Exercising options

It was with great anticipation that I opened my package of KnitPicks Options needles last week. They had received excellent reviews in the knitting blogs and from Knitter's Review. I love my Denise needles but was looking for something with sharper points (not to mention that they don't have anything smaller than a size 5). Grumperina's scientific comparison of the weight of various alternatives had me a little concerned when the Knitpicks Options ranked heaviest, but it wasn't even clear that the difference would be noticeable.

Alas, this was not a match made in heaven. I hated the packaging and was really put off by the fact that the sizes were not marked on the needles. (This problem was mentioned by several knitters, but most found that to be a minor drawback.) I did order an optional set of Needle Size ID Tags, though it wasn't clear how to attach them to the needle tips when they weren't in use. More serious was the fact that the tips kept loosening from the cable. They didn't loosen enough to become detached, since I could always use the little key to re-tighten them, but the very fine laceweight yarn would snag in the join, and it was difficult to free it. Perhaps it was my fault for knitting too tightly, but after the fifth or sixth time I gave up and switched to an old Addi Turbo.

Grumperina was right. They are heavy. But there were things I liked: the skinny cables, the sharp points, the hole through which you can carry a thread for a lifeline (though I probably wouldn't do that anyway because of my liberal use of stitch markers when knitting lace). So it was with regret that I packed them up and shipped them back, exercising the option to return them within 30 days.