I went to the craft store yesterday, and bought two sets of double-points - size 2/2.75mm and size 3/3.25mm. I could even choose between bamboo and metal. They had double-points down to size 0/2mm. RIGHT THERE ON THE SHELF. A few weeks ago I got a 'sock knitting set' from Susan Bates that contained five needles each of sizes 1, 0, 00, 000, and 0000. (Dunno the mm size for those other needles.... 'fooking small', that's the size.) For $10 USD. This is like an alternate universe for me. It's... it's... amazing.
Fifteen years ago, I had to drive an hour and a half to get to a place that sold any kind of lace-knitting supplies, and I remember paying $20 USD for a set of five 0000 double-points that had been imported from Germany. Most things had to be mail-ordered from Europe and took forever and cost a fortune.
And now I CAN JUST GO INTO A STORE AND BUY THE STUFF.
My head spins.
I know this is due, not to lace knitters, but to all the people who have started knitting socks in the last five years. There must be one unholy huge mob of you out there, judging from how the market has responded. Thanks to you, it is possible to get a set of double-point needles smaller than size five in less than two months.
Bless you, bless you. Showers of sock yarn upon you.
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I know! I was just marveling at the yarns available at a local chain-type craft store. Still not quite the quality of a specialty yarn store, but a huge improvement over the usual run of Red Heart and the like!
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