Minerva Product Testing - Prym Ergonomic Knitting Needles

I was delighted to find out a few weeks ago that I had been selected to be a Product Tester for Minerva - they have the biggest selection of fabric, knitting, haberdashery and crafts products in the UK.  Have a look at their website here for all kinds of crafting goodies.  I will be notified at intervals about new arrivals there and I can select a product I'd like to try from a list.  To start with, I've received two sets of Prym Ergonomic knitting needles.  I first came across the term ergonomic in my Open University days as being a description for something that can be used safely and easily with optimum productivity and where form follows function.  It’s something I wouldn’t normally associate with knitting needles…. surely a knitting needle is a knitting needle and that's it?  I was intrigued to find out what could be different, especially as a left hander – would I be able to cope with them?    

They are beautifully packaged and would make a lovely present.

The needles arrived in boxes with window fronts.  I could see why when I handled them - they are very lightweight and need some kind of support around them for a point of sale area.

My current knitting project is the Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky.  It can be found all over the web and was first was printed in the Autumn edition of the 2006 Knitscene magazine.  You can buy a downloadable pattern at the Knitting Daily store here.

Photograph copyright http://www.interweave.com/store/central-park-hoodie Reproduced here for the purposes of criticism and review only  

The yarn I'm using was bought for me as a birthday present and I am just commencing knitting again after all the busy events of last year!  Hopefully, I should be finished in time for autumn and winter this time round.  I have already had to undo the project once as the size I chose was coming up too small – I am using Lion Brand Wool Ease in Denim Twist, a wool and acrylic blend in a lovely mottled denim effect which knits up beautifully but is not the recommended 100% wool yarn for the pattern which would have knitted up bulkier.  Anyway, I've now finished the back, which gives you an idea of the cabling detail.  This was knitted on regular needles.

 I have since started a sleeve using my 4mm Prym needles.  

I have 4mm and 3mm needles to try and this rib was done on the 4mm.  The texture and tension of my knitting is the same as when using a regular needle.

You can see this by comparing with the rib of the finished back piece.

Needles are light alabaster coloured – good for knitting while watching tv in minimal light and when used in conjunction with dark coloured yarns such as this one.  They are also flexible and bendy – if you like that from a needle – therefore commuter friendly if you like to knit while you travel like me.  The larger size has the needle size printed on the body which is handy for identification.  They are triangular shaped which makes them comfortable to hold and use and I had no trouble with the needles in conjunction with my left handedness!  The Prym website explains that the triangle shape helps the stitches to glide easily.  

needle size printed on the body

The needles have a drop shaped tip too which, as Prym explain, has been done to help with picking up and guiding of yarn.

The grooved bobble end allows for clicking the other needle into place when not in use.

They are made from a high performance synthetic material which doesn’t get sticky in use from your hands.

This is me using the needles at our work craft club which meets each Wednesday lunchtime.  We try out any kind of crafting as an oasis from the work environment.  I find knitting or patchwork to be the most portable.

I love, love how the needles click together when not in use to stop stitches falling off.

However ... take note and make sure your work is well hidden in your bag when travelling.  The needles are so lightweight that one of them made the journey on its own to Kings Cross, as it must have pinged off and then out of my bag when I gathered up my things to alight at Cambridge.  I looked everywhere for it and came to the conclusion that the train was the only place where I could have lost it ...

Everything has been thought of with this product.  Priced at £5.99 per pair, that is quite reasonable and I liked using them, though given the light nature of these needles I think I would like to try out yarns such as laceweight with them.  Overall, an enjoyable experience for my first outing as a Product Tester!

A Look Back ....

I was quite productive in 2015, just not so much as in previous years!  The first part of the year saw me working hard to fulfil deadlines for my City & Guilds course, which I passed in February.  This was the culmination of years of hard work, sampling and designing along the way ...

I feel as if I now have a good, solid background to work from.  I've enjoyed taking time out since February to re-charge and evaluate where I want to go next.

My final project was this mohair jacket based on Autumn Leaf falls.  I feel so much more confident now in my ability to follow a design through from start to finish.  

Things weren't quiet on the sewing front either ...

I completed my first menswear item in a beautifully soft Yorkshire wool fabric with a satin back.

This Colette Aster is complete now - just need to get some decent photos when the weather improves a bit.  I also sewed a silk robe ...

I want to sew more this year and have a look round the Independent Pattern Companies.  What are your plans?  Would love to hear from my neglected sewing pals! 

Before ...

I've had these photos trapped on my phone for ages now and have only just found out how to download them!  I'm in a semi-orderly state with my tidying and sorting of fabrics, yarns, books.  It's a slow job but I'm enjoying the whole process as I re-familiarise myself with the things I have to work with ...

MY CREATIVE JOURNEY

Since completing City & Guilds, it’s made me think about the whole story so far …

I suppose creativity and ‘makes’ started for me in primary school with art lessons and ‘sewing club’. 

                           RUSSELL SCOTT PRIMARY SCHOOL, DENTON, MANCHESTER

Whenever I visited the public library, which was on the way home from school, I always took out a book of craft projects alongside a reading book.  They were both equally important to me …

                                                                DENTON LIBRARY

When I sat, at the age of 16, what were then ‘O’ Levels at my traditional girl's High School, it was clear to see from my coursework that Art was going to be my strongest subject, but then when the time came, I also qualified equally as well in English Language and Literature.

                 FAIRFIELD HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, DROYLSDEN, MANCHESTER

National educational policy of the time meant that the 6^th form was abolished, so, given a choice of options, I set on a course at Technical College – what an eye opener!  Textiles, Fine Art, Pottery, 3D Design to name a few disciplines ….  It was all so friendly too, as we were treated like adults and on first name terms with the tutors.

                       TAMESIDE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, ASHTON UNDER LYNE

I kind of ‘fell in’ to the next step – ‘Textiles’ was my strongest area and I progressed into doing a Printed Textile Degree in Manchester, home of the textile industry, winning one of only 18 places out of over 300 applicants.  I loved the drawing aspect of the course and had a particular aptitude for plant drawing, done as a discipline every Friday, but think I specialised a bit early on …  We swapped around the different textile areas for a few weeks and my weave tutor actually said, ‘Diane, you should have done weave …’.  I loved all the yarns in the studio ...

                                                  MANCHESTER SCHOOL OF ART                                               

I left the degree course unfinished and started to work for my living after a move to the south-east.  My strengths in English led first of all to academic publishing and design for journals.  

I always felt I had a degree in me though and when I had earned a bit of spare cash embarked on The Open University.  I pursued design and technology courses with due diligence, able to transfer over credit from my previous course.  It was all very intellectually stimulating …

                                                               

Having learned a bit more about the theories of design, I went back down a more creative route…  There was now actually an Open College of Arts available, enabling me to work at the same time …  I did their mixed discipline first year and found I still enjoyed working with yarns and fibres. 

                                                      

I was also working in a fine art museum now which I did for many years.  I loved the environment - surrounded by the highest quality art on a daily basis.  I enjoyed the type of work I was doing too, managing a picture library.

                                            THE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM, CAMBRIDGE

I’d done a lot of study so far and decided to have bit of a break …  However, this was not to last long as a change into a more administrative role away from the museum made me realise big time that the creative aspect was missing in my life and I needed to do something about it …

The first step I suppose was looking around at all the crafting blogs available on the world wide web.  I became hooked into a challenge at Sew Weekly, based in San Francisco, where the aim was to create a sewn garment every week for a year – great for improving crafting skills and making some design decisions.  I also discovered ‘Knit Design Online’ run by expert designer and tutor Loraine McClean, enabling me to complete a City & Guilds certificate by distance learning. 

Image copyright Knit Design Online 

And so, that is the story so far ... Looking back gives me a sense of continuity and perhaps an idea of where I will go next ....

Nearly there ...

My final knit project ... more news soon ...

New Year Round Up

I'm surprised at how many things I did manage to make last year - knitted, sewn and painted.  At the moment, the focus is still on finishing my City & Guilds Creative Studies - Hand Knitting course.  I have barely 3 weeks left ... eeek!  But I'm getting there ...  Spent most of the Christmas holidays on it and am now in the final throes of doing the last project and some final sampling of stitches.

Anyway, here's a little round up of everything.  I started the year with my sewing cottage ...

Looking forward to sewing again soon!  Then I treated myself to a little art course and came up with an illuminated letter, which I'm going to take forward into making a logo ...

I made a few tote bags over Easter for our local Country Market - want to do a bit more bag making - more sophisticated though  ...

Still not much time for sewing though and I only managed to come up with this little flower next ...

Though I was determined to get this duffel finished for the charity Design and Make for Haven's Sake

Then of course came my examination piece, 'Urban Sweater'.  Proud of this as it was produced under very difficult circumstances ...

So, only 3 weeks course time to go hopefully ... it's been a long haul but I've stuck with it and the end is in sight.  I've loads of posts of course sampling to do yet, as well as exhibition round ups.  Coming soon ...  Looking forward to a new crafting year!

'Tis the season ...

To eat, drink and be merry!  Christmas dinner No.3 ...  At Sandringham Country Park in my C&G Sweater

The Gingerbread House decorating the restaurant this year was even more spectactular this time

and I loved the decorations ...

Urban Sweater

Stopping blogging for a while is a very dangerous thing, that's if you want to keep a blog going....it breaks the habit and it's easy to find other things to do ...  Although I do feel like I want to write some posts now. I thought I'd start with my City & Guilds Sweater. Against all odds, I managed to finish this and it passed inspection. It was so difficult ... dealing with everything lately and finding the strength to carry on with the course.  I think actually that it was the knitting that provided a diversion and kept me going.  The whole process from start to finish was a good thing for me. I feel confident now in my ability to see a design project through to the end and explore many possibilities along the way.

I started with a fairly ordinary source and managed to develop it through a series of ideas into the finished article which I LOVE!

It all began with a grid I'd seen in a car park I use every weekday.

This led to me thinking about roads and markings in general .. I found lots more source material around the railway station at the other end of my daily journey.

I started sampling with different qualities of luxury yarns, some suited the end purpose, others looked good but didn't fit with the sweater theme ...  I can make use of those another time ...

This then led to combinations of elements.

I started to think how I could translate these further ideas into sweater shapes - I chose an oversized, easy to wear shape as a silhouette as I wanted the sweater to be a casual weekend garment I can wear with jeans.

I began knitting the sweater and noted down what I'd done as I progressed.  It all went really smoothly, probably because I'd done so much sampling to begin with.  I blocked the knitted shapes and darned in all the loose ends which took a lot of time!  Good finishing is really important to achieve a good look.

Note the smile on my face as I'm wearing it!