Monday 26 August 2013

Review: Karbonz Circulars

I picked up a set of 2.25mm Karbonz with 100cm cable at Wonderwool in April, and was excited to get started on my summer holiday socks. The needles are a real pleasure to knit with - warm and comfortable with a nice sharp tip. The cable is flexible and not as stiff as the purple cables on the other KnitPro needles. The join is smooth, both between the needle and the cable and the needle and its tip. In fact, with the latter I was left wondering, "Is there a join?" I had nothing but good things to say about them.

Had.

When I went to Jimmy Beans I picked up a 2.75mm needle to do the ankle portion of my socks, which I was afraid would be too small. I also picked up 4mm and 4.5mm tips but I reluctantly put them back because they were quite expensive. Now I am really pleased I did, because upon switching to the 2.75mm I realised that they are shockingly blunt. They are so bad that I have seriously considered, since I got home, switching to my 2.75mm Clover bamboo DPNs for the end of the sock, because it's a twisted rib and ktbl is excruciating with the Karbonz - I end up sticking the needle in the front of the stitch and swishing it over to the back because it's so hard to get the tip through the back loop (and it's not that I'm knitting tight - I can do it just fine with the Clover needle I'm using for the cables). I'm too worried about a change in gauge to change needles two inches before the end of the sock, but my progress has slowed because it's just not enjoyable to knit.

What a shame - they are so comfortable to knit with, but the tips just need to be sharper.

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