Prym Ergonomic Knitting Needles

Prym Needles

Prym has released some different knitting needles here in Canada and of course, I wanted to try them out.  The description was they are ergonomic needles so I wanted to see what they were like so I went ahead and purchased three different size needles.

I purchased 5.0mm needles at Michaels as that was the smallest size they had in stock. Michaels carried both the double point and straight needles ranging in size from 5.0mm to 10mm but only the whole sizes.  After finding those I contacted one of my local yarn shops to see if they had the needles and sure enough they did.  We headed off to The Yarn Guy who has the full range (or most sizes) and I picked up a 4.5mm circular needle and 4.0mm straight needles.

Once I had the 5.0mm needles I started to work on an Easy Goes It Shawl with some yarn that I had in my stash to try out the needles.  The needles do feel very nice in my hands and I was able to make some good progress on the shawl.

This is the description that I found about the needles:

Simply knit more easily The detail is decisive: The new drop-shaped tips optimize the picking up and guiding of the yarn. These hook tips make the start easy for the beginner and enable the experienced knitter to work quickly and quietly - even with complicated patterns. Click Heads, Triangle Shape, Hook Tips and Steel Cord.

Now here are some of my comments with regards to the needles.

US vs International Boxes

 1. The boxes vary depending on where you purchase the needles.  The needles I purchased from Michaels are in a box that is basically a US box and the description is in both English and French.  The needles I purchased at The Yarn Guy is the International box as there are multiple languages on the boxes.

Tips of needles

2.  The tips of the needles are something that I am finding interesting to work with.  The tips have what they explain as a hook but I would describe it more as a small ball.  The little ball does make it easier for your needle to slip between the needle and the yarn and doesn't split the yarn.  I was finding that using these needles meant that I wasn't fighting as much doing the different stitches, example purling, knitting and knit-two-togethers.  All of those stitches seemed to work very well with a lot less effort and a lot less splitting of the yarn.

3. The needles click/slip together so that you can basically use them as a stitch holder.  I wouldn't be clicking them together as I think doing that would wear them out faster than slipping them together.  I have found that sometimes when you pick up the needles after slipping them together that they do come apart so it is something you have to watch.  I think they would be good when putting a project into a bag and taking somewhere as long as you put the needle with the stitches on it pointing up.  For needle storage they will stay together making it easier to find the set.

In Action

4. The sound of the needles is something that even my husband noticed as they are so quiet.  These needles are quieter than any other needles that I have and I have a few different types of needles in my tool kit.

5. The steel cord on the circular needle to me is a win because it means that the cord will stay straight and not have that normal twist that we knitters have to normally deal with. As soon as I purchased the circulars I pulled them out of the box and they went nice and straight immediately.  I tried to get the normal twist that most circulars have but it didn't happen.

6. Texture of the needles is a little different.  The actual needle goes from round to triangular which is something that you have to get use to.  I have also found that some yarn doesn't slip as easily on these needles but in some ways that could be an advantage because the stitches won't slip off the needle.

7. My overall opinion of these needles are a win because they lighter, quieter and easier to knit with.  I am really looking forward to trying a knit-three-together to see how that goes.

One comment I cannot make is how long they will last as I have only had them for a couple of weeks so time will tell. Now to see if I can wear them out and how long it takes.

Overall review:  Will I purchase more of these needles?  YES

If you have used these needles please let me know what your opinion is.