The following story was sent to me by Penelope Taylor, the editor of Knit ‘n Style magazine. One of Penelope’s freelance writers, Kathy Blumenstock (of Washington Post fame), was running some errands when she found herself in the middle of the following conversation…
I’m in Home Depot where I need to find paint, and a teen boy is asking the sales person, “where can I find Addi Turbo’s?…My grandmother needs two of them”. Apparently he assumed something with “Turbo” in it would of course be found in the aisles of a hardware store. When the sales person was saying, “I’ve never heard of those”, I butted in and said, “they’re KNITTING needles, circular knitting needles,” and I told him of two stores a few towns over where he could find them, or to go online. He looked dubious and relieved too. And once again I championed my fave needles (I have forced/encouraged more people to get these, I should be on commission, or at least carry a full set around to demo!).
While reading this story, I could just imagine the look on each person’s face. I’m sure it was a priceless moment for Kathy. Each of us here in the office got a good chuckle out of her story and we wanted to share it with you, in hopes it would brighten your day!
Happy Knitting,
Rob
Blog 
Grandson was sure lucky an enlightened knitter was close by!
I’d classify them as power tools.
Oh!! I just burst out laughing!! That is sooo funny!!
Hi,
I just received the most recent newsletter and I headed straight for the Lace Click update. Why not include a polishing cloth with the set, or a sample of your “preferred polish” so we know what to buy? Additionally, if you are looking for a tarnish-preventing coating, why not consult with the manufacturers of brass lamps and chandeliers? How about the boating industry? Boats are loaded with brass fittings because they won’t rust. They both sell brass products that don’t tarnish, and it can hardly be a trade secret due to the number of items that are available on the market. Good luck, and I hope this helps. (…mostly because my set has been on order for months and I’m not a very patient person!! 🙂 )
Beth
Beth,
Thank you for all of your suggestions. Our manufacturer has of course consulted with every possible avenue there is for brass products. His company has been working with brass for over a century – so the problem is not really in the research. The brass needles do not rust – they are treated to prevent that. However, they do tarnish, and although there are MANY products that can be applied to prevent this, none work well on a knitting needle. Some are too slick or eventually peel at the edges, some slow your knitting down substantially, some are far too expensive.
Thus, we will be producing the Lace Clicks without any new coating. There will still be the treatment for rust prevention – which is currently on all Lace needles.
This however, does create another situation that needs solving. Without a plating, such as the nickel plating, the join edge (where the tips click on) is not as smooth as it should be – and this is what we currently have been working on with our manufacturer. We are very close to having this worked out and as soon as we have tested it out thoroughly, we’ll go into production.
Although you proclaim to be an impatient person, I am going to ask you to please be patient just a bit longer; it will be worth the wait.
Once more, thank you for your input!
Karin Skacel