I've been wanting to try this; it's also been difficult for me to find huge-gauge needles in the stores!

Have you tried them out yet? I'm wondering if you'll find you need to use some kind of finish on the wood...

good questions -- i should add that into my page! oops...

yes, i did use them to make a hat, so far. but it made the hat too big!! i'd be better off using them for scarves or blankets.

the wood itself isn't rough at all -- since i lightly sanded it that took care of a lot. i've read that running wax paper/parchment paper on the needles has the same effect as putting furniture wax over them (but with the wax you run the risk of it getting on your yarn). i used the wax paper and i can't noticeably tell a difference, but i haven't had any problems either!

updated and added some notes to the end of the instructions. :)

Nice pair o' needles! Your project turned out nicely!

I thought about making them (tore the project out of Family Fun Magazine...YEARS AGO--hehehehe!) because I love working with FIMO, but the thing is, I don't knit!!

Off to look thoroughly at your instruction page!

tina: you could always do the knitting needles, but then use them for hair sticks. :)

Michelle~
That's actually a great idea! I wear my hair up b/c it's so humid here! I use "claws," and in the past, chopsticks, but these would be much more fun, huh?!

just so you know, anything you use to bake polymer clay in or on shouldn't be used for food purposes again. and you should always wash your hands well before eating anything. though it says non toxic (i think it does). that's because the plastic base in it can leach out and is not safe to eat. i found this out when wanting to use it with little kids i was teaching.

I also made these needles with some second-graders in my kid's school...(and my own kids, who at the time were ages 5 and 9). It was really easy. I used 1/4" dowels (about a size 10.5) and cut them into 9" lengths (easier for kids to use) and I was able to sharpen them in a pencil sharpener. I also used some tung oil on them after they were sanded smooth to give it a hard finish. We did have to be careful to make the balls small because otherwise the needles were way too heavy. But we all used them for 6 weeks of knitting lessons and they worked great! Oh and just a word of caution. I tried using oak dowels to make needles also...bad results. It was impossible to sharpen them without alot of splintering and they were too hard to sharpen in a pencil sharpener.

What a wonderful fun looking project. Espescially since I'm a student and can't really afford tons of knitting needles. The person who taught me how to knit told me about making my own using dowles and gluing buttons to the bottom, but this sounds so much cooler! :) I've got some sculpy at home and I think I'm going to head out to home depot and get some dowels and see what I can do. Thanks for great instructions!

Thanks for the tips, I was lucky enough to inherit my husbands grandmothers knitting needle collection. I still didn't have all the sizes I wanted and so this is great. I found size 17 at the craft store, still not big enough for me. For $1.07 I bought a dowel and using a belt sander and some old buttons to finish the ends I had a new pair of needles in 30 minutes. Many of my friends have taken up knitting and I am excited about making needles for them. Just a note: I added the buttons with brass brads. Mark the holes with a brad, remove button and make holes with two new brads, remove,( this bends the brad). Then add the button by tapping in new brads carefully while the dowel is held in a vice wrapped in fabric to protect it.

I am having trouble finding double point or knitting needle tips{which holds your work on needles while you work,could the polmer clay be used for this,usually the tips are made of rubber
could you instruct me how to do this,I have never worked with the clay before
Thanks
Martha

i don't think polymer clay would work well for point protectors -- mainly, i think it'd be difficult to get the clay snug enough so they wouldn't fall off the needles. plus, you'd only be able to use them for that one size of needles you fit them to, unless you made individual ones for every size needle you own.

anyway, i've found point protectors at michael's, joann's, hobby lobby... and i'm positive you'd be able to find them at your loyal yarn store. here's a set at joann's: http://joann.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID=52434&PRODID=11835

Does anyone have good directions for making circular needles?

What a great idea! 8*) My suggestion is to use Crayola Model Magic. Here's a blurb: "Model Magic is a lightweight air-drying modeling compound that is easy to use and is no mess for mom!" I have used the stuff and found it to be light as air. It would be great on top of your needles. Have fun!! 8*)

I have really enjoyed visiting this website,
the pictures have helped a lots with the project
instructions.

thanks

sincerely yours,
faye

From one DIY'er to another, thanks for this website! I have some dowel rods laying around and am going to try my Dremel at a very low speed to obtain a point. Will let you know how it goes!

Your wooden needles are wonderful -- especially the caps. My wife and I are opening several knitting shops. Can you supply them to us in quantity for re-sale and, if so, what would the wholesale price be?

Best,

Jack Olesker

well i like how you did the needles but i have a question how do i get the wood or somthing to make my needles

I agree with one of the other people--try crayola model magic! I just discovered this wonderful clay and bought a tub of it! It makes wonderful objects and they are incredibly LIGHT! I made some little sculptures for Easter while playing with my daughter and they dried very nicely and quickly and are very light. Modeling clay and fimo would have been much heavier. Also--you don't have to worry about the oven! If you like, since it can be expensive--buy the white because you can add color from crayola markers, knead it in and it becomes that color. I tried it out and it worked pretty well.
di

I was interested in this idea, but was wondering if anyone had tried circular needles and any ideas on how to attach flexible connection and what to use? I may try straight ones too but really need circular ones. Thanks for any suggestions.