Add more fun to your knitting by making your own knitting needles. Editor Brian Sawyer has a cool post on making your own knitting needles using skewers and sharpening to the right size. I love the button tops that adorn the needles. Link.
Whip Up has also got a cool collection of tutorials on how to make your own knitting needles, even circular ones. [ via ] Link.
Laurie of Kiku (who makes the coolest knitting needles) has also been on the same wavelength this week and sent this tip in for us on how to make your own double pointed needles. Cut dowels to size, sharpen both ends in a pencil sharpener, and sand sand, sand.
Approximate dowel sizes are:
5/16" = about a size 11
1/4" = about a size 10
7/32" = about a size 9
3/16" = about a size 7
1/8" = about a size 4
above a 5/16" won't fit in most pencil sharpeners.
If anyone has more tips to share -- please add a comment to this post!
I like to use fingernail files to sand the tips of my needles. I can hold them better.
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Great idea, but the listed sizes are a little off. I have purchased 1/4" wooden dowel rods from both hardware and department stores (crafts dept.); and they have never fit into a size 10 needle gauge (they are 10 1/2). In my local area it is difficult to find dowel rods for size 8 needles, much less smaller -- that seems to be about the smallest commonly-stocked sizes, for the most part. Now if you're using skewers, shish-kebab or chop sticks (from kitchenwares), your mileage may vary; but I'm curious whether those would be strong enough to withstand repeated knitting and yarn tension without splitting or breaking.
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I also recommend using some beeswax once you're done sanding and after attaching ends to single points. That will help make the needles a bit more slippery and it smells oh so good!
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Use a a sharp craft knife to shave or whittle the dowels into points, then sand, sand, sand.
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