HiyaHiya Interchangeable Needles - A Review

These little gems found their way to my home on Tuesday. Pictured are my new HiyaHiya interchangeable knitting needles in their beautiful fabric cases. I purchased them at And Sew It Goes, http://www.andsewitgoes.net/- a quilt and knitting shop located in Savage Mill, Maryland.

I have several sets of interchangeable knitting needles acquired over 10 years. Each manufacturer offers slightly different qualities in their interchangeables. The HiyaHiya sets shown here provide the best options of all the manufacturers I have tried.

On first glance, the fabrics used to create the cases are beautiful. The picture shows 2 cases - blue and purple. I also saw a red case and a turquoise case. Picking a case color was hard. The colors are bold, vibrant ... very eye catching. The cases are constructed compactly - measuring approximately 6x6 inches square - and are small enough to fit in a purse. In addition, there are 2 zippered pockets for notions. When opened, there is a flap of fabric that covers the needle tips and is held in place with Velcro. A tie is used to close the case. From my perspective, the case is one of the selling points for these needles. Small, compact, organized and beautiful.

Upon examining the needles, it becomes evident that this manufacture has provided the largest choice of needle sizes ranging from size 2 (unusual) through size 15 US. To get the full range of sizes you would need to buy two sets (small set has size 2-8, and large set has size 9-15 - as shown). This is an improvement over other manufacturer's offerings. Most in my knitting group felt that sizes 2-8 would be most useful. I like the fact that you can focus your purchase to buy exactly the needles that you would normally use rather than including sizes you would seldom use.

Another common complaint about interchangeables is the quality of the join where the knitting needle meets the cable. I have a set of Addi Turbo Interchangeable - a gift from Christmas 2009, and I find their join to be less than adequate - it catches the yarn as you knit. My other sets (Denise and Knit Picks - both cheaper sets than Addis) are actually better than Addis set in that regard. The HiyaHiya has a very smooth join - better than all the others. The cable and the needle heads screw together rather than snapping or being tightened with a "key" of some sort.

The price point for these needles tends to fall below the Addi Turbo Interchangeable but above the Denise and Knit Picks Interchangeables. If you buy both the small and large HiyaHiya sets, then the price point falls in the range of the Addi Turbos, but with the Addis you are getting fewer needle heads.

And so I am thrilled with my purchase, and I would recommend them to knitters as the best option available on many levels. But knitting needles are like purses or wallets - each person has their own idea of what makes a great knitting needle. The needs and expectations of each knitter are different. However, if you are selecting your first set of Interchangeable Knitting Needles - please check out these beauties. I think you will be impressed.