New supplies

I got a lovely package from Meadow Yarn yesterday. Their website is great, their selection is extensive, and everything arrived quickly and well-packed. I am very pleased.

I am on a sort of yarn diet (no buying yarn until I've knit or destashed at least twice the amount I buy), so I didn't pick up any yarn (not that I wasn't tempted). Instead, I picked up some needles and other things I needed.

One would think I have enough needles already, but that simply isn't the case. I never seem to have the right needle in the right size - either there's a gap in my collection, or it's in use on one of my WIPs. So, I picked up a few new needles to try.

First is a needle in a size I needed - US5 KnitPro metal tips, and a cable to go with them, for a sweater I'm planning. I already swatched in US6 but I want the fabric a little bit tighter.
(Just a quick aside - I just learned that KnitPro, formerly Knitpicks Options in the US, are now known by the name Knitter's Pride, and Knitpicks are selling new needles, apparently with much blunter tips. I feel like I am the last person in the world to have gotten this information!)

Next is a Chiaogoo Red Lace fixed circ, because these needles come so highly recommended. In fact, when I mentioned on Twitter that I'd ordered them, the outpour of love was overwhelming. It's hard to believe that passions can run so hotly over knitting needles.

@joyuna you will quickly draw up all your savings and give them to chiaogoo. You will rediscover pleasure through them.

— Ruth Garcia-Alcantud (@rockandpurl) April 16, 2013

@notsogranny @joyuna @rockandpurl love mine. Really really love.

— Kat Goldin (@katgold) April 16, 2013

@notsogranny @joyuna @rockandpurl Love, love LOVE mine.

— Helen (@ripplescrafts) April 16, 2013

@joyuna @bombella @notsogranny @rockandpurl LOVE ChiaGoos. Have got interchangeable set & lots of regular circs. Best needles ever.

— Anniken Allis (@YarnAddictAnni) April 16, 2013

...and so on. I have a special shawl I want to cast on soon, and this looks like just the ticket.

I also got a set of KnitPro Karbonz, the carbon fiber needles with nickel-plated tips. I have been intrigued by these needles, offering a grippy surface similar to bamboo or wood but with added strength. As someone who has snapped a number of wooden sock DPNs, this appeals to me. I got a fixed circ for magic loop socks, and I will report back how I like them!

I got a KnitPro bag for storing interchangeable tips and cables - that will come in handy. The pouch that I've been using, from The Bothered Owl, is lovely but I think it's meant more for DPNs because it's really too tall for the tips.

And finally there is a small bottle of Eucalan, in a jasmine scent ("Wrapture"). It smells nothing short of divine. I love Eucalan, and I've used it in both the original and lavendar scents before. This is definitely my new favorite.

~Joyuna