I’m the only real knit-a-holic in my family. None of my friends knit (that I know of) and I haven’t had the opportunity to make any new knitting-friends really (tragedy!), so I don’t really know how many needles the average knitter has in his or her arsenal. But here’s my collection so far (collected since I started knitting about a year ago):

As you can probably tell, I much prefer bamboo needles. I have a small collection of metal needles (in the case in the upper left corner of the photo) that were hand-me-downs from my mom’s collection (which originated from my Great Gram’s collection). The pink basket has all my DPNs, the pile in the lower left are all my circulars. Then you’ll see two piles of strait needles: 13-inch length on the left, 9-inch on the right.

My purpose in posting this is not actually to show off my meager needle collection, but to share a secret with any beginning knitters out there (like myself) who are tired of having to run out and buy new needles for every project they want to do… eBay!!

I’ve had excellent luck ordering from the eBay user “skyridertrd“. What’s awesome is: he sells his needles in complete sets, every size from 0 up to 15, for really reasonable prices. He has circulars in various lengths, DPNs, and straits in two lengths. I have not used the circulars yet (as you can see they’re still in the packages) so I can’t speak for thos, but I’ve used my DPNs and straits extensively and they’re every bit as good as the Clover brand ones that you pay $4+ per set for at a craft or knitting shop.

Now I occasionally do splurge. To reward myself for conquering my first knitted sock (something I anticipate will soon become an addiction), I ordered a set of ebony Lantern Moon Sox Stix. I can’t wait till they come! I hope they arrive in the mail this week so I can pack them to knit with while I’m home next week preparing for our wedding! Knitting calms me… so it will be the perfect thing to pack.