I have been babbling happy sounds over Shetland knitting belts. And, yes, if you are knitting delicate fabrics with light weight and/or wooden needles, then Shetland knitting belts have great virtues.
On the other hand, by simply making a longer needle adapter, knitting sheaths will work very well for pointy needles, and allow additional knitting techniques. The longer needle adapters will also work very well with blunt needles.
My rule of thumb is that if the fabric is firm enough to support my steel needles, I use the steel needles and a knitting sheath, If the fabric requires lighter needles, then I use my Shetland knitting belt.
The steel needles for fine socks are so light, and the fabric so firm, that it really does not matter if one uses a knitting sheath or a knitting belt.
Knitting sheaths with short needle adapters for blunt needles, long needle adapters for pointy needles, and the knitting belt with the lighter, but more fragile tubular needles that sometimes collapse under the greater stress that can very easily be applied with a knitting sheath.
Fair and balanced says that different fabrics are made with different tool kits.
As for circular needles, I used them for years and years. Any fabric that anyone can knit with any combination of circular needles can be knit faster, and with less stress using "DPN" and either a knitting belt or a knitting sheath. The class of objects that are more difficult to knit with a knitting sheath or knitting belt are mobius objects that may require as many as 9 straight needles. On the other hand, knitting belts/knitting sheath allow knitting a wide variety of fabrics that cannot be practically knit with circular needles. The poster child for that truth is the lovely, soft fabric known as Eastern Crossed Stitch Knitting.
If you disagree, then post a link to a pair of socks in ECS that you have knit in a time period of less than a month using some combination of circular needles.
On the other hand, by simply making a longer needle adapter, knitting sheaths will work very well for pointy needles, and allow additional knitting techniques. The longer needle adapters will also work very well with blunt needles.
My rule of thumb is that if the fabric is firm enough to support my steel needles, I use the steel needles and a knitting sheath, If the fabric requires lighter needles, then I use my Shetland knitting belt.
The steel needles for fine socks are so light, and the fabric so firm, that it really does not matter if one uses a knitting sheath or a knitting belt.
Knitting sheaths with short needle adapters for blunt needles, long needle adapters for pointy needles, and the knitting belt with the lighter, but more fragile tubular needles that sometimes collapse under the greater stress that can very easily be applied with a knitting sheath.
Fair and balanced says that different fabrics are made with different tool kits.
As for circular needles, I used them for years and years. Any fabric that anyone can knit with any combination of circular needles can be knit faster, and with less stress using "DPN" and either a knitting belt or a knitting sheath. The class of objects that are more difficult to knit with a knitting sheath or knitting belt are mobius objects that may require as many as 9 straight needles. On the other hand, knitting belts/knitting sheath allow knitting a wide variety of fabrics that cannot be practically knit with circular needles. The poster child for that truth is the lovely, soft fabric known as Eastern Crossed Stitch Knitting.
If you disagree, then post a link to a pair of socks in ECS that you have knit in a time period of less than a month using some combination of circular needles.
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