I am planning to try out some wooden needles as I am finding my aluminium needles hurt after I have been using them for a while, the problem of getting old I guess. I would be interested in hearing other peopleās opinions on these types of needles, especially if anybody can compare them.
Iām sorry youāre having pain. My hands ache sometimes, but itās usually after Iāve sent the DH off to a football game and spent 6 hours knitting the never-ending navy sock WITH the Brittany Birch needles. Once I changed to Knit Picks DPNs Iāve knit on without any pain whatever. My LYS carries only BB DPNs and Iāve got a slew of those things and have put them in the āonly in emergenciesā category. The points are super blunt and yarn doesnāt slide, you have to push your stitches along. Iāve used the rosewood a couple of times and they are lots better than the BBs but still not as nice as my Knit Picks. I hope you feel better today.
Nikki
What is it about aluminum needles that make your hands hurt? Do they get too heavy after awhile?
I really love knitting with rosewood. I personally find it to be smoother than the Brittanyās. I love Brittanyās but I donāt knit very fast with them. Iāve never knit with Surina.
I would handle all three types, consider what you knit, and think about the smoothness of each pair. If you want DPNās, but are concerned with your stitches sliding off, then Brittanyās might be the way to go. If youāre worried about knitting too tightly and the yarn not sliding enough, then rosewood might be the right type of needle. You might also want to consider bamboo. Bamboo is lovely to knit with. Very smooth, and very light. I think theyāre a little stronger too, which is important with the smaller sizes.
Also, if youāre accustomed to using straight needles, circulars might also ease the pain in your hands. I find it much more comfortable to knit with circulars, especially with larger projects, as the weight gets distributed more evenly.
So funny how tastes differ - I LOVE my Brittanyās. I think theyāre the most comfotable dpns I have. I guess you really have to try out few and see what suits you.
The reason my hands, well more my thumbs, hurt is that I have odd thumb joints which means I canāt bend my thumbs as far as most people. I have never been able to knit for really long periods at a time but it seems to be getting worse. This Summer I got chatting to another lady while on a train and she was explaining that she no longer knits as she canāt get bone needles any more and the āmodernā ones donāt give. I started to wonder if that was my problem and I am hoping that wooden needles will suit me better.
I have never heard of Knit Picks or Crystal Palace, :oops: I will go and look for them and I will also have a go at using circulars and bamboo to see if they improve the situation.
Christine xxx
My favorite knitting needles were wooden and bamboo. Then I got a set of Denise Interchangeables. Now they are my favorite. I pretty much knit exclusively with my Denise. But I still use my wooden and bamboo on occassion. I do not use the aluminum ones at all any more. :shrug:
I have pain from arthritis and although I have not used the needle you have. I find the circular less painful. I knit the european way (I think) where you throw the yarn over. When I watch the videos on here I wish I could knit like that. I cant seem to hold my wool the way they do in the videos. My way causes pain in my shoulders and arms.
Maybe I should try. Having knitted this way for many years though (needle under my arm) its hard to change.
I just started a new sock(because I got new yarn from KP ) and because my KP DPNs size 2 were in the never-ending navy sock, I dug through my stuff and found a set of size 2 Bry-Flex DPNs by Bryspun. Boy do they ever flex! I know they make straight needles too because I have a pair size 10 that I needed for a class. If you are looking for a flexable needle with a decent point do give these a try. I like them better than those Birch needles.
Nikki
Thank you for all the input on knitting needles. I have found a company based in Scotland http://www.scottishfibres.co.uk/index.html which does Rosewood and Ebony in straight, flexible and circular so I have decided to order a pair of Rosewood and Ebony in straight and flexible to try them out. I will let you know what I think of them.
okay i donāt like their storeā¦i need pictures! :teehee: i was looking to make sure i was right before I warned you of this but with no pictures i couldnāt be sure. In my experience the āflexibleā needles have always been a straight needle with a shaft that is like a circular cord. So they arenāt DPNs and they arenāt circulars because they arenāt attached.
I do wonder if maybe one of the other methods of knitting in the round (magic loop or two circs) might not work well for you. I am not sure but it might be worth a try.
My needles arrived this week and I have been using them to knit two sets of booties and hats for a friend who is expecting twins at the end of this month. At the moment I prefer using the Ebony needles as they seem smoother but as of yet I have not tried knitting anything big so time will tell.
xxx
I love my Brittany dpns. I think they have more slide than my clover bamboo. I have some smaller straights (#4 and 6) in 10 inch length too, but I tried an 8 in 14 and thought they were too heavy. If you have a problem with the weight and flexibility I would definitely go with the Bryspun flexibles. Nice points and very comfy to work with.