I bought the KnitMates - one pkg of cable and one pkg of points. I assumed the points just pushed on, but now I see there is a wire "P" gadget - what is this for? I haven't opened the pkgs yet; may decide to return.
The Knitmate set is made by the same company that made my Needlemaster set - Boye. And JJ is right, that little piece of steel with the curlicue is to be inserted into the piece that holds the needles onto the cables to tighten them. Use the round rubber disk to hold the needle point while turning the cable with the "P" wire. Trust me, if you don't use it you will be forever hand tightening them during your knitting.
"read the instructions for sure" - that is the problem, there aren't any instructions. :-)
donna - there isn't any round rubber disk.
The only reason I bought this "set-up" is because I couldn't find a regular circular needle in the size I needed. I have a feeling I'm going to return this for a refund.
Before you return it, consider whether the cost makes it worth your while to keep it. I have a couple of the Needlemaster sets. They are nearly identical to the set you have. I like them, but they are not ideal. I have since discovered Knitpicks Options set and I LOVE them!
The Needlemaster set costs anywhere from $40 to $60, and if you have a Michael's or Joann's near you, you could get the set for 40% off with one of their coupons. Did your set cost you more than $30? If so, you might want to return it, but if you got a better deal than that and everything is there, I say why not keep it? The rubber disk isn't anything special. Just something to give you a good grip on the piece so you can tighten it. You could use one of those pieces of rubber used for opening jars, or something else like it.
I didn't buy a set/kit. I needed a 16" circular in size 8; can't find one. (I think I've looked on and off for a year at Hobby Lobby, and Wal Mart doesn't carry circulars).
So...I bought a 16" cable and a size 8 points/needles of the Boye KnitMates. Total around $8 before tax, but did have a 40% coupon so got $1.80 off.
I agree the "P" piece of wire must be to tighten; since I've never used before, I didn't realize tightening was involved. But I'd probably do as you said, use a jar opener thingy.
All this just to try a new hat pattern. I probably could use dp needles instead? Didn't think of that.
Yes, you certainly could have used dpns, but it wouldn't have been as enjoyable, IMHO. And I certainly understand not wanting to wait for mail order. I'm impatient. But sometimes it's the only way. JJ mentioned 2 good sites, and I'd like to add another. I mentioned the Knitpicks Options before. I don't have a set. I ordered just a couple of cables and a couple of needle tip sizes because I wanted to try them out before investing in the entire set. Not only am I pleased with my purchase, I was impressed at how low their shipping costs are, as well as the speed at which they got to me. And they'll replace them free if I have any breakage.
jjknitter
donna_loomis
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