The Love has Tarnished
Yes, I mean my new KnitPicks Options needles and yes, I think I literally mean “tarnished”.
I knit all of the Ballet Cami on them and it went really well. However, near the end of the principal knitting, I noticed that the tips were a little dull. Looking more closely, I noticed that it was only near the tips, pretty much exactly where I hold them. Clearly, my fingers are interacting with the finish. In a way that I haven’t seen with my Addis.
It’s hard to take a photo, but I did my best. Note that the needle on the top is duller than the one on the bottom. They both have the tarnish, the one on the bottom simply has that side turned away from the camera. (The penny was there to give my camera something to focus on)
Does this mean I regret my purchase? No. At least, not yet. But it does bear careful watching. If anyone else notices this problem, I’d love to hear it.
In other news, here’s a finished object! This is the square I made for Annette’s Blanket. I’ll be mailing it to Samantha in a day or so. When I looked at my stash, I realized I had a bunch of Cascade 220 Superwash left over from a past group blanket; small balls in a bunch of random sizes. So I decided to give the log cabin technique a try, and I let the size of the balls of yarn dictate the size of the squares. Next time I try one, instead of working in a spiral, I think I’ll start in one corner, and grow down and right (or something like that).
July 24th, 2006 at 11:33 pm
hi there, if you are looking for random log cabin knitting, go on over to cara’s blog at “january one”. wow, she has a random number generator log cabin thing goin’ on!
July 25th, 2006 at 1:51 am
The same thing happened with one my Addis. I have the new Nitpicks needles and so far, so good. I thin k it might have been something I had on my hands that reacted with the nickel.
July 25th, 2006 at 6:32 am
Contact Knit Picks & see what they say. They’ll undoubtedly replace the tips. I have a feeling that’s not a common problem.
July 25th, 2006 at 9:32 am
Weird! I haven’t used the Options but have used addis for a while… the only one I ever had discolor on me was when a drop of coca cola landed on the needle and “tarnished” it (overactive toddler, knitting and drinking soda thru a straw… never mix!)
I’ll be curious to see what KP has to say…
July 25th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
That’s what happens to me with all my addis. I actually emailed knit picks and they said that if I had the same problem with their needles they’d be happy to refund me my money, so definitely let them know.
July 25th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
My husband does structural analysis and other industrial inspection… I asked him about this. You’ve got aluminum needles that are being corroded by the salt in the sweat from your hands. This doesn’t happen with most other aluminum needles because they’ve been anodized or enameled (even if they aren’t colored).
Essentially, one of the ways Knit Picks is making these needles so inexpensive is by skipping part of the manufacturing process.
July 26th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Hmm, that hasn’t happened to any of my Addis yet. Makes me wonder about the plating on your needles, though!
July 26th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
This hasn’t happened with my Knit Picks needles, and I got prototypes, so I’ve used my a lot—but it definitely happened with my Addis. They have some weird discoloration and a wearing at the tips of the sizes I’ve used a lot. I suspect this has to do with individual body chemistry, as you suggest. If it doesn’t harm the knitting, I’d say, don’t worry about it!
August 2nd, 2006 at 9:28 am
My fingers take the plating right off tapestry needles. For me, working with gold needles is a joke–I know lots of people prefer them, but I strip them in a couple of days. That’s why I stick to the cheapies…