Pyrm Ergonomics 8-Inch Double-Point Knitting Needle, Size 10 (5-Pack)

I've been knitting for over 50 years and have tried every brand, material, and style of knitting needle on the market manufactured in over half a dozen countries. I'm a fast Continental knitter, holding the yarn on my left hand, and my favorite was Addi Turbo's because of their speed. These needles just blew me away. They are by far the most comfortable, fastest, and easiest to use I've ever tried. It's as if they systematically identified every frustration knitters experience and set out to eliminate every one of them. And they succeeded! The needles feel light, flexible, and warm in the hand. There's a very slight texture so they grip the yarn like wooden needles, but the narrower shaft makes the stitches flow easily and quickly without tugging. The ball tips means it's much harder to split stitches, even with loosely twisted yarns, but I had no trouble digging into even the tightest spots. I love the slight flex to them, which seems to reduce fatigue considerably. Or perhaps it's the innovative triangular shaft. Whatever it is, these are the best and most comfortable needles I've ever owned, bar none. Highly recommended.

I bought these based on reviews from some knitting bloggers. They are a bit firmer than normal plastic needles and despite the narrowing at the needle tip (just before the bulbous end) they feel quite sturdy.I'm using them to knit socks. I stitch by feel because I'm usually watching something on the tube while I knit. I have used different kinds of DPNs--wood, plastic, metal--as well as circulars. My latest favorites have been Karbonz 8" DPNs which make for fairly fast knitting because they are smooth, strong and long enough that stitches don't inadvertently slide off the end when you put your knitting down. But as in all "blind" knitting, I always drop a few stitches in every project, perhaps because the tips are so slick. I'm not a tight knitter, but my stitches aren't loose either (they grip the needles pretty well).I have yet to drop any stitches with the Pryms. That strange bulb-like tip really prevents the yarn from slipping during a stitch, which is how I usually and unknowingly drop stitches. The tip makes for a very, very slight hooking action when knitting or purling.I also find that the stitches somehow come out more evenly with the Pryms. I think it's because you are stitching at the tips (which are are narrow and long) the stitches are smaller than the widest part of the needle. And when you scoot them onto the middle of the needle, the stitches even out. The sock I knitted looks almost pre-blocked.Another clever design feature is that the middle of the needles are slightly triangular. Why? Because when I put down my working needle, it won't roll. It stays put and saves me all the time lost in hunting for a needle that rolled off the table. While knitting, this feature is barely noticeable.The finish is matte and this was what I disliked initially. I like to knit quickly, so the extra friction seemed to slow me down a tad. I like the smooth motion that slicker needles like the Karbonz provide. I now realize that the finish prevents the needle from sliding off the knitting, but this is was not generally a problem for me so I would have preferred slightly slicker needles.The more I use it, the more I appreciate the clever design. If I could, I'd give these needles 4.5 stars. While I still enjoy using my other DPNs, I can see myself using the Pryms more often. Ultimately it may be saving me more time and the final result is hard to beat.UPDATE: I've now knitted a few pairs of socks on these needles. I still find that I reach for them instead of my other needles, except when I do color work (which is easier to follow the patterns on magic loop because you don't have to break the pattern over several needles). While I still prefer the smoother Karbonz for sheer knitting experience, I can't get over how rare it is to drop a stitch with the Pryms.One thing I noticed that I hadn't before is that there is a tiny indentation on each of the needles (where the resin was poured in for the molds) near one of the points. While generally not a problem, when I knit a little tighter, I can feel it snag just a tiny bit when I scoot the stitches to the middle of the needle--but only if the indentation is toward the working point. As they are plastic, the indentation could probably get smoothed out by some very, very fine sandpaper (like the ones you use for fountain pen nibs). It's not enough for me to stop using them, but for tight knitters, this could be annoying.

I ordered two sizes, 1 and 2, and am using size 1 for a pair of socks. I like the feel of this needle in my hands. It's lightweight, and slightly flexible. The little bulbs at the tips perform their job beautifully, and, at least for me, don't impede my knitting speed. As I knit very near the tips of my needles, the little bulbs actually help give me confidence I'll not be dropping stitches. They are longer than the norm, and I can see how handy this would be for knitting sleeves and some larger hats. I've grown accustomed to the extra length very quickly. if I have any qualms at all, it is their sizes. For example: their box shows the size of the needle being US 1, 2.5 mm. US1, according to my needle gauge, is 2-1/4. Granted, I'm splitting hairs here, but if they claim a needle is a US 1, it should conform to our standards of measuring needles. The socks I am knitting, I always use a #2. To get gauge, I had to use a #1, with yarn held loosely. Of course, your mileage may vary! 🙂 I will still buy some of these in the future, just not what a pattern calls for.

I agree with other reviewers that there is a tiny nub on each needle that catches on your yarn. This is easily taken care of with an emery board. I have made mittens with my needles and I love them. The little knob on the end makes picking up stitches easier . The needles are light weight and do not fall out of your work like metal needles do. They are almost as fast as metal needles and much faster than bamboo. They also do not roll very far if you drop one. I will buy other sizes so that I can make mittens of other sizes. Where have these been all of my life. They may not work well with lace knitting because they are not sharp, but the mitten shaping (k2tog, ssk, pick up 2 stitches) worked just fine. I am impressed with the price and quality of this item. The needles are even a little flexible.