The new Cypra interchangeable needles: What are they Lykke?

I am a bit of a magpie. Aren’t we all really?! I like shiny things, so when I saw the new Lykke Cypra interchangeable needles I got very excited. Look at them…

Lykke Cypra interchangeable needle set in brown case

Aren’t they beautiful?! They are made of pure copper and each needle glows with a warm light that I found irresistible. 

When I was little, I learnt to knit on metal needles, which I always found super slippy. I used to knit each stitch so tightly so that I didn’t drop it by accidentally slipping it off the end of the needle. As you can imagine, this made knitting quite stressful and full of tension: in hands, shoulders and stitches! I tried plastic ones, but didn’t like the feel of them and quickly fell out of love with the craft. When I returned to it, in my mid-twenties, I discovered wooden and bamboo needles. They are beautifully grippy on the yarn, and I found that I didn’t have to knit each stitch so tightly to stop it falling off. I also found that if I needed to smooth the tips at all I could give my head a quick scratch and the natural oils from my hair worked a charm! I rediscovered my love for the craft and swore never to use metal needles again.

So how did I get from that vow to buying a set of metal needles? Especially in that price bracket… 

One of my KnitPro Symfonie needles modelling my Aries jasper and carnelian stitch markers 

Once I had found wooden needles my preference was the KnitPro Symfonie needles, as they are oh so pretty in their rainbow colours. The wood is warm to the touch, plus there is a little give in the needle, so I found them gentle in my hands. I bought some straight needles but I then discovered such a thing as an interchangeable cable needle. I’m sure most of you know what this is, but for the uninitiated this is a system where two needles are joined by a cable, allowing you to knit in the round (great for jumpers - no side seams!). Interchangeables allow you to switch the needles at the ends of the cables, instead of being fixed in place, so when you have to change size for ribbing, or realise your needles are tied up in a project but you just HAVE to cast on that new design you’ve discovered, you can unscrew the needles and switch the needles out. Genius!

I have used interchangeable needles pretty much exclusively since discovering them, probably around eight or nine years ago now. I find carrying the weight of the project on the cable and resting it in my lap really evens out my tension across a row. It took a little while to get used to the shorter needles, but once I had, they helped loosen my tension and my grip was no longer white knuckle tight. I had found a winning combination!

Using the Lykke Cypra needles to knit the border of Shawlography, featuring two of my rainbow heart stitch markers 

Recently I have been becoming more adventurous with my projects and I have been spending time honing my craft. I have taught myself the magic loop method for knitting socks (although I’ve yet to try two at a time!) and I have worked my way through the Shawlography pattern by Stephen West. If you want to try out a whole bunch of new techniques, with well-filmed guide videos, I honestly could not recommend this enough! I even learnt how to brioche ☺️ But these two skills (magic loop and brioche) required a new set of tools: magic loop because my KnitPros didn’t go down small enough and brioche because my stitches ended up bunched and tight and I was scared of snapping a needle. I knew I needed some metal needles and it was a case of now deciding which ones.

My current go-to when looking for new needles is Tribe Yarns. If you have not discovered this little haven yet, it is worth checking out! Independently run, started in 2018 and based in London, they have a large selection of scrummy yarn and a wide range of tools for knitters and crocheters alike, both online and in store. They also run a points-based rewards scheme and who doesn’t like a freebie every now and then?! 

Lykke Cypra needles in their easy to access, fold back case in brown vegan suede 

So off I trotted to their corner of the internet to see what needles they had. And lo and behold, that’s where I laid eyes on the Lykke Cypra set! Oh beauty. Oh shiny, shiny loveliness. I’ve always had a thing for copper. I love the warmth of the colour, and the smell, and the supposed physical benefits of handling the metal (though I have no idea whether they are true or not - note to self, research this!). It just so happened I was sat in a cafe whilst pondering this dilemma. Babe was asleep in the pram, I was knitting Shawlography and drinking a latte, debating whether I was justified in buying said needles. These needles come with the option of buying a polishing cloth, as the copper will develop a patina over time, from contact with the oils from your skin, and the yarn, and from the air. You can choose whether to let your needles develop this over time, becoming personalised with your use of them. Or you could polish them back to virgin shininess to keep them glowing. As I was pondering all this, I glanced at the counter of the cafe. It also was made of copper that had tarnished and developed a lovely patina in places. It made the copper have great depth of colour and I was sold on the idea! A few clicks later and the needles were winging their way to me ☺️

The counter top that seriously influenced my decision 

I’ve been using them for about a month now. Just the 4mm at the moment, as I’m monogamously working towards finishing my shawl. (I know - I deserve a medal, right?!) The first thing that is fantastic about them (colour and shininess aside) is that the Lykke needles are fully interchangeable with the KnitPro cables, meaning I just had to unscrew my Symfonies and screw on the Cypras. 

As soon as I started knitting I noticed a difference. The tips felt different when rubbed together, kind of like they both had the faintest striations that created a very slight scratching together or vibration. However, over time this has eased (or I notice it less - it’s really hard to tell which!). The metal must be smoothing out where I rub the tips of my needles together to knit. I also noticed that there was no give to these needles. This was a good thing at the point when I changed them over. My brioche stitches had all got bunched together and it was very difficult moving them along the needles. I was genuinely worried I might break the wooden ones. Obviously I had no fear of that with the copper tips. Plus their shininess helped the stitches slide along them more easily. (I can’t comment on the join to the cable as I’m still using the old KnitPro cable. Suffice to say, this is snagging the stitches 😞). 

I was worried that the metal tips would be cold and hard and increase the tension in my hands again. Thankfully they warm up quickly making them pleasant to hold. They are hard, but don’t feel it. Now I can’t necessarily attribute that to the copper as I have been knitting now for many years. It could just be that my technique has improved. However I have spent a lot more time knitting over the past month and haven’t noticed any difference in my hands, which can only be a good thing. 

The needles I am using (at the back) and ones I haven’t used yet (at the front)

As for the patina… oh it is beautiful! It is slowly developing in places along the shaft of the tip but the very ends of the needles are staying wonderfully bright. I even noticed a fingerprint on one needle. Now if that’s not personalisation with use, I don’t know what is!! I haven’t tried using the polishing cloth yet. I don’t know if I will with these tips as I love how they are ageing. I will have to with some, just to see how effective it is, and how much of the patina can be removed. When the time comes, I will report back. But for now, I am enjoying the ever increasing depth of colour, the addition of the burnt oranges from my hands and the yarn, and the brightness of the fresh copper that the movement of my needles keeps alive. 

(There are no affiliate links in this article. All opinions are my own. You can buy the featured stitch markers from my Etsy shop here: https://etsy.me/2X19RYS . Use the code BLOG2022 to get 10% off!)