Knitting needle kit question (Boye vs. Denise)

If you look at the picture at:
http://www.wrights.com/products/cata...ne/7312_lg.htm, the red
object(in my kit it's white) is the gripper thingy. It's like what you use
to loosen jar lids in the kitchen. Right below that, is a plastic envelope
that has connectors and the key. The key is a piece of metal shaped like a
lower case b or p that is used to tighten the equipment. Hope this is
clearer.
Chris
"spampot" wrote in message
...
Chris Bailey wrote:
I have the Boye set and I also had the problem with the needles coming
unscrewed. After the first few times, I used the key and the gripper
thing(I hadn't used the gripper thingy originally) and on a 5' x 5'
blanket,
I only had to tighten it once. Pretty good for 200 stitches across, I
thought.


Key and gripper thingy? I'm not sure I know what that is. Can you be
more specific?

AHA! I had no idea what those things were. Thank you!

Chris Bailey wrote:
If you look at the picture at:
http://www.wrights.com/products/cata...ne/7312_lg.htm, the red
object(in my kit it's white) is the gripper thingy. It's like what you use
to loosen jar lids in the kitchen. Right below that, is a plastic envelope
that has connectors and the key. The key is a piece of metal shaped like a
lower case b or p that is used to tighten the equipment. Hope this is
clearer.
Chris
"spampot" wrote in message
...

Chris Bailey wrote:

I have the Boye set and I also had the problem with the needles coming
unscrewed. After the first few times, I used the key and the gripper
thing(I hadn't used the gripper thingy originally) and on a 5' x 5'

blanket,

I only had to tighten it once. Pretty good for 200 stitches across, I
thought.


Key and gripper thingy? I'm not sure I know what that is. Can you be
more specific?

The only reason I know is I had to email Wright's for the info because I
didn't buy the kit originally and my points and connectors had no
directions.
Glad I could help.
Chris
"spampot" wrote in message
...
AHA! I had no idea what those things were. Thank you!

Chris Bailey wrote:
If you look at the picture at:
http://www.wrights.com/products/cata...ne/7312_lg.htm, the red
object(in my kit it's white) is the gripper thingy. It's like what you
use
to loosen jar lids in the kitchen. Right below that, is a plastic
envelope
that has connectors and the key. The key is a piece of metal shaped
like a
lower case b or p that is used to tighten the equipment. Hope this is
clearer.
Chris
"spampot" wrote in message
...

Chris Bailey wrote:

I have the Boye set and I also had the problem with the needles coming
unscrewed. After the first few times, I used the key and the gripper
thing(I hadn't used the gripper thingy originally) and on a 5' x 5'

blanket,

I only had to tighten it once. Pretty good for 200 stitches across, I
thought.


Key and gripper thingy? I'm not sure I know what that is. Can you be
more specific?

Yes, that why I have set my knitting aside for now. It is so freaking
irritating when the needles come unscrewed. I was wondering if using
something like Loc-Tite, in very small amounts, if this would keep the
needles from unscrewing.

bart

On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 00:17:43 -0500, wrote:

Yes, that why I have set my knitting aside for now. It is so freaking
irritating when the needles come unscrewed. I was wondering if using
something like Loc-Tite, in very small amounts, if this would keep the
needles from unscrewing.

bart

Bart, Don used some when I was making a huge afghan in a difficult stitch
and afraid that would happen....
Teeny amount, and by the time I was done, it came apart fairly easily.
HTH,
Noreen

PS, that's why I also have DENISE interchangables now....

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 17:13:28 GMT, wrote:

I am looking to purchase a knitting needle kit and have found these two kits
on the internet. I don't want to have to purchase new needles everytime I
start a new project and this seems to be the way around that. Especially
the circular ones. The Denise kit sounds like it is better, but it doesn't
have needles down to the smaller sizes like the Boye. Can anyone tell me
what they like and dislike about theirs.

Or, is there another kit that I haven't found that is better yet?

Ok, I have both. I like the sizes in the Boye better, but I LOVE the
Denise because it *never* 'unscrews' or comes apart.
HTH,
Noreen

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 17:13:28 GMT, wrote:

I am looking to purchase a knitting needle kit and have found these two
kits
on the internet. I don't want to have to purchase new needles everytime I
start a new project and this seems to be the way around that. Especially
the circular ones. The Denise kit sounds like it is better, but it doesn't
have needles down to the smaller sizes like the Boye. Can anyone tell me
what they like and dislike about theirs.

I hate the non-slip cables on the Denise. I have to wrench and wrench to move
things around, which totally defeats the purpose of knitting in the round.
Essentially it's become a very expensive set of stitch holders for me.
Obviously not everyone has this problem, though -- I don't know what makes the
difference.

--Helen

sktorres wrote:

snip
Can anyone tell me
what they like and dislike about theirs.

Denise, Denise, Denise. (but remember, this is an *extremely* opinionated
response. g I've pretty much only used Denise's since the early 70's, unless
I absolutely had to use other needles purely because I needed a small size the
kit didn't have. very rare. in which case, I just bought Inox circulars and
said hang the adjustability. I knew I wouldn't be using them enough to need
umpteen different lengths.) NAYY, of course.

1 - I hate metal needles; they're clunky, yarns slide off 'em like they were
greased, they make my hands sore, and the constant
'clank-clank-clank' noise always makes me want to do something violent. The
Denise's are decently *quiet*, and the yarn stays put when I want it to; or
slides ditto. I don't have to watch my knitting like a hawk for escapes.

2 - In 30 years of use, my Denise's have only come apart accidentally *once*.
And that was when I was first re-learning to knit, and yanked really hard while
sliding a huge number of stitches along. Never happened again, and I'm not
super-careful by any means. I just don't yank when I'm sliding stitches around,
I actually slide. g But no screwing, no tightening, no fiddling - slide the
cable end into the needle, twist, it clicks and locks into place. All done.
I've heard folks who've purchased the new kits say that now the fastenings are
even better, too. I can't imagine fussing with something you have to tighten up
all the time, or that screws together in the first place, if they're gonna
loosen anyway. IMNSHO, it sounds like bad engineering; c'mon, Boye *includes* a
tightener?! They *expect* this to consistently happen? I'd have returned them
and asked for a refund the first time it happened!

3 - I also hate using small sized needles and super-fine yarns. I've only used
needles sized #4 or below about three times in those same 30-some years, so the
sizes in the Denise kits are perfect for me. I find I most often use #6's
through #9's. (note: folks on the Ample Knitters list who've asked Denise about
needle sizes under #5 have been informed there are no plans for such. if I
remember right, it had something to do with difficulties in making sure the
fastenings would be secure enough. but I'm not positive I'm remembering that
correctly. I'm only positive about the fact that they don't plan to add smaller
sizes, due to some technical difficulties they feel would compromise the
quality.)

4 - My experience with the plastic the Denise's are made of, both points and
cables, has been just great. I've used them with everything - silk, cotton,
acrylic, rayon, wool...handspun and commercial...novelties such as eyelash,
fuzzy mohair, to smooth worsted-spun. Singles and multiple strands. Nary a
problem. The points are pointy enough to slip into tight stitches, but rounded
enough they don't split or snag yarns like boucles. I have no problems with
stitches in any yarn sliding along the cables, even when using the smallest
points in the kit - the #5's - which are just about the same diameter as the
cables. Of course, I knit loose, so maybe it's tight knitters that experience
this problem?? (this is unlike the *one* Boye circular I have; size 19. it was
the only circular in a long enough length for an afghan using 4 or 5 yarns held
together which I could find in that size; and that I could afford. this one
doesn't screw together - the cable is permanently attached - but the cable is
made of something that resembles surgical tubing. kind of like the stuff they
use with catheters. g and boy, would I like to wrap it around the neck of
whatever idiot thought *that* was a good idea. IV-like tubing could be ok, as
it tends be slightly harder and more slick; but this stuff is just awful, as
far as I'm concerned. not only is the cable horrendously thick - which does
*not* help anything slide, despite it being a smaller diameter than the points;
it's also got a soft enough surface that it sticks like glue to yarns. even
trying suggestions given here on the group of rubbing the cable with various
things to make stitches slide easier hasn't helped. it wears off too fast.
besides, why should I be expected to constantly lubricate my *knitting
needles*?? if I'd been able to *see* them before ordering, I would've gone with
any other brand I could find, to heck with the price. um, yes, I really hate
inefficiency in design. gg /rant, again.)

5 - The Denise points are just the right length for my small hands. I've got
long fingers in proportion to my hands, but my palms are only 4" across, and my
hands are *tiny*. Even when I use the #13 or #15 tips, they aren't awkward for
me.

6 - I've never bought a cable needle since getting them. Just use another
point one size smaller than I'm knitting with, attached to one of the shortest
connector cables, put one of the stop buttons on the end of the cable, and
voila - instant cable needle.

7 - In 30 years, the price for the kit has only gone up about $11!!! They were
around $33 in 1973, they're about $44 or $44.95 now. (not including shipping.
g and note, several times I've read people saying excitedly that they've
found them at a really great price via mail-order, or online, other than the
mfr's. webpage. when I've gone to check these other places out, the price has
been the same as direct from the mfr's. site - $44 something plus shipping. )

8 - The little snap-shut case they come in holds everything neatly in place; it
*stays* shut; it's sized nicely to fit into knitting bag, book-bag, backpack,
medium/large purse, or in an outside pocket of something like that; and it
makes a handy hard surface when you have to scribble notes/calculations on the
back of a brochure or something when you're sitting at the bus-stop, or stuck
in waiting-room hell. g Plus everything snaps into little slots or channels,
so things don't fall out even if the case comes open somehow.

9 - The company has a great return policy.

10 - You won't go broke if you want to order extra cables.

11 - My only problem? That I couldn't afford a *third* set, or more cables, 30
years ago. My two sets are in perfect condition; it's not like I need to
replace anything, oh no. It's that I have major startitis syndrome, the UFO's
keep mounting up, and I hate putting a UFO on a length of yarn when I've run
out of cables for a new project. vbg However, I figure I'll get another set
sometime this year, so that should--well, it should enable me to have even more
UFO's sitting around the place, LOL!

Monica
CMMPDX2 at aol
remove 'eat.spam' to email me
---------
"No, that isn't me you saw - I'm not here, I'm incognito!" (Me, Myself & I)
Support our Troops!!
http://www.wtv-zone.com/kjsb/bataan.html

Hi Monica,

I was wondering if you were all right as I hadn't seen you in quite a while.

Hugs,

Nora