured out but I suspect it wont take me very long.

On knittinghelp.com she says the smallest cable she would use for magic loop is 24" so I thought for smaller projects the 34" cables should be fine, but I saw someone recommend the even longer cables, I am trying to knit a hat that calls for 16" circular needles, should that work with the magic loop method on a 32" cable?

I would use a longer cable because it can get tight.

[SleeplessMommy]

Originally Posted by Malva

I use circular needles for everything.

Me too! Much less stress on the arms.

If you knit lots of hats, eventually you will want to get 16" needles for your most common gauges.

[SoCaliMommy]

Originally Posted by SleeplessMommy

Me too! Much less stress on the arms.

If you knit lots of hats, eventually you will want to get 16" needles for your most common gauges.

If using a longer cable and interchangable circ and using magic loop for a hat you dont need a 16" circ. you'd use a way larger cable and do magic loop.

[Gr8ful Momma]

I got them for Christmas as well and I looooove them. I need to buy larger cables as well, judging by the info in this thread.

[Kama82]

I wanted to say I did end up using the 32" cable to use magic loop to knit the hat. The hat is done and it didn't suffer from the cable being too short but I did lol I can tell it was waaaay harder than it had to be. I made a lot of errors on the hat (knitting and purling at the wrong time) but I kept the right amount of stitches through the whole thing even if the ribbing looks a bit off in some parts it turned out quite usable and nice. I can see why magic loop would be much easier with a longer cable though.

[tayndrewsmama]

I usually use the 40" cable for magic loop projects. I can't see ever using straight needles again now. I love my Addi Click set.