Wooden Knitting Needles: A Class Of Their Own
Wooden knitting needles can be considered a work of art in themselves. They are strong with sharp points and a super smooth surface. As one uses them, they become smoother. They are available in many colors and many versions, like the interchangeable circular, the fixed circular and the double pointed versions.
Rosewood And Cherry
Most of the wooden knitting needles are individually crafted by designers and are decorative but totally functional. The wood that is used is often rosewood and cherry. Rosewood knitting needles are made of Cocobolo, which is a type of rosewood. This type of wood helps to make the wooden knitting needles strong and durable as well as giving them a smooth working surface. Most knitters show a preference for wooden knitting needles to metal or plastic ones.
Handcrafted And Decorative
The needles are available in all sizes and are made of precisely dimensioned rosewood shafts. On top of each shaft there is a rosewood cap. The decorative caps have various designs and are made short in order to avoid excessive weight and maintain balance. The tips too are turned by hand, so that the shape is precise and rounded.
But rosewood is not as strong as metal, nor is it as flexible as plastic. If you are knitting with long needles or using thinner sizes, wooden knitting needles are not recommended. Wooden knitting needles made of cherry are also available, but they are even lighter than rosewood needles, because cherry is not as hard as rosewood.
Wooden knitting needles of larger sizes made of Wild Cherry are slightly more expensive than the thinner needles. It is a domestic hardwood, and because it is light, it helps to avoid "heavy needle" fatigue. With age it acquires a deeper reddish-brown color.
Birch And Maple
Besides rosewood and cherry, wooden knitting needles are also made from birch. They are generally handmade knitting needles and each needle is individually handcrafted of renewable native birch. Even the wood of maple is used sometimes. The birch has a tight grain and extraordinary flexibility that is why it is used to make knitting needles and crochet hooks as well. The needle is then given a natural oil finish, which develops a lovely patina with age and use.
Wooden knitting needles are especially popular among experienced knitters and it is the easiest needle for learning to knit. Since all wooden needles are individually crafted, sized and hand polished, they are very special for knitters who consider knitting a lifetime of enjoyment. The knitting needles have flat sides so they will not roll around. The points of the larger sizes are finer than the typical mass-produced needles. This means that it is easier to pick up stitches with the wooden knitting needles and it is a pleasure to use them.
