As Pandora's Needles Click Away

The Fibersphere

Pandoraknits — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:52:53 GMT

There are always new and clever ways to carry around your balls of yarn. Yarn-tainers, plastic bags, and other plastic toys that seem to be okay for a while, but only until you have to move the knitting and ball of yarn, and discover that you have to CUT the yarn to remove it from the carrying case.

Enter the Fibersphere. Not only is it cleverly designed into a clamshell design, with the hole on the center of the opening, so that you don't have to cut the yarn to remove the project, but it also has uber smooth edges so even loosely spun angora does not snag!

This was a buy on a whim a few months ago for me. I figured, why not? And let me tell you, I was not disappointed. This is a great for carrying/protecting even the LARGEST of balls (2200 yards of merino, anyone?) and comes in two sizes, the 5" and 7" clamshell.

There is even a choice between a pink and a clear balls, and a drawstring plastic/pvs bag, so that you can tie it to your knitting bag and knit while walking.

The pricing varies between $24 and $27 depending on size. I bought one of each size, and really enjoy that they allow either center pull balls or hand wound balls with ease. You can even squash one of the long skeins into a Fibersphere with no trouble.

Silk or angora slide easily through the hole and knit with ease without the slightest snag, and are protected from purse fuzz and knitting bag mishaps.

Final verdict? If you can afford it, buy a Fibersphere instead of any other yarn containing device. The extra few dollars are worth it.

Eucalan No Rinse Wool Wash

Pandoraknits — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:54:00 GMT

I have always had recommendations from my local yarn shops (yes, there is more than one) saying that Eucalan is the way to go with washing your handknits.

Being willing to experiment, I bought one of the sample bottles, and used it on a swatch for a yarn review. I must say, I certainly didn't smell anything that resembled grapefruit when the swatch was soaking.

The swatch was fairly clean to begin with. And, to be fair, the Eucalan does appear to do its job of cleaning and removing grime without that pesky rinsing.

My only issue is the smell. The wool wash itself smells VERY (and I do mean very) faintly of grapefruit straight out of the bottle, but when it is added to water, the scent promptly vanishes.

I think this is probably a good wash for when you don't want anything overly perfume-y on your woolens, because there was no scent left on the swatch at all.

Overall, it cleans well, didn't appear to damage the fibers (the most important thing), and for ease of use, it gets an A+ because of the rinsing not being necessary. Scent-wise, there are three scents, and being that I have only tried the grapefruit scent, I cannot say if the others are any better or worse.

Personally, I prefer something with a little more of a scent that says "Hey, I'm clean and fresh", so Eucalan may not be my first choice. But as far as cleaning and freshening goes, it does well.

Support These Wonderful Enablers

Pandoraknits — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:17:32 GMT

Knitpicks Options Harmony Interchangeable Needles

Pandoraknits — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:32:44 GMT

Despite there being lots of reviews that say the Knitpicks Options interchangeable needles are lacking in quality control, due to some join issues, I love these needles. I bought the set of Harmony's last year, and have been using them non stop since.

I have never had any issues with the joins coming undone, and yes, it DOES help to remember to use the key to tighten them completely. None of the male parts have been stripped so that they are not functional.

I love the smooth join on these needles, and feel that the points are better made than even Addi Lace. Those of us who do lacework or knit through the back loops understand just how important pointy needles can be.

My only complaint so far is that the cord lengths are limited, but nothing that a little creativity can't fix. I liked the idea of the Denise interchangeables having the links that you could connect two cords together to get a correct length, but hated those needles with a passion. The Knitpicks needles are of a better quality, and also seem to last longer, so lack of cord options would not prevent me from recommending them to EVERYONE in the knitting community.

Now if only I had the money to buy the set of original Options....