A crafts forum. CraftBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » CraftBanter forum » Textiles newsgroups » Yarn
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Dogwood as a material for knitting neeles



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old February 3rd 05, 07:10 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Dogwood as a material for knitting neeles

I have finished the first set of dogwood knitting needles and done some
knitting on them. I consider dogwood to be the very best material that I
know of for knitting needles. It is like magic! It is warm to the touch,
light, wools slide easily, so you can knit as fast as you want, but there is
enough friction to easily work stitches and stitches are not falling off the
needle. My trial needles are not materpeices of craftsman ship and have
some "nicks" in them. In any other wood, such nicks would cause
significant snags of the yarn. However, the dogwood just does not seem to
snag.

First, my source of wood was an Eastern Flowering Dogwood, C. florida.

Second, the wood is very easy to work and finish.

Third, now that the wood is dry, it seems to be quite hard and durable. For
ease of wood working, the needle blanks should be whittled to shape and size
while the wood is quite green. Then allowed to dry for a few days before
final sizing and finishing.

The only tools that I used to make my needles were, pruning shears to
collect the wood and cut it to needle lengths, a wood chisel and mallet to
split the wood, a utility knife to whittle to shape, a knitting guage for
sizing, a fine cut wood rasp to smooth the points, 100 grit sand paper, fine
sand papaer, fine steel wool, furniture polish with bee's wax and a cloth to
polish the wax. Total time per DPN was about 15 minutes.

And they seem to be very tough. I just laid one across the edge of the 3/4"
high door sill into my office and stepped on it. It just bent. Now, they
may get more brittle as they finish drying, but I expect them to remain
fairly tough.

It looks like the old fellow knew what he was talking about, and dogwood may
be the best wood for knitting needles. It is worth the effort to go find
it, or rather it is worth the effort to send your woodworker out in the snow
to find it.

Since the grounghog says we have some more winter comming, we have some time
to make a few knitting needles.

Aaron


Ads
  #2  
Old February 4th 05, 12:45 AM
Kira Dirlik
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I looked at the needles we have for sale in the Chatham Arts Council,
and the tag says they are birch. They are beautiful and wonderful to
touch. I haven't seen any birch trees growing around here (central
NC) that are the standard, white barked ones I knew in NY state. But
we have lots of River Birch, which are quite a different tree. If I
ever meet the artist of the needles, I'll ask a bunch of questions....
and recommend them to try the dogwood.
Kira
  #3  
Old February 4th 05, 02:16 AM
spampot
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Kira Dirlik wrote:
I looked at the needles we have for sale in the Chatham Arts Council,
and the tag says they are birch. They are beautiful and wonderful to
touch. I haven't seen any birch trees growing around here (central
NC) that are the standard, white barked ones I knew in NY state. But
we have lots of River Birch, which are quite a different tree. If I
ever meet the artist of the needles, I'll ask a bunch of questions....
and recommend them to try the dogwood.
Kira


Paper birches (the white ones in NY state) don't grow as far south as
NC, Kira, they don't even live very well here in Maryland, to my sorrow.
We have one badly infested with borers, planted by the (northern)
person who originally owned this house. River birches, or heritage
birches, grow well in the south (our river birches are quite healthy),
but no matter how people talk about how interesting the peeling pinkish
brownish bark is in winter, nothing beats paper birches for breathtaking
beauty. I remember them fondly from my Michigan childhood.
  #4  
Old February 6th 05, 02:09 AM
Gwendoline Kelly
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Hello Agrea and Kira - I found it very interesting that knitting needles
could be made from the wood of my favourite tree - however since we have
neither dogwoods or birch here I guess I will never be able to get my "
woodworker" to have a try to make some God Bless Gwen

--

Gwen Kelly


"Kira Dirlik" !! wrote in message
...
I looked at the needles we have for sale in the Chatham Arts Council,
and the tag says they are birch. They are beautiful and wonderful to
touch. I haven't seen any birch trees growing around here (central
NC) that are the standard, white barked ones I knew in NY state. But
we have lots of River Birch, which are quite a different tree. If I
ever meet the artist of the needles, I'll ask a bunch of questions....
and recommend them to try the dogwood.
Kira



  #5  
Old February 6th 05, 02:45 AM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I've been reading with interest about Dogwood being a good material for
knitting needles. A friend of mine in NC has a Dogwood tree, and I
wonder if it would make good knitting needles.

http://www.angelfire.com/ca5/calgal/ThomDogwood.html

Mona

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
I have material for a baby quilt now decisions Trudy Utterback Quilting 3 November 3rd 04 07:56 PM
lining material for a bell pull [email protected] Needlework 6 April 22nd 04 02:57 PM
February Sale at Material Pleasures Dana Marketplace 0 February 5th 04 09:43 PM
November Sale at Material Pleasures Dana Marketplace 0 November 9th 03 01:54 AM
Raku FAQs Tom Buck Pottery 0 July 20th 03 04:49 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:19 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CraftBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.