Short Needles Got No Reason?

For our anniversary this year, Hubby decided that I needed to get an interchangeable knitting needle set that I've been drooling over.  So, I finally took the plunge and ordered a complete set of the Denise Needles - the Short Sharp tips set, crochet hook set, all of their cable lengths, 2 connectors, 6 end caps, and their organizer case.

Why, you ask, was getting this such a big deal?  Well, first of all, it was a complete unknown to me if I would like this system or not.  And secondly, for every brand of needles out there, if you want their interchangeable set, it can be a serious investment (as most sets aren't that cheap).  So knowing if you actually like the system helps to "encourage" one (well, at least me) to buy into the system.  Unfortunately for me, there was literally no store in my area (or even State!) that carried this brand, much less even knew about it (despite the fact that this brand has been around since the 80s).  So, that meant there was no way I could try out the needle set to see if I would like it or not.

Luckily, when we went on our Puget Sound Yarn Crawl earlier this year, one store (The Tea Cozy in Ballard) actually carried the Denise Needles but they only had their regular (standard grey) set.  I was so excited that I could at least try out the brand! :) *yay*

I found that while the entire set was made of plastic, it wasn't a hard plastic; there was some give to it.  Also, it was so easy to change out needles and cables - it didn't require a pin and all you had to do was to twist it on and off.  And, the joints (the point between the needle and cable) was very smooth.  The only problem now was that I didn't know if I would love the Short Sharp tips.  These tips are shorter than the regular Denise Needles and sharper than their regular tips.  But, I figured, how bad could it be if it were sharper than the ones I already tried?

So, when we got back home, I trolled the Denise Needles website.  They had lots of sets in various cases but none in their signature full-zipped Denise cases.  So, thus began my long conversation with Emily, one of Denise's owners.  She was so patient with me answering all my questions and letting me know about upcoming products like how the Short Sharp tips would be coming out as individual needle sets.

So, the "wait" ensued (for these upcoming products).  A month would pass by and I'd check their website to see if all the Short Sharp tip sets were there yet.  Nope so, I waited another month and another month and so on until finally ... they were all there! :)  Then, came the agonizing process of what colors to get in which sets ... should I get the Brights in the smaller range of needle sizes and Pastels in the bigger needle sizes or vice versa?  What colors should I get for the crochet hooks?  Brights or Pastels?  I wondered how I could cost effectively get every color cable available ... So, my conversation with Emily began - again.  Emily was soooooo great! :)  She said that she would be more than happy to make a custom set of color cables for me for the same price as one of their long cable set and that I could tweak the multi cable set.  And, finally, which color organizer should I get??? Choices, choices, choices!!!

Once I confirmed I could get everything I thought I wanted, I took the plunge and ordered everything.  In a few days, my "gift" arrived.  And here it is:

Here's what it looks like with everything packed into my new organizer:

I know ... it looks like a monster but I love it because it can hold so much!! :D ♡♡  It now consolidates what used to he in 2.5 bags into this one. :)  It has:

my Knitter's Pride Cubics set and all other (random) Knitter's Pride needles & hook

all my crochet hooks (and Hubby's too)

all of my stitch holders and cable needles

all of my double pointed needles

and of course,

my entire Denise Needle set (knitting needles and crochet hooks)

And here's my new needles in action:

So, how do I like it, you ask?  Well, I love it actually!! :) ♡♡♡  It's so light and the cable is way more flexible than one would think, particularly due to it's thickness; the cable is really so much more flexible than my Knitter's Pride cables.  And the needles are really short!  And because of that, it fits in my hands perfectly. ♡  I can see this set becoming one of my favorites and definitely will be my go to travel set if I take something other then a sock project. ;)

Thanks, love for "getting" me this great set! :) ♡♡♡