Knitting Today: Homemade Barber Cords

 Working on the Harbin Sweater has been a good thing. I have learned a variety of things that are very useful to a knitter.  For some years I have heard of barber cords.  People put them on their knitting needles tips then pull them through their knitting stitches so they can try one garments.  These are way more convenient than putting your stitches on waste yarn, which is what I have done for years.

WELL!!  I am thrilled to say that, at least with my Chiaogoo fixed circular needles, up to at least US #7 needles (I have not tried larger on this project), the homemade barber cords/barber cords work-around is very successful.

Here is the sweater with my ursatz barber cords.  The needles I am using to knit the bottom ribbing are 24" needles and there are a VERY large number of stitches.  This new "barber cord" I am using goes on the tips every time I set the knitting down OR the stitches pop off to beat the band.  I am so thrilled.

What am I using? This is jewelry making stuff...  It is a 3 mm core rubber tubing for jewelry.  No idea about its jewelry use.  I got this 27-plus yards of tubing for way less than one set of barber cords.  It works great!  I also got some 2 mm rubber tubing and that works great, too.