Cable Needle?

Last year for Christmas I received the Yarn Harlot’s Page-A-Day calendar. I’ve been enjoying it all year so far! Yesterday’s page was about cable needles. She talked about how “losable” they are since they are so small, and also listed a few household items that could be used in a pinch if you don’t have a cable needle on you. Some of those things listed were: “dpns, toothpicks, hat pins, Q-tips, crochet hooks, pencils…” Hah! I would have never thought of Q-tips. Basically what you need is a thin enough rod that your stitches can slip onto it, and also the stitches must be able to slip off both ends of your object.

A few weeks ago I was working on a cabled project. I had brought it to work per usual to knit during my lunch hour (the best way to spend your lunch hour if you ask me!). When pulling out my project, I realized I had left my knitting kit at home (my bag containing scissors, tape measures, stitch markers, etc)! What would I do? Of course there is a method to cabling without a cable needle, but I’ve always been too lazy to learn (ironic because it would probably be easier). So there I am at my desk, pondering my situation. I begin to search around for a suitable cable needle replacement. Pens? Highlighters? The caps would get in the way. Pencil? Unfortunately I only have mechanical pencils, so they have a “clip” on them, which would snag the yarn. Paper clip? Kind of small and flimsy…. Wait! I got it…. Rummaging through my drawer I pulled out a large colorful drinking straw. I realized the dull ends of the straw would be hard to get in the stitches…. So a few snips of the scissors later I had this:


Hey – it worked! I made sure the next day to remember my knitting kit! :-)

What unusual things have YOU used for a cable needle in a pinch????