Interchangeable needle users, don't forget your tightening key

Interchangeable needle users, don't forget your tightening key

It is amazing how some small, simple things can be very important.

A case in point is the little tightening key that comes with the cables for our interchangeable needles.

It is just a small piece of metal with a loop on one end but thread it through the hole in the connector at the end of your cable and it becomes a handle to help you tighten the needle up. Use it for extra grip as you give your needle tips a final tightening turn.

Interchangeable needle users, don't forget your tightening keySome of the KnitPro team's tightening key: on a Knitpro bag charm, on a key ring and attached to a removeable stitch marker

This is essential, if you don’t tighten up the needle properly it could unscrew as you knit. 

The little key is also what gives you the grip to unscrew and change your needle ends. So it is very important that you keep it handy.

 We had a look at how we keep track of our tightening keys and asked our followers on social media to tell us where they keep theirs.

Among the ideas were:

  • Attached to a safety pin along with spare stitch markers. It can be pinned to a project bag  
  • Poked into a “knitting pin cushion”.
  • Attached to your project scissors.
  • On the zip fob of your needle case (along with a tape measure).
  • “One in each of my project pouches”, so they can be popped into different project bags

Interchangeable needle users, don't forget your tightening keyImages from Geema Bee, Rebecca Masterman and Lisa McArthur

Wherever you keep your little key, make sure your keep your tips properly tightened up. Happy knitting