Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 12 - Buying tools

I recently helped get one of my friends into knitting. She's done some washcloths and hats and is ready to start her first baby blanket. She asked about what needles to get, and it got me thinking about how to purchase tools.

There are certainly many ways to buy tools, but I like Adam Savage's approach of "buy the tool you can afford and go from there". I now have a top-of-the-line interchangeable knitting needle set with every possibly needle size from 000 (1.5mm) to 15 (10mm) and every cable length from 16" to 60". But I didn't start there.

I started with a few straight needles that were free. Then I discovered circular needles and bought a couple in the sizes I used most. Then it was clear that I was knitting often enough that I would benefit from the investment of an interchangeable set. I went with a medium cost one from Knit Picks because it was what I could afford at the time. After a while, the set just wasn’t fitting my needs any more, so I upgraded to Chiaogoo.

It wouldn’t have made sense to start with the pro version without using the basic version first. When you start out, you’re never quite sure what features you like or what annoys you or what you actually use. Going with what you can afford will inform you as to what to buy next when it’s time.

Cowl pattern is The Peaceful People Cowl by Jennifer Berg