New knitting needles!
Knitter's Pride Mindful Collection Lace Tips, 3.5mm, 5". $14.50 (Can) at Biscotte, my local yarn store (I also got a 10% discount for my first purchase there).
They're 5" only when you include the metal bit on the cord. The tip itself is barely over 4". I haven't found it to be a problem, but if they were any shorter I might. My Clover Takumis (far right) are too short for me.
Compared with my other needles of a similar size, L to R:
3.25mm ChiaoGoo bamboo fixed circulars (modified by me)
3.25mm mystery plastic DPNs
3.25mm Lykke Blush DPNs
Quaker Girl aluminum straight needles (well, I imagine they were straight once upon a time)
3.5mm Perl-Inox anodized aluminum straights
3.5mm Knit Picks Options Sunstruck birch
3.5mm Knit Picks Foursquare Majestic (heavily modified by me because when I was a beginner they were way too slippery and way too pointy for me)
3.5mm Knitter's Pride Mindful Collection Lace stainless steel
3.75mm Clover Takumi bamboo
I've knit a few rows with the Mindful needles. My thoughts so far:
They do indeed fit onto my Knit Picks and Lykke cords, with just the tiniest bump at the join on the Knit Picks. Slows down the stitches a tiny bit, but doesn't really catch. The Lykke cord comes unscrewed while I'm knitting, but that's a problem with the cord, not the needle tips: it happens no matter which tips I put on that cord. ETA: One of the tips came unscrewed from my longest Knit Picks cord.
I like that the size is printed so large: nice and easy to read. I'm not so keen on my needles instructing me to BREATHE though. What are they, my birthing coach?
They are noticeably heavier than my wood needles, but not in a bad way.
The metal on metal noise is very quiet and doesn't bother me.
The stitches definitely slide over these needles more smoothly. This would be a problem with slippery yarn but it's great with grippy yarn.
They are noticeably pointier than my Knit Picks Sunstruck, pointy enough that I have to avoid pushing the tips with my fingers.
It is definitely easier to do increases and decreases with these.
