Long and the short(er) of it.

 I pulled out a knitting pattern that I found when I was a new knitter, to make a sock with two needles, rather than with several double pointed ones.  It makes a heavyweight sock, (at least it does if you follow the supply info in the pattern, I haven't tried making it with smaller yarn/needles). 

Anywho, it called for #5 US needles, and I dug about. Yep, couple pairs, got out some yarn, and started to knit.  And realized that the needles I have are very long. Now, if you are knitting a sweater, or a blanket, not too big of a deal, lots of stitches, so you knit for a while, then turn. 

Socks, they are not all that wide. In this pattern, the widest point is just a bit less than 6 inches. And not that many stitches, with 2 needles that are 14 inches long.  I felt like I was trying to row a boat. And with 2 needle knitting, you switch the needle from one side to the other. It quickly became rather obnoxious, especially when I would catch an end on things near where I knit.  And I knew if I took this in public, I'd probably scare someone with these goofy appendages flapping around like I was trying to impale a rag, or something. 

So, I decided to see if our local Bigbox store had short #5's.  Popped in, and took forever to find the yarn section. They had moved it 3 aisles down, so I was looking in the wrong place. Snort. 

Okay, after a very nice clerk pointed me aright, I started checking what they had. Shorts, longs, circulars, double pointed, a bonanza of knitting tools. 

And the smallest size they had was #6. 

I muttered some extremely unladylike things, and was still grousing on it when Husband asked if I had any other pairs. He told me that he could shorten a pair. I showed him the silver pair I had.

He took them out, put them on his lathe, cut them to size, lengthwise. Turns out they were solid metal. I had been told under a certain size, needles were hollow. One more myth busted... He then took the end cap, removed it, and replaced it on the new shortened needles.  I had him make it 11 inches long, which isn't standard, but was about where I hung onto them comfortably.  

And thusly, I can knit without the fear of knocking things off the table, or catching on something. 

It doesn't look like a huge change, but it is working SO much better!  Now I can make a few of these I promised to Mom, without a sword fight!

I have picked out my next book to read. 

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.