RATING: 3 out of 5 DPNs
Quality: Good
Fabric Damage Factor: Minimal
Working with Vendor (where applicable): N/A
Paid Review: No, but affiliate links may appear in this review
Review Summary: I love this stitch saver because I can easily carry it along with me. I love that it is double-ended, with two different crochet hook sizes. It can get a bit fiddly because of the chain and keychain fob, but the convenience factor outweighs that detraction to me.
THE REVIEW
Dropping stitches. I don’t care how long you’ve been knitting, you still drop stitches. Conventional wisdom is to carry a crochet hook with you to pick up your stitches. I’ve found that they are bulky, you need to change crochet hook sizes for each project, and you either have to remember to switch the hook between your project bags or have multiple hooks – one for each project bag. I don’t know about you, but I am not a fan of any of those solutions. So, when I saw the KnitPicks Emergency Fix Keychain at one of my local yarn stores, I snapped it up on the spot. A stitch saver I can carry with me? Feels like a no brainer!
INITIAL REACTIONS: I love the fact that this stitch saver is on a keychain. The idea of attaching it to my keys so that I can always find it is very attractive to me. Additionally, I like that it has two different hook sizes – one at each end. It’s one stitch saver to rule them all! Lastly, I really like the fact that it is orange, making it easy to find. The hook is a little small in the hand (not a surprise), but nothing that makes it feel unwieldy.
THE TESTS: I’ve been using this stitch saver on several projects with different sizes and types of yarn. I will say that it does the job, and having the two different ends has been really helpful as I’ve used it on shawls with worsted weight yarns and socks with a much lighter weight yarn. I had it attached to my keys, and then removed it. I found that the stitch saver was too unwieldy with the keys on it and my keys would tangle in the yarn ends and twice snagged in the actual fabric I was creating.
I then took the stitch saver off my keys and started carrying it around in my project bag. This was simply a less than ideal solution, as the ring that connects the stitch saver to the keychain portion split open and I had yarn get caught in it.
Just using the stitch saver on its own is a bit fiddly with the keychain on it. I found that I was trying to navigate the keychain away from the hooks (or the hook would get caught in the ring) more than I was actually getting my stitches fixed up. Frankly, I’m on the fence about whether I will keep this tool. The two hook sizes are really compelling, but I’m not convinced they compensate for the challenges with the keychain.
I’m calling this a brilliant idea that simply doesn’t work for me.