They arrived today and I've already knit a test swatch! I know there are all sorts of fancy needles on the market these days. Addi Turbos are all the rage but personally I like straight needles when the project allows. I typically knit with Bryspun plastic needles. I can hear the groans from you needle snobs but I like them. They are extremely flexible which equates to "easy on the hands" and the bonus, they have a superlatively pointy tip. When I saw the Signature Needle Arts "stiletto" tip, I knew someday I'd own a pair. The hype is true. They're light and the tip doesn't split the yarn. They even came packaged in a custom tube wrapped in colored craft paper. If you're ever in the market for a beautifully turned knitter's gift, look no further than www.signatureneedlearts.com. I couldn't get a good shot of my new #6, 10", stiletto tip, bell cap needles so photo credit is due to the wonderful folks at Signature Needle Arts. My new needles look just like the green ones on the left. Pretty nifty, huh?

On other fronts, I took another trip to the Butterfly Gardens. It's my favorite place in town to meditate and best of all, there's tons of photo opportunities. They let me sit in the garden for hours, converse with nature and read. I love it there and sometimes the butterflies land right on me and sit for a spell. It's magic!

As for knitting, I've been testing increases and decreases for the teddy bear project and working on finding the perfect gauge so that when it's stuffed, you won't see the stuffing itself. All of this could have been avoided if the pattern simply offered a specific increase/decrease, not to mention gauge. Isn't that knitting rule #1 or am I living in a parallel universe?