Review: Knit Picks Caspian Interchangeable Knitting Set
When you’re looking to buy your first set of knitting needles, the choices out there can be overwhelming. Depending on your experience, budget and material reference – there is a very large market out there.
When I first decided to go all in for an interchangeable set (April 2015) – after spending months researching and digging through reviews and forums – I decided to purchase the Knit Picks Options Caspian interchangeable set. I had spent weeks trying to find the rainbow set – which Knit Pro were calling the Symphony – which was either out of stock or discontinued. Then Knit Picks released a new colour – the Caspian. I loved the colours instantly and placed my order.
The set being reviewed today came with the following:
Needle Sizes: US Sizes: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5 and 11 (3.50mm, 3.75mm, 4.00mm, 4.50mm, 5.00mm, 5.50mm, 6.00mm, 6.50mm, and 8mm)
Cables: 2 each of 24″ and 32″ lengths
Accessories: 9″ x 5″ snapped clear vinyl needle case, 8 end caps and 2 cable keys
Note: for the image below that I purchased US 15, 17, 10.75, & 13 (7mm, 9mm, 10mm and 12mm) needles separately.
Shipping
At the time of placing my order, I was living in Australia, and my delivery was around a week to arrive. I was very surprised at the fast shipping and expected it to take 2-3 weeks. I initially had issues with an old address in PayPal rearing it’s ugly head – but customer service were quick to respond and had the correct address updated straight away.
Aesthetics and Feel
The first thing I noticed when opening the packaging, is that these needles are as stunning in real life as they are in the images. The colours are vibrant, and the wood is smooth to the touch. The sizes are etched into the metal with both US and mm sizing. Because they are etched, the sizes won’t rub off over time – though they are hard to read in certain light, as it is not reinforced with any paint or other material. The needles are warm in the hand – so are comfortable to hold for extended period and during the winter. The case that they come in is a type of vinyl sleeve with snap closures – I ended up making my own case, as I thoroughly disliked the vinyl. It looks like store packaging, and the vinyl tends to stick together making it difficult to take out put back the needles. Being that most other brands sets come with cloth cases, I would like to see an improvement here.
Construction and Joins
In terms of functionality, the wood is a perfect blend of smoothness where the yarn glides across and off the tip when required, but grippy enough that you don’t have to fight to keep your stitches on your needles. The joins to the cable are smooth and mostly unnoticeable. They are quiet when knitting with a small clicking sound as the tips come together.
They do not make these in sizes smaller than 3.5mm, as they would break too easily. I haven’t had any of my interchangeables snap in the course of 5 years of use. However, I did have an issue with a split at the tip of a 7mm needle that caught on the yarn and progressively got worse – I reported the issue to Knit Picks who promptly replaced the pair. Another issue I experenced, was one of my needles wooden section came loose and fell out of the metal end – I repaired it with superglue and it has been fine since – though I’m sure if I reported it to Knit Picks they would have replaced it for me.
The final issue I have seen is with my most commonly used sizes. The wood on the tips are starting to wear. The yarn didn’t slide as easily, and when you run your fingers over them, you can feel the rough surface. I tried to take an image of this phenomenon – my 7mm pair with the issue on the left – and my 6.5mm pair which are still perfectly smooth (mostly unused) are on the right. You’ll notice that the two on the right have light reflection, whereas the two on the left do not, and if you look closely, you can see the bumps that have formed on the surface. Although it is difficult to see in an image, it is easy to feel the difference. Although it may seem minor, it is distracting when you’re using them. My next task will be to attempt to sand them down with fine sandpaper to see if it resolves the issue.
Overall, their construction is sturdy, but are not made to last for many years.
Tips
I tend to push my needles with my fingers, so I don’t like the tips to be too sharp – but at the same time, I don’t like blunt tips. These offer the perfect balance between sharp enough to be able to get into the stitches without hassle, but not so sharp as to be uncomfortable on my fingertips.
Cables
All the needles use the same size cables, so you do not need two seperate sets (large and small) as with some other brands. Putting them together is easy – simply screw them in, then insert the little key to tighten. If you lose the keys, you could replace them simple T-Pins. I’ve only had issues with cables coming unscrewed twice – which is stellar considering how often I’ve used them over the years. If you don’t use the key to tighten firmly, do not expect them to stay together.
The main thing that I did not like about this set is the cables themselves. They are made of plastic and retain a lot of memory – meaning when you uncoil them from storage, they remain curled up. The issue with memory, is that it forces your needles into different directions and causes your projects to lie at odd angles on your lap – causing you to almost have to fight your knitting to sit comfortably. If you are attempting to do a magic loop, the cables can get in the way and cause more frustration than necessary. Honestly, I didn’t think it was a major problem for a few years (being my first circular knitting needle experience), and I hear that if you put them in hot water, they become more malleable – though I haven’t tried it. As time went on, the cables started to really annoy me, and I couldn’t say if it’s because they have gotten worse or whether I just started to notice it more. It wasn’t until I upgraded to a new set (ChiaoGoo) that I realised just how bad these were. They were putting unnecessary strain on my wrists and fingers that was obvious when the problem was removed.
I see these advertised as low/no memory cables – so I do wonder if they have changed their construction since I purchased my set in 2015 – though I’ve searched and cannot find any mention of this in any reviews or blogs. I would consider that if you stored the cables in a flat or hanging position, it is likely you would not experience any issues. I store mine coiled up.
Customer Service
In terms of customer service, Knit Picks are brilliant. I had an issue with an unrelated order where PayPal had defaulted to an old address (even though I’d selected my new one). Knit Picks went to a lot of trouble getting the address updated with their supplier. In the end, the supplier said the parcel was missing, and KnitPicks resent the entire package without any questions asked. A few days later, the original package turned up – I messaged them to ask where I should send the second parcel back to when it turned up (it was a sizable order) – they advised me to keep it, as it would cost them more to have it returned. Also as previously mentioned in the above headings, I had a couple of faults that they quickly rectified by sending out replacements. They are quick to respond and are always polite and helpful;
Summary
Overall, I love knitting with wooden needles – my only wish is that they stayed smooth, and had cables without memory. If these two issues had been resolved, I don’t think I ever would have changed brands.