Knitting Notions & Gadgets

When I first started knitting, I had some aluminum needles and some bulky cotton yarn that I bought at the dime store. Eventually, I graduated to Red Heart acrylic yarn, and plastic needles, from which I fashioned an afghan for our family room. Straight single point needles, on which I crammed an entire row of the afghan. I didn't know about circular needles, double pointed needles, stich markers, row counters...........

Now, many, many years later, there are certain knitting tools that I can't live without. My swift, winder, various types of needles in numerous lengths, tape measurers...........the list is growing.

So what's a notion? Notion (accessory)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A notion is an accessory in the sewing industry. The word is usually used in the plural. Notions are sewn or glued onto garments and manufactured goods; their manufacture is an industry in itself. See sewing#Notions (Objects Sewn Into Garments or Soft Goods). Notions include all types of fasteners and novelties. Examples of notions are buttons, zippers and beads.

I am quite sure that I could not live without my trusty yarn swift......no more winding yarn around furniture, unwilling family members, or god forbid, the family dog. Throw the hank of yarn around the yarn swift, hook it up to a winder, and within minutes you have a cake of lovely wound yarn.

Swifts come in wood and plastic, and in various sizes. Personally, I would invest in a nice sturdy wood one. You'll use it forever, and never miss having to wind yarn the old fashioned way.

If you've got a swift, then you must have a winder, although you could still wind the yarn from the swift into a ball. But why?

You can get a crank winder for less than $20, probably less if you can find a used one or one on auction.

There are various methods by which knitters keep track of just exactly they are in the pattern. I've probably used them all. I visually count rows; keep notes on a sticky note, highlight, and pray that I can cram everything that I need to remember in my brain.

But, why? There are row counters that are very basic, and you just push a button on a little device at the end of every row. The problem is that you have to remember to push the button.

This is the newest row counter, and it has the ability to keep track of more than one project, for those of us who tend to have more than one project in the works at any given time. Might be worth the investment.

Perfect for your gadget bag, functional and cute. The Chibi needles now come in various sizes, three to a holder. Some are bent at the tip and others are traditional tapestry needles. A must have for the modern knitter.

These are cute, and useful..........pliable soft rubber needle holders, to slip over the end of your single points, or circular needles, to keep those stitches on the needles.
They come in various sizes and shapes. As an alternative, you can use a rubber band wrapped around the end of your needle, but you'll spend some time getting it on and off.

An inventive creation, the clover cutter works just as well as scissors, and can be taken on an airplane........

Costs under $10.00, and worth the price.

I could probably live without these stitch markers, but I'd like not to. I use these mainly to mark the right side of a knitted piece. You could use a safety pin, but these are lightweight, and made of soft plastic. AND they are easy to move.

I also use them when sock knitting, as markers for the beginning of each round.

Lightweight and pliable, these stitch holders come in various sizes and are a vast improvement from the metal ones. Easier to use than spare yarn, although I still use that on occasion.