Interview: HiyaHiya’s Will Fiske

What is the history of HiyaHiya?

Back in 2002, a knitwear designer from Shanghai showed her engineer father a bamboo circular needle purchased in the US. He thought he could improve on it… which he did… and HiyaHiya knitting needles were born!

Where did the panda logo come from?

The Panda is known as ‘Panda Li’ symbolising his Chinese origins and inspired by the actor Jet Li!

What is the importance of good quality knitting needles?

Knitting should be an enjoyable, therapeutic craft but the quality of your needles can make or break a project. Breaks, warping and snagging all lead to frustration. Good quality knitting needles provide precision, speed and comfort – and relaxed knitters create the best knitting!

Tell us a little bit more about the new straight interchangeable needles. Where did the idea come from?

The idea came from our research showing there was still a demand for straight needles and was a natural extension of HiyaHiya’s Interchangeable (Circular) Needle Sets, which many of our fans own.

HiyaHiya’s mantra has always been quality with affordability, so rather than develop a standalone product, the new straight needles were designed to work with the existing interchangeable range in an exciting new way which was also an industry first! One pair of interchangeable straight needles instantly offers more options for a variety of projects, making every knitter’s own HiyaHiya interchangeable collection more versatile, but with minimum investment.

The success of the finished product is down to precision engineering which ensures smooth joins and as people hold the needles in different ways (under the arms, in their lap) the shaft is length-adjustable to suit anyone. Win-win, whichever way you look at it!

What makes HiyaHiya stand out from other knitting accessory companies?

Constant attention to quality and innovation. Quirky yet essential knitting accessories unique to HiyaHiya (such as their cute animal Yarn Snips) are also becoming collectables in some countries.

Can you give us a sneak preview of any new products coming up?

New additions to the popular Yarn Snips “family”, Octopus and Sleepy Kitty arrive at the end of June (above). More new products are in the pipeline for launch later in the year!

Browse HiyaHiya’s products and find a stockist near you at hiyahiya-uk.com