Well, the sweater is finished! As I type, it is drying for the last time. I still have to find suitable buttons, but other than that done! Pictures tommorrow, I guess.

In my ongoing search for the perfect knitting needle, I have found a replacement for my first love, the Addi Turbo. When I ordered the blocking wires from Knitpicks, I also ordered a set of size 4 tips, a set of 40"cables and end caps and a set of their size 0 32" circulars. Let me tell you, these come as close as I can tell to being the perfect knitting needles. First I using the size 4 tips on one cable to knit Mom's birthday present. They were great for that, I like that the purple cable is so soft and flexible and does NOT retain any kinks and curls that develop as I knit using the magic loop method. (and I didn't have to put them in hot water to ease the kinks from their packaging either) They have the perfect pointiness, and they are very well balanced. But, they didn't really shine for me until...

The time came to knit the button band on the Aran cardigan. The pattern called for a circular needle used to pick up the stitches on one side, then across the back and down the other side. So I put the end caps on the cable that I was using for mom's project, put the needle ends on the other cable, and off I went. Except soon, I realized that even on the 40 inch cable, all those stitches I was picking up were going to make it very difficult to knit back and forth on one needle. So, I took the needle off the end I wasn't using to pick up stitches, put an end cap on there, removed the end cap from the cable holding mom's project and removed the cable (it's wool...it's really not going anywhere, is it) put the other needle tip on one end, and used the two cables as flex needles.

It was magic. I am in love. I have requested needles for Christmas and my birthday. I am considering knitting everything on size 4 needles until I get more of these needles in different sizes. And I didn't even tell you about the little snag on one cable. I was going to call or email knitpicks about it, but then I discovered that I could use an emery board on it and you couldn't even tell there was a snag. I'm sold.