About 8 months ago, I got myself a "part-time job" (so to speak) as a sample knitter for Plymouth Yarns. I am sent yarn and a pattern, I get to knit them up, send them back, and the items I make end up being worn by models to use as references for the patterns that the yarn company makes available. It's been a very rewarding experience and, if nothing else, I get to try all kinds of yarns. The fact I get paid isn't a bad thing either - especially with an unemployed husband in a down economy.
The one problem that I tend to have is keeping my knitting needles organized, or receiving a sample knitting pattern (where gauge is really important) and not having/being able to find the needles that I need. To solve this problem, I decided that I wanted to buy a set of needles that would encompass all the sizes most regularly needed. I looked into interchangeable needle sets, like the Boye, KnitPicks, Denise and so on - although funds have been a little tight given aforementioned unemployed husband. Then I remembered eknittingneedles.com where I could buy a set of bamboo circular needles in all the sizes necessary for the bargain price of $25 (incl. free shipping). I figured it was worth emptying a little out of my PayPal account to buy them and I finally had a chance to use them last night.
So, in review:-The eknittingneedles.com website is very easy to navigate. They have single point, double point, and circular knitting needles. They also carry regular crochet hooks, tunisian hooks, crohooks (double-ended), and dangle hooks (crochet hook with attached tubing). The ordering is secure and does support PayPal. Registry with the site is optional, but I opted to do so purely for order tracking purposes.
- The bamboo on the needles is nice and smooth. Each needle has the metric size (mm) printed on them so they're easy to identify. I was getting a little squeaking from the needles as I was using them, although I suspect it's actually the yarn I was using (some nice Red Heart acrylic for a ferret hammock I'm making!)
- The cables are soft and flexible. They seem a little bit like thin medical tubing, but I found the cables to be very easy to bend and move around. Most importantly for me, I didn't find them stiff like some other circular needles that I've used in the past. I also found the joins between the needle and the cables to be seamless with no snagging issues.
- The price quite frankly can't be beat for this set. 15 pairs of needles for $25 puts them at $1.66/ea. There are other eBay sellers that have competitive pricing but I really liked the ease of ordering and the free shipping straight off the site. The shipping was quick (I received shipping confirmation 2 days after I placed the order) and they were kind enough to give me 4 extra needles by accident - that's 19 circular needles total!
- I don't know much about the customer service but I did hear from a member of Ravelry that they were missing a needle size when they had placed their order, and ended up with a full set to replace it. If that's true, then the customer service totally rocks.
So, if you're looking for an inexpensive way to get a decent set of needles, I definitely suggest checking out the site.
To add to the customer support on eknittingneedles.com. I just ordered two sets of the rosewood needles from the site, and was sent the bamboo. I called the very next day and I was immediately connected with a representative. They are sending me the proper order along with a pre-paid label to return the bamboo sets.
ReplyDeleteThis was not my first order from the site, but it was my first experience with their customer service. The order mistake was a bummer, but the customer service was excellent. I would recommend ordering from this site; Great price, great product, and great service.
Your experience was better than mine. I ordered the "Premium Collection 6 inch DP bamboo Needles" along with a package of soft stitch ring markers. I got the needles but no markers. I got an answer to my first email saying the ring markers would be mailed shortly. I got no answer to my two follow up emails (the original order was on May 1, 2012). In the meanwhile, the size one dps warped immediately and one broke before I'd finished the second sock.
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