Needle gauge tool
Just found out that my needle gauge tool is lying to me. I started a project with 00 size needles. Thinking I had six of them. And then figured out that some of them are size 00 and two of them are really close to that but not quite the same. They're not 000 and they're not 0. They both fit in the 00 hole. But none of them fit in the 000. Needle one in the picture is ever so slightly smaller than needle too but I don't know by how much.
I can only find one needle gauge on Amazon that handles anything that small. And it's the one I already have. So far it doesn't appear to be making a difference in the actual project, but it is disappointing
Apparently I'm the only idiot that has decided to knit on sub 2 mm needles.
Ebay and Etsy have needle gauges that will handle only one needle below. 2.0 mm. Which makes them not as good as what I already have.
Now I find myself wondering if I can buy drill bits in the sub 2 mm range and build my own.
Before I invest in trying to make a tool that nobody needs other than me, does anybody else know of a needle gauge that covers sub 2.0 mm needles?
11 replies
I feel at this point it may be worth investing in calipers.
I have a pair hiding somewhere in my workshop. Odds are the battery is dead and freezing or melting temps have destroyed them.
That 000 1.5mm hole is just wrong.
Look at the size difference between 0 and 00 for .25 of a mm. They look so similar. Then look at the difference for 000. Should look nearly identical to 00 but it's visibly smaller.
So if they look ever so slightly smaller then I'd guess they're 000.
I hear what you're saying. I just don't have any means of checking it because I can't find another gauge that covers more than one Sub-Zero size.
I would 3D print it
I haven't got a printer and in my town it's unlikely that anyone else does. I imagine it wouldn't take much to print one up for someone who did.
I know my local library has one; I was surprised when I learned this.
My library specializes in garden and farm tools and that's new. I have definitely been taking advantage of their seed library. I haven't bought seeds in years.
@FauxPseudo
How often do you need to measure 1.75 mm needles? If they're too small for 2.00 mm and too large for 1.50 mm - that's close enough, I think.
I have a whole collection of needle gauges, because I tend to misplace them, buy a new one and then find old ones. Or I just like one. Or get it as a gift.
And I've needles from I don't know how many manufacturers. On the small sizes there is so much variation it's always a bit of guesswork what needle is what size. 1/2
@FauxPseudo and in the end it's not really relevant (to me).
Do I like the fabric I get with the needles I use? Them it's the right size. The gauges are good enough to determine if two needles are the same size.
And they aren't the same size in this case. They're close. They're close enough where if I use the larger one on 20% of a round they may equal out once the yarn starts moving.
I kind of like to know that when I organize my needles after a project or when I'm grabbing your project that I've got the same size needles. But it appears I've got needles that'll fit in the same hole and the gauge will lie to me that they're the same size. A person's tools shouldn't lie to them.