I've been waiting so long to buy a pair of these John River birch knitting needles. Lovely aren't they? I have been working diligently on the spiderweb capelet in Stitch N Bitch Nation, only to read the postings on Craftster about the changes in the pattern. I am going to have to rip it out and start again...but not without my lovely new birch needles. I'm convinced they'll make all the difference, kind of like a magic wand...maybe they'll even knit the darn thing for me.