5/06/2006

here's one of those questions: is it A circular needle or a PAIR of circular needles?

on the one hand, it's one thing. a double pointed needle, which, arguably, is just a shorter, less flexible cousin of the circular needle, is certainly singular. on the other hand, a circular needle, particularly when used to knit flat, is, as i tell students all the time, "really just two straight needles that happen to be stuck together so you can't lose one." sort of like a string on a pair of mittens.

pair of pants, pair of scissors... though i must confess that i actually call it "a scissors" -- a habit i picked up from a college friend. probably like lots of other misguided speech affectations that you think make you sound smarter.

????????