I get asked fairly frequently about what I think of different interchangeable sets- so I put together a few quick reviews of several of the popular ones.
Denise and Boye knitting needles are both great choices for affordable knitting needle sets- Boye are usually cheaper, but some people do not like the metal tips that screw on. (Go to the bottom of page for a transcript of this video!)
Boye Interchangeable Knitting Needle Review
Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needle Review
Addi vs. Denise vs. Boye
Transcript of Video- Denise vs. Boye Hey everyone it’s Jenn from Midnightsky Fibers and I just wanted to talk to you about the difference between the Denise versus Boye interchangeable knitting needles. I hope you decide which ones you should ask for, for the holidays or if you plan on getting them for yourself whatever. First off I’m going to assume that you already know there’s basically three types of interchangeable knitting needles on the market, Denise, Boye and Addi. I’m going to assume that for the case of this one that you think that the Addi will set you about twice the cost of the Denise. They’re just too expensive so you’re just trying to decide between the Denise or the Boye interchangeables.
So for me I prefer the Denise Knitting Needles because I really, I think that the fact that the tips don’t untwist. They click in instead of twist on for me makes a difference because when I had a pair of the Boye interchangeable they tended to untwist on me and I found that incredibly annoying. That being said the Denise knitting needles do have the downside of fairly stiff chords and being more expensive usually than the Boye knitting needles. The Boye Knitting Needles are nice because they have the metal tips which are smoother so you tend to be able to knit a little bit faster on them but also a little bit less expensive and they come in a nice zippered case. So they’re a little bit better for carrying along with you.
I think overall either one is a fairly good choice. It depends on what you can find in your LYS, your local yarn store or that you can find online at a good price and just based on your preference if you really prefer plastic tips that aren’t going to be as slippery then you definitely want to go with the Denise Interchangeable Needles . If you tend to knit pretty tight, it needs a knitting needle that’s not going to catch it though the Boye’s definitely going to be a better price. Of course if you can you want to be able to try both of them in person and be able to feel the knitting needles, feel like you can twist them on tight enough or off enough and if they’re easier to clip in and out for the Denise’s and so that might also affect your decision as well.
Overall I think either one is a good choice for interchangeables and if you can afford it definitely go up to the Addis which are my absolute favorites but if you’re just using occasionally and it’s not meant to replace other knitting needles. I’d really recommend going with the Denise over the Boye Interchangeable Needle Set. They’re the ones I really like and you can get them at most local yarn stores. You can find the Boye ones more on fabric stores or larger crafts stores and of course you can find both of them online as well. Thanks for listening.
The subject of how cool it is to find notes and handwriting in old books came up today on facebook, so I thought I would share with you the notes my grandma Lillian (1926-2009) made for a pattern for a simple dishcloth. She would often copy tips and patterns from magazines borrowed from friends in order to be able to have a copy. Most tips and short patterns were copied in to the margins or backs of scrap papers- the backside of sales sheets for farm equipment or even receipts.
This note is unusual, since there usually is not the actual pattern with the note (though this may not be the same exact pattern in the note versus the clipping- the row numbers and stitch count to increase to are different 42 and 43). You'll also notice that she made a note to use smaller needles and increase to fewer stitches.
come in a huge variety of sizes and with various accessories- on their own, with handles, etc. 
