Before you return it, consider whether the cost makes it worth your while to keep it. I have a couple of the Needlemaster sets. They are nearly identical to the set you have. I like them, but they are not ideal. I have since discovered Knitpicks Options set and I LOVE them! The Needlemaster set costs anywhere from $40 to $60, and if you have a Michael's or Joann's near you, you could get the set for 40% off with one of their coupons. Did your set cost you more than $30? If so, you might want to return it, but if you got a better deal than that and everything is there, I say why not keep it? The rubber disk isn't anything special. Just something to give you a good grip on the piece so you can tighten it. You could use one of those pieces of rubber used for opening jars, or something else like it.

Another vote for Caron's Simply Soft. You can get it in the chain stores like AC Moore and they do run 25% off sales sometimes. Another sturdy washable yarn is Plymouth's Encore. It comes in a ton of solid colors and variegated ones too (fun to knit if you don't want to alternate colors). If you don't want the blanket too stiff, go up a needle size and it'll drape nicely. The mohairs will frustrate new knitters. You can't see your stitches well and if you accidentally drop or add one, you may not spot it quickly. Do a swatch to figure out how many stitches you need to cast on for a blanket. As for size, I find a 3 to 4 foot square blanket is adequate without being too large.

With a lot of swearing and after everybody else has gone to bed ;). Tee hee! Basically you use two circular needles of the same size, one that is 24 inches long and one that is 16 inches long. You cast the stitches for the first sock onto the 24 inch needle. Then you transfer half the stitches to the 16 inch needle (you have open ends pointing to the cable and the "hinge" between the needle tip of the 24 and the 16 incher). Push them across to the other end so that the opening is at the needle tips of the other side. Close your gap by running your starting thread through the first stitch of the opposite side, then tying it with your working yarn. Go back to the other side with a second ball of yarn and cast your stitches onto the 24 inch needle, then pick up half on the 16 inch needle again. Close the gap the same way, by running the starting yarn end through the first stitch on the opposite side then tying it with the working yarn. Now the first fiddly part (if the cast on didn't kill you). Starting with the 16 inch needle and pushing the 24 inch needle along so that all it's stitches are on it's cable, bring the opposite tip of the 16 inch needle around and knit one stitch, add a marker, then purl a stitch, then k1 p1 across the stitches of that first sock. Drop that yarn, making sure it is not between the needles. Pick up the working yarn from the other ball and k1, p1 across those stitches. You have now knit one half of a round on each of two socks. Turn the knitting around carefully (arranging the balls of yarn as necessary so you don't tangle) and k1 p1 across the stitches on the 24 inch needle. You should see that your working yarn is where you need it to be to start the next side. Make sure your first stitch on each sock on each side is nice and tight to avoid ladders up the sides. You have just finished a complete round on both sock cuffs. The stitch marker shows you the "start" of the round, so that is how you tell that you have done a complete circle on each sock. I have found it is best not to try and stop in the middle, but to continue so that when I pick it up again I am starting at the part with the marker again. When your cuff is long enough, change to straigth stockinette and continue until the leg is as long as you want it. So far, that is as far as I have gotten. I have about an inch of leg left before starting the heel flaps. If I remember correctly (I read the pattern ahead to try and figure out the technique) the heel flaps are knitted back and forth one at a time, ignoring the other sock as you are working. They are turned and gusset stitches are picked up the same way, one sock at a time ignoring the other one as necessary. Then when you start your rounds again (gusset decreasing etc.) you do one half of a round on each sock, turn your needles, do the other half of the round, and so on. It seems very fiddly and I'm still not sure I like it, however I would like the technique for ONE sock at a time. I keep getting tangled, but I am not the best judge of that. Between kids and dogs and cats and my own non-gracefulness it isn't much of a surprise LOL. I am learning using a book called "Knitting circles around socks - knot two at a time on circular needles" by Antje Gillingham. I knit funny so I find her pictures odd to follow since my arrangement is always different at the stage she is trying to illustrate. If you have trouble learning from printed word, I think there are some good tutorials on the net that are free. I needed a book because I was taking it on vacation and had no access to the internet (the horrors!). Let me know if you try it, and how you like it!

Thank you Pattico, but I can not get the 50¢ out of this machine......bwahahahaha! These are all great tips, thanks, and keep them coming. I use a wooden salad bowl as a bead spinner, the bowl is just un-level enough to spin with one hand while I use a big eye needle to get the beads threaded onto my working thread, this is for bead crochet and it works great! I use baking soda, then vinegar to clear a clogged drain. First you put about half a cup of baking soda down the drain, then add about a cup of vinegar after it stops foaming use hot water to rinse it on down the drain we have a septic system and that doesn't disturb the balance.