Price$29.95
Media TypeDVD, Prop
CategoryGeneral, Close Up, Stage, Gambling
Date AddedAug 28, 2015
Knitting Ninja
Chad Long
Kaylor Productions
(Based on 3 reviews)
Chad Long's Knitting Ninja is a visual piece of eye popping magic that looks like an outrageous skill. Using an ordinary set of knitting needles and a normal piece of yellow yarn you visibly and incredibly knit a sock bit by bit within seconds while everyone watches in astonishment! A unique and unforgettable moment. Everyone will long remember the skills of you, The Knitting Ninja! Packs small and plays big. Incredibly memorable. Knitting needles, yarn and produced item are examinable. A hysterical yet amazing visual moment. Knitting needles, yarn, sock shape and silk square included.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Knitting Ninja is a Chad Long routine in which the performer shows two small knitting needles, a length of yellow thread and an otherwise empty hand. He quickly starts knitting and banging the needles together and a silk the size and shape of a yellow sock is instantly knit.
What you get is two small needles, a length of thread and two silks; one shaped like a sock and another in the shape of a square. This trick requires a standard gimmick/utility device that does not come with the trick. It is readily available at any magic shop and only costs a few dollars. And, you most probably have this classic magic tool already. The ad copy should probably have mentioned that a needed tool was not included.
Jeff Kaylor claims that Knitting Ninja is "the most visual and memorable piece of magic possible" and that claim goes way beyond acceptable hyperbole. The trick is funny and gag-like, but it is not the most visual and memorable piece of magic possible... not even close. I would not say that it is astonishing like the ad copy claims, but is is amusing and in my opinion well suited for children.
The trick is easy to do, but requires a set-up that cannot happen in front of your audience. It cannot be reset without disappearing and fixing some things either. There are some angle issues so as long as your spectators are in front of you and on the side - kind of the same angles you would do with a bill switch, you will be fine. You can end clean and you can have the needles and silk and thread examined if you want to hand it out, but why would you?
The less than 20 minute streaming instructional video is taught by Chad Long and it is excellent and well produced. There is not much to the method so the video does not need to be too long. Long includes a brainstorming session and tosses out some good ideas for the trick.
I think the price point could be a bit lower for what you get, but if you like what you see on the video, it is easily replicated.
What you get is two small needles, a length of thread and two silks; one shaped like a sock and another in the shape of a square. This trick requires a standard gimmick/utility device that does not come with the trick. It is readily available at any magic shop and only costs a few dollars. And, you most probably have this classic magic tool already. The ad copy should probably have mentioned that a needed tool was not included.
Jeff Kaylor claims that Knitting Ninja is "the most visual and memorable piece of magic possible" and that claim goes way beyond acceptable hyperbole. The trick is funny and gag-like, but it is not the most visual and memorable piece of magic possible... not even close. I would not say that it is astonishing like the ad copy claims, but is is amusing and in my opinion well suited for children.
The trick is easy to do, but requires a set-up that cannot happen in front of your audience. It cannot be reset without disappearing and fixing some things either. There are some angle issues so as long as your spectators are in front of you and on the side - kind of the same angles you would do with a bill switch, you will be fine. You can end clean and you can have the needles and silk and thread examined if you want to hand it out, but why would you?
The less than 20 minute streaming instructional video is taught by Chad Long and it is excellent and well produced. There is not much to the method so the video does not need to be too long. Long includes a brainstorming session and tosses out some good ideas for the trick.
I think the price point could be a bit lower for what you get, but if you like what you see on the video, it is easily replicated.
(Top ▲)
Overview
One streaming video, two knitting needles, two silks, a bunch o' yarn, $30 bucks and one Knitting Ninja Review. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.Effect
Just like the cartoons, you knit a silk or a sock seemingly out of thin air.Method
The method is a very standard concept that you've probably used tons of times in tons of different ways. It's a completely legitimate technique that just about anyone can do. It's virtually angle proof and super easy to do.Product Quality
The training video is produced well. It's short (17 minutes), but it covers everything with a fair amount of detail. Plus the supplied props are good quality as well and should last you forever. Of course the yarn and/or the silks may wear out over time, but those can easily be replaced from a craft store and a magic supplier respectively.You get everything you need except for one special something that you'll have to supply. However, you probably already have this, but if not, a couple of bucks at your favorite magic dealer, and problem solved. The reason this is not included is a legitimate reason that I can't go into without exposing the method, but the fact that it's not included is NOT a negative mark against the product.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is solid. It makes no bold or outrageous misleading claims. The video trailer shows you what it look likes. In fact, in the video trailer they leave out the most important part which is the fact that your hands are clearly shown empty before you begin, yet you still seem to knit a silk from nowhere. So if anything, they undersold the effect rather than oversold it.Final Thoughts
If you like the visuals and/or the idea of knitting something from thin air (just like the cartoons), then you'll love this, and $30 bucks is a reasonable price to pay for everything you get.Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
(Top ▲)
PROS
This was a tough one to review. Upon the seeing the ad, my initial thought was “What has the world of magic sunk to?” Upon watching it, I was still battling mixed emotions. But I digress. You will need to determine whether it is for you or not. I can’t do that.
I think I will start in the middle, and not the beginning. In the explanation, Chad explains how this came about. His thinking is very interesting and I think if more magicians employed this sort of insight into their magic and how it is perceived by their audience, we would have even better magic. He used to do a silk production and he discovered that more and more people became knowledgeable about the method. He discovered that if he incorporates a new element into an old method, laypeople no longer suspect the old method. Very ingenious.
The short streaming video shows a live performance followed by a brief but thorough explanation, followed by a discussion about the background of the effect and how it evolved as well as a jam session of ideas.
Many of the ideas were clever. It was a good mix of ideas from how to ratchet up the magic impact, to ideas related to how to make a routine more entertaining, to how to handle audience management.
There were some really good performing tips.
The method is pretty good. It is a pretty basic method using an age old gimmick. Nothing exceptionally new here, but the method is good.
The difficulty level is not too difficult. It will require a small amount of practice.
CONS
The ad copy says: “Eye popping magic that looks like outrageous skill”. I suppose this might be a subjective thing, but in watching the video performances, I’m not sure that the average audience would think it looks like outrageous skill. In the DVD he talks about how to spice up the magic my having an audience member select thread colors or choice of garment to knit. I think that perhaps a combination of audience involvement in selecting thread or garment and presenting the routine more for comedy than hard hitting magic would be the way to go.
VERDICT
What can I say? I think you need to determine what routine you would do before purchasing this. My opinion is that this would play better as a comedy routine, not a hard hitting magic routine. The methods are simple but solid and the explanation was very good and very thorough with a lot of good tips from a seasoned pro.
This was a tough one to review. Upon the seeing the ad, my initial thought was “What has the world of magic sunk to?” Upon watching it, I was still battling mixed emotions. But I digress. You will need to determine whether it is for you or not. I can’t do that.
I think I will start in the middle, and not the beginning. In the explanation, Chad explains how this came about. His thinking is very interesting and I think if more magicians employed this sort of insight into their magic and how it is perceived by their audience, we would have even better magic. He used to do a silk production and he discovered that more and more people became knowledgeable about the method. He discovered that if he incorporates a new element into an old method, laypeople no longer suspect the old method. Very ingenious.
The short streaming video shows a live performance followed by a brief but thorough explanation, followed by a discussion about the background of the effect and how it evolved as well as a jam session of ideas.
Many of the ideas were clever. It was a good mix of ideas from how to ratchet up the magic impact, to ideas related to how to make a routine more entertaining, to how to handle audience management.
There were some really good performing tips.
The method is pretty good. It is a pretty basic method using an age old gimmick. Nothing exceptionally new here, but the method is good.
The difficulty level is not too difficult. It will require a small amount of practice.
CONS
The ad copy says: “Eye popping magic that looks like outrageous skill”. I suppose this might be a subjective thing, but in watching the video performances, I’m not sure that the average audience would think it looks like outrageous skill. In the DVD he talks about how to spice up the magic my having an audience member select thread colors or choice of garment to knit. I think that perhaps a combination of audience involvement in selecting thread or garment and presenting the routine more for comedy than hard hitting magic would be the way to go.
VERDICT
What can I say? I think you need to determine what routine you would do before purchasing this. My opinion is that this would play better as a comedy routine, not a hard hitting magic routine. The methods are simple but solid and the explanation was very good and very thorough with a lot of good tips from a seasoned pro.