Dpn knitting

And I have some birch ones from Germany. I can't remember the brand, but they came in sets of five.

Higs, Katherine

I suspect that many of the aluminum needles that I see are lower quality than the needles that are available to you. The needles that you have from

1943 are likely made from a relatively hard aluminum alloy. Where as what I see is quite soft aluminum alloy protected by a very thin layer of anodizing. I had one set of circular needles with aluminum tips, and the anodizing wore through as I knit 6 hats. At that point, those needles were "wore out." The DPN in the local craft stores are just a bit harder aluminum and a bit thicker coating, but they are still fairly cheaply made.

I am probably not as good a shopper as you are and I am more likely to just buy shoddy goods if they are very cheap. My wife scolds me, and tells me to just spend the money and get good stuff that will last. But, I tend to go for the cheap.

Aaron

wrote in news:OmVVf.42910$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com:

we have 3 Corna cousa dogwoods. one in front, one in back & a little one for Delby's grave. there's also a whole bunch of volunteer red twig dogwood everywhere in the gardens. there are a couple i don't mind so i cut them back severely every couple years, so the twigs stay red. at 2-3 years the twigs are a good inch at the base. those should work for this project, i think. i'd like to try the ironwood. it's very flexable when small. lee

Ahem, I did search the internet and did not find 5.5" needles. Web-sters has 5" birch and Halcyon has 5" and 7.5" birch. Neither is showing any 5.5" and I doubt that they are now available.

I'm a little confused. Are some people talking about dpns that are 5.5 inches long, and others talking about dpns that are

5.5mm thick?

=Tamar

Interesting question! 5.5" means 5.5 inches and I hope no one has that confused with 5.5 mm.

5.5 inches long.

Higs, Katherine

I am sorry to disappoint you , but any aluminium needles made in 40s are of a very low quality, Europe in war and after the depression , didn`t spend good materials nore good craftmanship on knitting needles. they are all bent , their edges are not sharp anymore, but i learned that when that happens i just should sharpen those by scrapping a stone. I would never say a needle wore out. So what if they lost color ? scrap a stone , and go on using them ... It has nothing to do with beuing a better shopper , Both in the 40 s when my people were perscuted and my mother was fleeing for her life and later imprisoned she could not shop what she wanted nore enter anyshop she wanted. And later here we didn`t have much choice we depeended on what the importers brought .... But we also learned that one has to do with what one has ... mirjam

I understand what you are saying! I have some old Boye aluminum single points. The color has worn off, but they are still very good needles. But, I have also had needles that when the color wore off, the aluminum underneath was so soft, that in a matter of a few minutes of knitting, the aluminum point would abrade, and deform, and start snagging yarn. If you have to stop knitting, and "scrap a stone" every few minutes, then those needles are "wore out."

I had some nickel plated brass cable needles that I loved. They had a metal cable between them. The nickel wore through. That was OK. Then, the remaining nickel started flaking off leaving sharp edges that would cut me and snag the yarn. That was OK. Then the cable broke leaving really sharp ends of wire. Knitting needles do wear out.

My steel DPN will never wear out. God may punish me for sloth or greed by causing them to rust, but they will never wear out.

Aaron

I have some old steel ones, too, Aaron, but I seldom use them. I find them quite slippery.

Higs, Kather> I understand what you are saying! I have some old Boye aluminum single

I sometimes find the commercial steel, and particularly the plated needles slippery, but the needles that I make myself, never feel slippery. I have stopped machine buffing my needles. Rather, I polish them by hand with #800 crocus cloth, which leaves a very nice finish but is not as slippery as a machine buffed polish. Plating is even smoother finish than a machine buffed polish.

If your steel needles are not plated, try polishing them with crocus cloth. that should make them just a bit less slippery. (You can get crocus cloth in a hardware store for about $2.00/sheet.) If there are any spots of tarnish, crocus cloth is the right way to take it off.

Steel needles in #1 or #0 sizes have a spring to them, they feel alive! Brass is pretty and feels ever so smooth, but it does not have any life to it. Aluminum's virtues are that it is light weight, not slippery, and does not rust! Long steel DPN feel like they are working with me and are helping me along. That is worth all of the extra care that they demand.

Aaron

What a neat tip, Aaron. I'll have to have a look for that crocus cloth. Thanks.

Higs, Kather> I sometimes find the commercial steel, and particularly the plated