Oh, I have needles! 
Straights, circulars, interchangeable circulars, double-pointeds –
metal, bamboo, birch, ebony, acrylic, plastic, glass(!) – every size from
vintage lace ones as thin as sewing needles to broom-handle-sized
beasties.  But if I need, say, a size 8
to swatch with…not one to be found.  No
mystery – they are all “busy” in other projects in other knitting bags (and
perhaps even at other locations – like at Sarah’s house!).

So, Sarah and I decided to get a set of swatching
needles.  Not only would we have it on
hand for our personal use (okay, we would need 2 – one at my house, one at
Sarah’s house) but to take to our knitting classes when we teach gauge.  In the past, we had just gathered up whatever
needles we could put our hands on and hoped for the best!

After much investigation, we decided on Clover Takumi –
economical and pretty basic (note: of course, to get the most accurate gauge swatch, one should use the actual needles one will be using to knit the project, but in most
cases, I can test things out with a basic needle like these).  We could get 9” sets in sizes 0 (2.0 mm) to
15 (10.0 mm).  Perfect!  We would need cases, of course.  So, after a bit more investigation, we turned
to etsy.com and found “Mother and Daughter Knits” (sounds like our kind of
show!) at www.mdknits.etsy.com.  They make charming needle cases and we were
able to commission several cases to fit the 15 needle sets (by this time we had
interested a few friends and knitting students in the sets!). 

Ta Da!

P.S.  Happy Birthday Sarah!  (okay, your birthday was on the 22nd — I'm your mother, I know these things! but, as you know, I am running 2 days behind on everything just now…)

Ahem, Happy Slightly-Belated Birthday Sarah!  My daughter, my knitting buddy, my designing colleague, my teaching associate, my business partner — I could not do it without you!  Sarah told our knitting class that, like the circular needle sets, she and I are interchangeable.  And sometimes, I swear we do share a brain!  But Sarah brings a bold vision, fresh ideas, practical solutions, computer skills, and her charming enthusiasm to everything we do.

I am deeply grateful to be blessed with such a gifted, smart, delightful daughter and to share these creative adventures with her.