I was wrong. Flat tipped needles work very well with Shetland knitting pouches for ordinary knitting, purling, and decreases.
Since the motions are smaller, the knitting is faster and less effort. As I get more comfortable knitting with flat tipped needles, the process gets faster. My original estimates of 10%- 15% likely understate the speed advantage of flat tipped needles.
Also the knitting sheath needle adapters are much easier to make for cylindrical needles, and they work much better. As a system, flat tipped needles with knitting sheaths is simpler and works better.
Using a Journeyman knitting pouch with US#1 flat tipped needles did not seem to cause any delay in inserting the needle into the pouch. This was very much a surprise as I had expected that the point of the needle was essential to quickly inserting the needle into the knitting pouch.
At this point, I see pointy knitting needles as only for hand held knitting techniques.
At this point, I guess that with a Shetland knitting pouch and flat tipped needles, all of the stitches used in traditional Shetland lace of the Victorian period can be produced with flat tipped needles. I have not tested this, and will have to get out my old lace patterns and see if it is true.
Since the motions are smaller, the knitting is faster and less effort. As I get more comfortable knitting with flat tipped needles, the process gets faster. My original estimates of 10%- 15% likely understate the speed advantage of flat tipped needles.
Also the knitting sheath needle adapters are much easier to make for cylindrical needles, and they work much better. As a system, flat tipped needles with knitting sheaths is simpler and works better.
Using a Journeyman knitting pouch with US#1 flat tipped needles did not seem to cause any delay in inserting the needle into the pouch. This was very much a surprise as I had expected that the point of the needle was essential to quickly inserting the needle into the knitting pouch.
At this point, I see pointy knitting needles as only for hand held knitting techniques.
At this point, I guess that with a Shetland knitting pouch and flat tipped needles, all of the stitches used in traditional Shetland lace of the Victorian period can be produced with flat tipped needles. I have not tested this, and will have to get out my old lace patterns and see if it is true.
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2 comments:
do you think you could show us a picture of the ends of your needles? are they like flathead screwdrivers, or more like the ends of dowels? (sorry, I'm not a visual thinker, and I can't visualize exactly what you mean.)
What do you mean exactly with flat-ended needles?
Just cutting off the usually tapered part? With no smoothing of the ends at all?
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