Check out some new knitting tools I got my hands on this winter in this CRAFT Video.
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Kollage Yarns square knitting needles
Handcrafted to our exacting standards, Kolláge’s square knitting needles are designed to be ergonomically suited to your hands, decreasing stress and strain for those who love to knit. They enable you to knit faster with more uniform stitches. At one of our shows, we had several pairs of square needles out with yarn for people to try. One sample was knit on by over 30 different people, but the stitches were all the same. These will be perfect with those slippery yarns so no more dropping stitches. We believe, and have been told by many, the square needles are easier to use by those who have arthritis, carpal tunnel, or stiffness in their hands and fingers.
Fiber Fantasy blockers kit
Don’t use a million pins when you block! Just insert these stainless steel, rust-proof blocking wires along the edge of your unfinished pieces. The blockers stop the curling so you can easily pin and steam to your desired measurement. Blockers act as a handle for every edge of your knitted piece. No longer will you need to pin every inch unsatisfactorily “scalloping” the edge of your knitted piece. Try our Blockers kit and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.
DIY tip: After I got the kit open, I noticed the long stainless wires looked a lot like stainless steel welding rods. With the flick of a grinding wheel they could become blocking wires.
Signature Needle Arts double points
One night, when struggling with a fuzzy yarn, I said out loud, “Why can’t I have needles with a better point?” From across the room my husband, Kent, replied, “You can, just take them to work.” I am the President of Bothe Associates Inc., a family-owned manufacturer of custom metal components, so I did just that.  I had a pair of what has come to be called the “Stiletto point” made and had it hand-polished. I could not believe the difference in my ability to deal with all sorts of yarn. At this same time I began to think about the metal needles available and the opportunities for designing fine tools for knitters that would include both performance and aesthetics. Think about it: people who restore cars can buy high quality tools for their hobby, but knitters have to make do with whatever the big companies sell. We knitters spend lots of money on yarn, and even more of our time, but knitters who like metal needles didn’t have much in the way of choice in great tools, or any ability to customize their needles to their preference. Not every knitter is fortunate to have access to a metal cutting company, so we decided to open up shop and share our special needles with everyone. We had many people involved in the design and manufacturing process here at Bothe Associates Inc. Machinists who were non-knitters became experts at crafting needles perfect for avid knitters and they rose to the challenge with a great, reliable product made here in America. In addition, we met with focus groups of knitters who had lots of great ideas to give us a push in the right direction – and so Signature Needle Arts was born.
Interlocking foam mats
These are perfect for blocking because you can connect them to make any shape. Rather than blocking-specific mats, these are cheaper when sold as foam exercise flooring.
DIY knitting needle organizer
I cloned my store-bought knitting needle organizer with a big piece of heavy fabric. It’s got slots for needles of every size, and pockets for accessories like yarn needles and stitch markers. More pictures on Flickr.
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