Circular Lace Knitting Needle Review: Chiaogoo

I'm doing a small series on lace knitting needles. As you know, I'm taking a Craftsy course to design lace shawls and of course, a crafter is only as good as the tools she uses! I have a good friend that uses Chiaogoo Red Lace needles, so that was my first needle to try out. I've been using Boye interchangeables for years now, and have never had a problem with them except that they are really not pointy enough for lace and the cables leave a lot to be desired when it comes to flexibility.

My end result will be an interchangeable needle set from one of the manufacturers that I review. I intend to review the Chiaogoo, Hiya Hiya, Addi Lace, and (possibly) the Knit Picks interchangeable. I say possibly on Knit Picks because they do not offer the variety in tips and cable lengths that the other three offer, even though they are less expensive.

So here is the breakdown:

Chiaogoo Red Lace Fixed Circulars, Size 5 US, 16" Cable

Chiagoo Twist Red Lace Interchangeable Knitting Needle Set


Complete Set includes:

• Sizes 2-15 in 5" tips
• Cables in 24", 32", and 40"
• 2 cable connectors
• 4 end stops
• 2 cord keys
• 1 needle gauge
• 24 stitch markers
• Cloth carry case

Stainless Steel tips, nylon coated steel cables

Thoughts: 

I purchased a pair of size 5, 16" fixed circular needles to try these out and see what I think. The needles themselves are very lightweight, almost like holding nothing at all so they are very easy on my hands and make for quicker work. The tips are great, allowing me to easily pick up my lace weight yarns and make yarn overs, knit two together, ssk, and sl1,k1,psso with ease. With my most recent Estonian knit shawl I had to employ all of these techniques, including nupps. Nupps are not easy. Especially on the purl side pick up. However, the Chiaogoos made things much easier and I am pleased with that. 

The cables were very flexible. Chiaogoo had a recall on some cables that went out with their interchangeable sets in 2013. They make it easy enough to send them back and get a replacement, though, if you end up with a set of the recalled cables. I had absolutely no problems with these cables retaining memory. 

The join was a bit sticky. By that I mean that my yarn seemed to catch on it occasionally. Since these are fixed needles I'm a little worried that the interchangeable won't be much better, since the join is the main downfall of interchangeable needles. However, I've heard a lot of good reviews on them and so am inclined to think that maybe they are better. The yarn traveled very smoothly most of the time and had no problems on the tips and cable. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with the Chiaogoo Twist Red Lace Interchangeable needles. I think you get quite a bit in the set for the money. It's always good to have needles in every size because I never know what the next project may be. I would like it if there was a cable in a 16" size, though.The larger 24" is not hat friendly in my opinion. 

So there is the rundown on the Chiaogoos. Next week I'll present the Addi Lace needles and do a compare/contrast on them. 

Friday Tutorial: Month in Review

Month in Review! 

I'm cheating a little here on this Friday tutorial! I figured with all of the tutorials and lessons I've done over the past month it would be nice to take a look at what we've done and offer up a month in review. You can also see all the tutorials I've posted by clicking the "Tutorials" page tab at the top.

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Janome MC 8900 Review

A couple of months ago I purchased a Janome MC8900 from my local sewing machine store, Moye's in Savannah. I had started out to purchase the 7700, but my dealer bumped me up to the 8900 and gave me a great price on it! They retail for $4400, but I paid about half that. It's a long story, and unusual, so plan on paying at least $4k  for one! I love mine so much that I named it after a lady I truly respect, whose quilting, sewing, and crafty heredity has been passed on to me, my Grandma Bernadine. I just leave out the Grandma part, cause she's still very young. :)

The MC8900 is a real workhorse, geared toward people like me that do A LOT of quilting and sewing. It has over 11" of space to the right of the needle that provides plenty of room to roll up a king size quilt and finish it on a home machine. This machine is loaded with features from its 9mm stitch width and over 250 different types of stitches to its ability to change needle plates with the push of a button, auto tension, knee lift, 1000 stitches per minute, Accufeed flex (for those stubborn thick projects like jeans and 2" batting!), and so much more.

I have used my Janome for more than 4 months and I have had it tangle up on me one time. That's compared to my Brother hybrid (SE400) that I bought a little over a year ago that tangled up so much I became a machine repair expert! The tangle was actually caused from me not pulling the needle thread out to start sewing and I really knew better. I have finished everything from a twin to a queen size quilt on this without any problems. I am no longer afraid to do double sided t-shirt quilts with free motion embroidery. Even my stippling, which uses many different directional changes and can be hard on a machine, has come out beautifully every time with very little effort. This machine is truly made for quilting. I love my Janome and even with 4 months I have not had a chance to use everything that it offers. I am currently working on a log cabin block quilt made from jeans, t-shirts, and dress shirts. I have an order for a KitchenAid cover that will employ many other features of this machine. I'm looking forward to a long and happy relationship!

Full size quilt completed on Janome MC8900

Stippling

Double Sided Full Size Quilt on Janome 8900

So if you're looking for a high quality machine that is worth the money, I recommend the 8900. Janome also makes a hybrid sewing and embroidery machine, the MC9900 for those of you that want the best of both worlds. I do not own nor have I had the pleasure of using one (YET!), but you should check them out at your local dealer. 

Fresh new products

Since I have been an online seller of fine crafts, I have always heard that pictures sell the products. And it is true. A bad picture does not do a product justice in any way. People just do not want to spend money on something they can't see clearly. I have had an HP camera for the last 10 years that I got with a printer that I bought. You have heard me talk about it before on this blog. Well, after doing a tad bit of research I knew that I wanted a Canon. I finally found one to do what I needed it to do and put it on layaway. Six weeks later I was able to get it out and take some nice pictures.

What I ended up with was a Canon A490. It didn't cost me a ton of money, but it is probably the best little camera I've ever had. It takes clear, beautiful pictures and had enough adjustments on it that I can take pictures in any light so they still show up good. Photography is not my greatest asset. So after a few weeks I finally got a chance to re-photograph some of my items.


Here are some "before" and "afters." The top pictures show the first camera and the second ones show the new camera.

 I can't believe the clarity that comes through. I am able to take close shots without blur and distortion that I couldn't take before. Now, I can't give all of the credit to the camera. I also have to give a little to my photo editing program, Lunapic. None of the images were retouched or auto adjusted. I added text and cropped them. But Lunapic can do it all - for free. Yep, free. No subscriptions, no limits, all functions are free. I hated paying for a few more megabytes on Photobucket or a few more functions on Picnik. Neither of them were able to do what Lunapic does, either. Now, this might sound like an advertisement, but this is honestly what I have used and thought I would pass on.

So take a look at my website and tell me what you think about the new stuff. I have a new bracelet and earring combo called "Starry Summer Nights." There is more to come in the next few weeks as well. Hope you are having a fantastic summer.