My new needles!

I bought some new needles yesterday. They are from Knit Picks and they are called Harmony straight needles. They are made from birch wood and have really pretty colorings. They are very smooth. My local Ben Franklin carries them now. They also carry the Options where you buy the tips and the cables seperatly and then the cables screw into the bases of the tips to give you a circular needle. I plan to buy myself some for my birthday. They are cheaper than the Addis. The tips are sharper. I also learned that you can use them as straight needles. You attach a cable to the end of the tip but then you cap the other end with the caps they provide. Do the same thing to the other tip and you have 2 straight needles. I'm a bit sceptical how well this would work. As you can see in the picture, I have been play knitting with these needles. Not making anything but just knitting to knit with them. I plan to use these soon on a pair of practice mittens I am attempting to knit.

Classic Straight Harmony wood needles 10" and 14" lengths. Our straight needles continue to deliver sharp, tapered tips, radiant waves of color, and a lightweight feel just like our circulars and dpns. Straight Harmony Knitting needles come in US sizes 4-17 in 10" and 14" lengths.

From an independant reviewer:
"The Harmony needles are made of laminated birch. Laminated birch is mostly used for flooring and furniture, meaning that it’s strong and long-lasting. Knit Picks says that this material allows them to make the points sharper on smaller sizes without sacrificing strength."

AQ neat thing about the Options is, let's say you are knitting a scarf. You are bored with it and want to start something new . The scarf and the new proju=ect call for the same size needle. No problem! Just unscrew the tips and place the end caps on the cables. You can set the scarf aside and happily work on your new project. Your tips are now free to knit something else! Each package of cables comes with 2 cables-not just one! That is neat!