Introducing: MarblZ

We're excited to introduce our new line of knitting needles, Knitter's Pride MarblZ! These unique new needles are available in a range of eye catching colors which are hand-crafted and specially developed so that each needle has its own unique marbled design.

MarblZ provide just the right 'grab' which allows for easy handling of slippery yarns and makes picking up stitches faster and easier. They are lightweight, smooth, strong, and flexible, featuring sharp, gradually tapered points that are ideal for all styles of knitting. The rave reviews are already coming in for MarblZ! Faye F. recently shared this photo of her MarblZ needles in action and had this to say about them:

I am in love with your Marblz needles! Knitting with them is wonderful, and when I knit in the sun, the light goes through them - it's almost magical! 

MarblZ are available as double pointed, fixed circular, interchangeable circular, and single pointed needles. We also have a special Limited-Edition MarblZ Gift set for the holiday season that includes 9 pairs of needle tips in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11; 4 cords; 8 end caps; and 4 cord keys. The set also includes a pen made from our special Symfonie Wood, a set of cord connecters, and a Knitter's Pride needle gauge!

Winner

Congratulations to Ben Beauvais, you're our lucky winner! We'll be in touch to arrange delivery of your Knitter's Pride Nova Platina Starter Set. Thanks to everyone who participated! 

Swatching, Needles, and Yarn

We're sure you've heard, read, and been told many times and from many places the importance of swatching. It also matters which needles you swatch with! In our experiment we knit three swatches all using the soft and silky Fibre Company Canopy Worsted. We used three different needle materials, all size US 6 (4mm). from left to right they are Symfonie Cubics, Nova Platinas, and Trendz.

The center square in stockinette stitch on all three swatches are 20 stitches wide and 27 rows long. All the squares measure 3.75" long after blocking, but the width of the swatches varies slightly. The difference might seem insignificant, but if you're talking about a sweater with 200 stitches, at the first gauge on the Symfonie Cubics that would measure 38.75", with the Nova Platinas the garment would measure 40", and with Trendz it would measure 41.25". So depending on which needles you use, with the same exact number of stitches, you could get anywhere from 38.75" to 41.25", a difference of 2.5"!

When choosing which needle is best it's also important to consider your personal style of knitting, preferences, and the yarn. Canopy Worsted is a soft blend of of 50% baby alpaca, 30% merino wool, and 20% bamboo. Both baby alpaca and bamboo are very soft with lots of drape, making this wool a little bit slicker than a more rustic wool yarn. It's a 3-ply yarn, making it round and durable, and doesn't split, making it easier to knit with blunt needles. Symfonie Cubics, Nova Platinas, and Trendz are all appropriate for working with this yarn. You can learn more about finding your perfect needle with our new series of videos from Staci Perry. 

SocktoberKnit-A-Long

We continue the Conversation Socks Knit-A-Long as part of Socktober! Learn more in this blog post and join the KAL on Ravelry.

Giveaway

This month we're giving away a  Nova Platina Starter Set! To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us whether or not you swatch when starting a new project, and leave us your Ravelry ID or another way to contact you. We'll choose one lucky winner October 31st!