Needles for a beginner

[aroundtheom]

Hi Everyone, First off thanks for everyone's awesome-ness here. The sense of community is fantastic!

OK, so my mother-in-law just visited and she taught me how to knit and I'm hooked... I've made a whole scarf and I'm working on a baby blanket that's 78 stitches across...woah..it's like a mountain for me

So here is my question, my birthday is coming up and I've seen talk about interchangeable needles and they're an investment but I wouldn't mind getting something awesome as an investment piece...I've seen the Denise ones which seem standard and then there are these Bamboo ones (which seem to be the Ferrari's of needles)

What would you suggest?
What other kind of cool knitting stuff can I ask for...I feel like a little kid!!!! It's great!
Thanks for your input!

[redwitch]

Bamboo ones aren't the Ferraris of knitting. Some people prefer bamboo/wood to metal (IMO these tend to be the loose knitters). Some people prefer metal needles (more slippery) to the wood/bamboo (less slippery) - generally the tight knitters prefer these ones. I prefer slippery needles and rarely work with wood or bamboo. You can get plastic ones as well, I think these are in between the other two basic kinds with regard to their slipperiness.
Before you spend too much on something you might not like, I would suggest waiting until you have a good idea of what needles you like. Buy the cheapo plastic ones and try knitting with them (practise on both wool and acrylic). If they are too sticky/not slippery enough, try metal. If plastics are too slippery for you, try wood or bamboo, or both, and see which you like.
Try using circulars as well, the interchangeables are cheaper than buying all the different sizes, but some people do not like to knit flat on circulars, others prefer it and will never