Tagged with 'knitting needles'

At Abakhan, we’re always happy to hear about knitting bringing people together. That’s why the latest news from Belfast rather made us smile. whilst the Lord Mayor there might not seem like a natural with the needles, he was happy to get involved at the Lord Mayor’s Parlour last week.

Mayor Niall O Donnghaile was talking to some of the ladies who were in Northern Ireland as part of their retreat that tours all over the country, aiming to get some knitting done in some of Ireland’s most famous spots. Other destinations include Giant's Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.

The trip was conceived by the Lisburn designer Maggie Jackson, who is now based in Michigan, where she shares the benefit of her 34 years in the fashion industry with others hoping to learn this great old tradition.

Mr O Donnghaile, though happy to chip in, was happy to admit that he hadn’t quite inherited his own grandmother’s crochet skills, and ended up conceding defeat to knitting and purling, deciding instead to sit and chat to the members of the group, commenting that he tended ‘not to be any good’ at things that involve hand-eye co-ordination.

Commenting on the group’s aims, Ms Jackson noted that it was ‘about the history of Northern Ireland’ and that she aimed to bring others to her homeland.

To view more of the latest news from the world of knitting, and to purchase knitting supplies at great prices, continue to check into Abakhan over the coming weeks.

Have you ever thought about getting into knitting, but never really known the difference between the numerous kinds of needle? This can be a real pain for some people, as getting the wrong one can drastically affect the outcome of all that time and effort.

If you want to make a jumper for the winter – or summer if you’re in England – then you don’t want to end up with a hat because you’ve bought a needle to go quickly and it’s all gone wrong.

So here are a few tips for choosing the right knitting needle.

There are so many needles on the market, which can make things tricky for a beginner. There are plain plastic needles, metal, glass, bamboo, wood, the list goes on, and that’s not even begun to mention straight, circular or double-pointed needles! The best way as a beginner is to go to the store with a project in your head. The design and style of your plan will dictate what sort of needle you will need.

You don’t need to go out and buy every type of needle all in one go to make up a collection and say, “I’ll use the wooden one this time I think”. Different knitters prefer different styles so you may find you never use some of them.

Many people like bamboo or wooden needles because of their warmth, natural feel and that comforting, traditional click that you get as you get going.

Metal needles are the choice of many, because they are less likely than any of the other models to break. They are sleek which can allow for quick knitting, but don’t expect to have the jumper done in the same day purely because you have needles that allow you to go that bit quicker – that can be when mistakes creep in.

Plastic needles are similar to their wooden or bamboo counterparts in terms of weight and feel, but they lack that natural warmth that wood gives off. They’re very smooth, like the metal versions, so also allow you to knit that bit quicker, and they’re that little bit more flexible.

If you have the feeling that you want to keep knitting, give a number of different needles a go, but you will probably find out early on that you have one that you just keep going back to.

For more information and a list of all of our knitting yarn and accessories, visit the section on our website.