I finally got around to trying the new Cotton Ease from Lion Brand. I think it's gonna be okay. It's a fairly simple yarn but works up nicely with good stitch definition. I tried it first on some Clover bamboo needles and couldn't quite get the gauge. I switch to Addi Turbo and my gauge was right on. I like the way the swatch feels. The yarn looks a little loosely plied so I thought it might split or snag but I didn't have any problem. And the price is good, $4.29 per skein, 207 yards. It's machine washable and dryable being 50% cotton and 50% acrylic. I think the acrylic in the yarn causes a little bit of drag when it's knitted. The Addi Turbos took care of this.

I never used to pay any attention to the kind of needles I was using, just assumed a needle was a needle. Now I try different needles specifically to see which ones work best for a particular yarn. I really prefer bamboo or wooden needles but sometimes metal is better. The Addis are really very nice but sometimes the points are a little too blunt for the yarn or stitch pattern. I tried them on a lace patterned shawl and they were really a pain. I switched to some old Susan Bates needles and things went much better, except I didn't like the sound those needles made, kinda raspy. I could go on for a long time about this but I won't.

Lisa, my daughter, got rid of the ad at the top of my blog. What a sweet kid! I need to have her show me how to link again. I just can't seem to get it. She even left me written instructions. Still don't seem to get the links to work.