For me, knitting is all about the feel. The texture of the yarn, the weight of the needles, the drape of the finished fabric. And while casting on for my latest project, I realized I subconsciously match my needles to my yarn.
My latest scarf is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in a blend of magenta, hot pink and bright, creamsicle orange. It is made of a superfine, machine washable merino with a bit of nylon for strength. It is very soft but has a distinctly modern feel to it and I found myself casting the stitches onto my new Hiya Hiya circulars - light, stainless steel needles. It got me thinking...
When I am knitting with what I consider a luxury yarn - silk blends, handspun, alpaca - I prefer my KnitPicks wooden needles, either straights or circulars.
Mid-grade yarns like wool and wool blends tend to go onto my KnitPicks aluminum needles.
Acrylics go on my cheap Walmart steel needles.
I guess it's a subconscious effort to make the experience as copacetic as possible, because if the yarn doesn't feel right on the needles, it just won't work.
