KNITTERS - please advise

[knitternovice]

Following on from your thread about what knitters would like for christmas, i would like to ask you about the interchangeable needles.

MIL is an avid knitter. She mostly knits cardis and jumpers for her grandchildren. Are interchangeable needles something that she would use? Or are they only for a special type of knitting?

If so, can you recommend what size to buy, or a starter kit or something? Looking to spend around £30.

TIA

They always look lovely in the magazines, have never used them and just use ones from my collection I have amassed over the years. Would love to know how you get on with them. Might suggest them as a Christmas present.

Have a look at this site.
You can use circular needles for all projects and lots of people prefer them. Best find out what you mil prefers and what thickness of needles.
Have a sneaky look in her knitting basket and see what she is knitting with.
It's a lovely gift and I would love to get it but I wouldn't NEED it, having tons of knitting pins already.
If I could choose I would want the whole set from 2.25 to 6mm, in whole, half and quarter sizes, but I don't know if interchangeable is very practical for very thin needles.
I'm a real greedy person for anything in sets though.

Interesting - I looked at these in a shop the other day because I've always thought it was such a good idea.....but, running my finger over the joins, they seem as though they might be prone to catching - which is a major irritation if you're knitting on a circular needle. I always try to use Addi Turbo needles because the join is lovely and smooth - they're not all that cheap though, and not interchangeable....

Does your MIL use circular needles a lot, OP?

evenkeel, she normally just uses the standard straight needles....

IME people who are used to using straights don't readily move to circs, but I do know people who use both.
Also, a good set of interchangeable circs will be more than £30.
Do you want a knitting-related present for her? Someone linked to Yarn Bowls on another thread. For holding wool while you knit.
Or of course there is always Lovely Wool and we can advise

Thanks. Think i'll leave the needles. I loved the yarn bowls but they are all sold out...

What about some lovely yarn? Good hand-dyers are Fyberspates, Skein Queen, Ripples Crafts, Yarn Yard...for starters. (All googleable)

Thanks. Will get googling!

there are yarn bowls on etsy.

here's one

oooh, i like... but would you risk this coming from the US? Is it not too fragile?

Word of warning: Although of course I would be very touched by anybody giving me such a lovely knitting bowl as a present, I would not use it much and it would be something else to add to the clutter.
Your mil may be very different, so CHECK

Whereabouts are you, knitternovice? If you have any nice yarn shops near to you, they might well do some sort of token-type scheme. And you could maybe go along and buy some little thing to wrap up for MIL alongside the token - some pretty stitch-markers or what-have-you. Then she could go and drool over the wools and make her own choice.

I've just spent far too much money in Loop, which is a dangerously addictive yarn shop in London....

If you are still thinking about the interchangeable circs, have to say I thought mine were expensive when I bought them, but they've been worth their weight in gold. Apart from DPNs, they're all I use now: my straights are gathering dust! I got the Knit Pro sets in wood and metal from here.

Alternatively, I'd also second the suggestion for lovely hand-dyed yarn. To add to Unprune's suggestions, I've found gorgeous yarns from Knitwitches and fun, bright colours from Easyknits