Denise 2 Go: Interview with Barbara from Denise Needles and Lorna Miser!

We were recently approached by Barbara from Denise Needles to ask if we'd like to be the exclusive seller of these darling new Denise 2 Go needle sets that they dreamed up. Of course we said yes as we are a big fan of their needles and loved the idea of a mini set designed especially for knitters on the go. Also, we found out that our friend, Lorna Miser (who helped push Jimmy into the yarn business years ago) designed the adorable fabric case that these needles come in! So now we are delighted to present you with a little guest post featuring Barbara from Denise and Lorna Miser!
Some of the first prototypes.


Here is what they had to say about Denise 2 Go:


Barbara:
Sketching out the design.
The idea for Denise2Go came from our history. Since interchangeable knitting needles began, they have been packaged as complete sets. Over these 40-plus years, sets have grown larger.  We now put 14 pairs of needles into a Denise-in-a-della-Q set, for instance. We also offer individual needles. What we wanted to add was a narrower range of needles – more than one needle and fewer than the complete collection. Just enough to take on vacation and pack lightly. The Mini version rather than the SUV. Knowing that Lorna Miser sews almost as much as she knits, we asked Lorna if she would design a case to hold a few needles and cords.

Lorna's Prototype.
Lorna:
When the Denise folks contacted me about this idea, I was confused for a moment. I've never been asked to design a sewn item---well, not for almost 30 years when I was a seamstress! What a fun thing to be asked to do. I've loved and used Denise Needles for years--since my early 20's when I was a new knitter and my mentor Ida gave me my first set of Denise Needles. When I began designing the case, I started with paper-taped prototypes. I had a couple of mis-fires but eventually sent a final version to Denise.

Barbara:
A small padded envelope arrived at our office in Virginia , and inside was Lorna’s perfect solution for our need! There was a universal sigh among us. Lorna had incorporated all the function we wanted in a portable package. Even her sample was pretty, though she had used scraps from her sewing room. Working from Lorna’s fine design, we worked on planning production, including needles in color. Though the idea came to mind years ago, it has really been only a few months that Lorna has been working with us on realizing the dream. We hope our shared enjoyment shows in the Denise2Go that you will see and hold in your own hands.
Inside view

The final version.
Lorna:
I've been using my prototype for several months. When Denise showed me the fabrics they had chosen and the pretty colored needle tips, I was thrilled. I love feminine things, pretty things. Now I have the convenience AND the beauty!

When I leave on a trip (or across town to a yarn shop) with several projects, I rarely have to give a thought to bringing needles. The Denise2Go fits in my little notions case which resides permanently in my knitting bag . I am comforted knowing that I have so many needles with me at all times. You never know what yarn will jump in my arms and request instant knitting! I'm always prepared now.

Fits in the palm of
your hand!
Barbara:
Lorna, now that we have Denise2Go in our knitting bags, I am thinking more about that idea of the Mini Cooper. Maybe we can convince the company to start making Minis in more colors. You can have a lavender one, and I want one in spring green. Still more possibilities to think about, design, plan. Not to mention the endless knitting possibilities.  Thanks, Lorna, for joining us on this adventure!


Thanks to both Barbara from Denise needles and Lorna Miser for providing this little peek into the making of this awesome new knitting product! These will be available exclusively through Jimmy Beans Wool until July 1st! Also, Denise has kindly given us a set of these needles to giveaway to one lucky reader! 


If you would like to win a set of the Denise2Go needles, please leave us a comment letting us know what kinds of summer adventures you will be taking your needles on! The winner will be selected at random and announced on Wednesday, June 6th. You will have until 11pm PST on Tuesday the 5th to enter. Good luck!


Happy knitting,
Kristen

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59 comments:

  1. Wow. These are so cute and so functional. I am planning to attend a wedding in August...our entire family will celebrate with my nephew and my handsome sons are in the wedding party, What fun!
    deskritt on ravelry

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  2. they are sooo pretty! I am going to Italy in September and these would fit perfect in my oh , so tiny luggage!
    Jimswife on Ravelry

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  3. Lots of baseball games & swim meets are in my plans for this summer. Nothing exciting to most people, but oh how I love to see my kiddos playing sports & having fun.

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  4. I am having a staycation this summer. But Fridays are for knitting with friends. These needles would be great as we go travel to each other's houses and our favorite yarn store.

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  5. My biggest summer adventure will be moving to a new home--I'm so excited to be a homeowner. And it would be so nice to have these (so I don't have to find all my needles hiding in boxes!) ;)

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  6. Since I'm in a wheelchair, I don't get out of the house much. But, that's ok because it gives me a good excuse to set around and knit and crochet all day!!! Hey, you have to look at the bright side! ;0)

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  7. Since retiring my husband and I have been traveling a lot. Needless to say I was carrying my knitting along. Sometimes I finished a project but had not brought a different size needle with me. Had to visit yarn sops and buy needles that I really didn't need, pls it cut into my yarn budget. This set is small enough to just slip in your purse. Love them

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  8. these are perfect and pretty! just what a mom of four needs. we have music lessons,library, football, cheerleading, dance class, swimming, and whatever else I'm forgetting. But with this little needle kit I will be ready for anything when the mood strikes. some activities I knit and talk with other moms and need to be able to work on something easy, other times I am by myself and can work from a pattern. And throw it all together with gorgeous fabric and colorful needles! I'm sold.

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  9. I will take my knitting with me everywhere, but especially Stitches Midwest this summer!

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  10. We will be spending several weeks this summer camping in Oregon and Tahoe. There isn't a lot of room when camping, so small projects, etc, need to be small :)

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  11. mostly just to work, the goodness for fiber or ALL I would do is work...

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  12. Wow,I like your contest,i like knitting,and I make sweater with this needles.

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  13. I would take these from Texas to Minnesota to visit family.

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  14. I need to take a business trip (driving) within the next couple of weeks. I'm hoping someone else will drive so I can knit :). Otherwise, the only other trip planned is camping. Lots of other people to look after my little one so I can knit, knit, knit, knit.

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  15. We are planning a couple of camping trips this summer in our new (to us) travel trailer. These are perfect for bringing my knitting projects along! I was already planning to knit while my significant other fishes, but this will make it so much easier!

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  16. These look fabulous!

    I will be knitting away every week at my local Stitch 'N Bitch group (we knit outside at a Starbucks) as well as taking at least 1 project with me on my 9-day Alaskan cruise. :-)

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  17. Traveling to be with grandchildren in Austria. Knitting in the airport, knitting on the plane, knitting while girls are napping. Knitting knitting knitting!

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  18. No big vacations for me... but I am helping lots of new knitters at a weekly workshop at my church. They are all interested in purchasing needle sets... We would love to demo these! Pick us!

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  19. Though I live in the Pacific Northwest, I am currently in the far East part of the map on a three month RV trip around the US visiting family, wool and sheep festivals, yarn shops, previous friends and ending with a Peace Corps reunion before heading home.
    Naturally, part of the RV left home with yarns and requisite tools aboard PLUS plenty of room to add goodies as I come across them. Lorna is a long standing pal and having a set of needles in a pouch she designed would be a highlight of my knitting life. Thanks many, Linda Walsh mailto:needling@cjtwofers.net

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  20. I love the portability! My biggest summer adventure is my 25th High School Reunion in August. Can't wait to head home and catch up with friends.

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  21. I travel a lot to my son's & granddaughters' home.I always have too many bags.This Denise to go keeps needles in one spot.rinebird@gmail.com

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  22. These are so beautiful! Would be great to have them to take with me when I go up to settle my son into college!

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  24. I love my Denise needles, and these are so cheerful and happy (not only do they go well with summer, they would add a welcome dose of color to winter)! I would take them with me in my purse everywhere, camping, to the beach, relaxing in the back yard to knit in the sunshine. Everywhere!!

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  25. I have the standard Denise kit & LOVE it. I'll be taking them when we go on picnics this summer.

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  26. I love these! We will be going on vacation in August - we're undecided where but this would be a great additional to my travel bag! Some places we are considering are Colonial Williamsburg or Key West Florida! :D

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  27. So cute! I commute between my house and my parents a lot, so these would be super-useful! Also has great potential for the trip to Rhinebeck in the fall...:)

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  28. I will be taking my needles to the Mall of America in Minnesota later this summer!

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  29. I don't think I'm going anywhere this summer, but I'd love to take these traveling in the fall. Not sure when/where we're going yet, but we're celebrating our 30th anniversary!

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  30. I have way too many wips going on so these would be perfect for that. Plan to knit at knitting group, while out with friends and hopefully going with my friend to her brothers place at the lake. Can't afford to buy them right now so winning them would be awesome.

    cherylharrell@yahoo.com

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  31. I've already had my big vacation trip to France - and had to pick out which of my Denise tips I wanted to bring with me. Denise2Go would have been perfect. But winning a set would still be fantastic. I take knitting with me on business trips and when hanging out at my sister's house.

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  32. I love my original Denise set, but a super-cute and highly portable one would definitely come in handy, as I keep borrowing needles and cables from my 9-year-old's set. :) Lovely giveaway-- thanks. :)
    --Bookaholic13

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  33. Ohhh, this is any easy one! WHEREVER I go, I'll be taking my yarn and needles along! (And in any season, for that matter! ;-) Thanks for the shot at the give-away prize! =D

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  34. Oh - and if I happen to win - you can contact me at babaelaraw@gmail.com =D (Mine is the "...WHEREVER I go,..." comment posted June 1, 2012 10:14pm) Thanks again~!

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  35. With 2 knit groups a week and regular beach trips these would be with me all the time! We go to the in law's every Sunday for dinner, and not to be mean but, it pretty much requires knitting.

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  36. We will drive around Colorado with visiting family and I will be in the back seat with my feet up and my needles clicking! How nice it would be to have a smaller needle set to take along.

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  37. small and practical... that's what I like

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  38. This is so cute. It will definitely be part of my standard tools in my knitting bag. Now I just need to save up for a few more, since I keep multiple bags for each of the projects I have in the works.

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  39. Very cute and useful- I'm always carrying extra sizes with me- you never know what you'll need and I'm a good scout 'Always prepared'

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  40. I love this cute set! It would go with me everywhere this summer: the beach, doctor appointments, the park with the kids, etc.... Then when school starts back up, this would be great to take with me to the knitting club I run after school. :)

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  41. I have not made plans for the summer yet but after spending 2 hours at the airport waiting for my husband's plane I know I won't go anywhere again without my knitting!!

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  42. I will be going to lots of swim meets, soccer tournaments and also chaperoning a mid-high church retreat -- lots of knitting opportunities! Love my Denise needles and I recently got the Stitch Red cords, these would be a great addition to my wardrobe! Always can use more needles!

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  43. I won't be going anywhere this summer, but I will be knitting every night, enjoying staying up late and not having a schedule.

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  44. I take my knitting pretty much everywhere! We are going on a family trip to Yellowstone and then to grand lake. I also take projects to the pool, the park, softball and baseball games and sometimes even church :)
    LOVE the new set, it would go great with my 2 full Denise sets!
    Thanks for all you guys do!

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  45. this is the summer of mini roadtrips with 2 small children. a weekend campout with cousins, a beach week, some time with the grandmothers, maybe a waterpark if i'm up for it. i don't have much room in the car for extra stuff, so this should fit nicely in my project bag.
    love the colors and the concept!

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  46. I'd take mine in my camelback! I like the idea of my essentials being Water and knitting!

    I take my camelback everywhere this summer: to the pool, camping, day hikes, to the lake, on the boat (not mine, but I get to enjoy the ride!) and eventually to the park when the kids start soccer practice again!

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  47. Denise 2 Go is such a neat concept! They would be the perfect needle set to take to hollidays and to my conference in Germany. I always make sure to visit at least one yarn shop, and then I can start a project right away!

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  48. I always like to have a selection of needles with me when traveling, and struggle with ways to keep them in one place-this is a great idea!

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  49. My daughter is a past Beans for Brains winner, and she is spending the summer doing an internship at school. We are going to spend a few weeks nearby, and before that I will be busy planning the knitting I am going to bring along. A little mini-set of Denise's will be perfect for the trip!

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  50. My Denise2Go needles would be traveling with me through southwestern Colorado and around the Navajo Reservation camping and attending ceremonies, and they will be with me while herding my flock of sheep, busy knitting wool socks and mittens, from those very sheep.My wool is made in the USA and it would be nice if the needles I use on it were too.

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  51. I have a convention in Winnipeg in July to go to. I just ordered some Denise Tunisian crochet hooks to take along.This case would be perfect!

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  52. I'm afraid there will be no adventures for us this summer. I would be taking the needles out to the backyard.

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  53. I always take my knitting with me when we go camping. This year we will be camping mostly in state in Oregon and in September, we will go up to Seattle for my niece's wedding celebration.

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  54. I have been known to walk and hike and knit while doing it. I never travel anywhere without it. Just last week, I attended Golf and Guitars in Sacramento and knitted during the concert!

    -Ellen Ashbaugh

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  55. I will be teaching kids to knit/crochet this summer so this would be the perfect accessory.

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  56. I've never tried Denise needles before. A mini pak would be the perfect way to give them a trial run. Since I'll be moving to Tampa, FL in just a few short days, a mini pak would be ideal to tuck in my knitting bag when I stroll along the beach (which will be available to me 7 days a week...oh, joy!).

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  57. Love anything girly. Will be taking my needles again this summer to Gen Con in Indianapolis, IN. Can game and stitch at the same time.

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  58. I'm afraid my summer adventures will be limited to whatever I can accomplish in the evenings after work and on the weekends! But summer in Alaska is an adventure anyway, and knitting is one of my favorite adventures. This summer, I've got socks, mittens, gloves, shawls, and two sweaters in the queue! Thanks for a chance to win the intriguing needles!

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