If it is winter, then make knitting needles?

They do get bigger!
There are small ones like that in my back yard too. But less than 100 yards
away there are older, full-grown ones that get close to 2 inches in diameter
near the ground and grow 15 feet high. Indians used to make arrows from
these plants, too.

DougVL


"Els van Dam" wrote in message
...
In article , "DougVL"
wrote:

Are you using wood from the flowering dogwood tree (cornus alba), or the
red
twig dogwood shrub (red osier, cornus stolonifera? Or some other type
of
dogwood? Does it have a single trunk with rough, scaly bark, or does it
grow in clumps and have smooth bark? Unfortunately, many types are
called
dogwood, as many people who try to make Indian-style arrows can attest.

I've got LOTS of red-twig dogwood growing wild nearby and would really
like
to make some nice knitting needles!

DougVL

I have the red twig dogwood in my garden, but the twigs are very thin, and
there would not be enough substance there to create a knitting needle,
after you have sanded the twig or branche smooth.

Els

--
hate spam not welcome

Aaron -

What does your dogwood source look like?

Are you using wood from the flowering dogwood tree (cornus alba), or the red
twig dogwood shrub (red osier, cornus stolonifera? Or some other type of
dogwood? How tall is it? Does it have a single trunk with rough, scaly
bark and white flowers in the spring, or does it
grow in clumps and have smooth red bark (Indians made arrows from this
plant)? Unfortunately, many types are called dogwood, as many people who
try to make Indian-style arrows can attest.

I've got LOTS of red-twig dogwood growing wild nearby and would really like
to make some nice knitting needles!

DougVL



wrote in message
...
The documents are from the 19th century US. and do not specify which
species

I do not even know which species I am trying. It certainly seems to have
an
interlocking grain and be capable of a smooth snag free surface.

Maybe related species may have somewhat similar grain structures?

Aaron

"spampot" wrote in message
...
Are you using American dogwood (cornus florida) or Oriental (cornus
kousa)? I take it these are American historical documents, since as far
as I know there's no European dogwood.

wrote:
Historical documents I have just come across, claim that dogwood is
the
right wood for making knitting needles. Better than- Dare I say it? -
ROSEWOOD.

Any experience with dogwood knitting needles?

Anyway, I am making some. The green wood is very easy to split and
work,
but hardens as it drys. I cut (straight) stems about an inch in
diameter
into 6 inch lengths. Then split the green wood length wise into
needle
blanks and whittled them round to just larger than the intended needle
diameter. I did a whole bunch of blanks in just a few minutes. I'm
sure
I
will have to steam the curves out of them, but since they are split
rather
than sawn, I expect them to be very strong and smooth. I will finish
them
when they are dry and hard.

Aaron

In article ,
wrote:

This is a flowering dog wood, with smooth gray bark. The wood is about the
color of birch when raw, but turns a pale green when dry and finished with
bee's wax.

I really like the smoothness of the wood, and lack of grain. The walnut
"feels" smoother to the hand, but it is easier to get the tip of the dogwood
needle to be snag free with respect to yarn. The dogwood is easy to work,
and quite light. I do not know how well the wood will wear. I expect it to
be at least as wear resistant as birch.

I am not sure that I have exactly the right species of dogwood. What I
hoped for, is that a knitter where dogwood really grows well, would get a
friendly wood worker to make-up and test a few sets of needles.

Aaron


Aaron, I will do my best, I have friends up the road who have a dogwood
tree, a native one to British Columbia. Maybe they will let me have a
branch. I will also look at the red twig one I have here in the garden.
Stand by.....

Els

--
hate spam not welcome

In article , "DougVL"
wrote:

They do get bigger!
There are small ones like that in my back yard too. But less than 100 yards
away there are older, full-grown ones that get close to 2 inches in diameter
near the ground and grow 15 feet high. Indians used to make arrows from
these plants, too.

DougVL

Ah that explains it, I do trim my bush regulary, because of the limited
space I have available for this bush.

Els

--
hate spam not welcome

The dogwood that I am working with has smooth gray bark, and single trunk.
The flowers are pale green in the early spring and rather spectacular. They
have been pruned to keep them less than 12 feet tall. Such pruning (each
winter) is why I have samples to play with, without much explaination to my
wife. She really likes the flowers.

Aaron
"DougVL" wrote in message
...
Aaron -

What does your dogwood source look like?

Are you using wood from the flowering dogwood tree (cornus alba), or the
red
twig dogwood shrub (red osier, cornus stolonifera? Or some other type of
dogwood? How tall is it? Does it have a single trunk with rough, scaly
bark and white flowers in the spring, or does it
grow in clumps and have smooth red bark (Indians made arrows from this
plant)? Unfortunately, many types are called dogwood, as many people who
try to make Indian-style arrows can attest.

I've got LOTS of red-twig dogwood growing wild nearby and would really
like
to make some nice knitting needles!

DougVL



wrote in message
...
The documents are from the 19th century US. and do not specify which
species

I do not even know which species I am trying. It certainly seems to have
an
interlocking grain and be capable of a smooth snag free surface.

Maybe related species may have somewhat similar grain structures?

Aaron

"spampot" wrote in message
...
Are you using American dogwood (cornus florida) or Oriental (cornus
kousa)? I take it these are American historical documents, since as
far
as I know there's no European dogwood.

wrote:
Historical documents I have just come across, claim that dogwood is
the
right wood for making knitting needles. Better than- Dare I say
it? -
ROSEWOOD.

Any experience with dogwood knitting needles?

Anyway, I am making some. The green wood is very easy to split and
work,
but hardens as it drys. I cut (straight) stems about an inch in
diameter
into 6 inch lengths. Then split the green wood length wise into
needle
blanks and whittled them round to just larger than the intended
needle
diameter. I did a whole bunch of blanks in just a few minutes. I'm
sure
I
will have to steam the curves out of them, but since they are split
rather
than sawn, I expect them to be very strong and smooth. I will
finish
them
when they are dry and hard.

Aaron

Sonya Cirillo wrote:
Well, the oak and pecan. . . if the 'horseapple' is what I think it is -
Osage Orange/Hedgeapple. . . . has a fruit that is huge (orange to
grapefruit size), lt green and very bumpy texture. . .


And when you roll the fruit into the street as cars are going by, they
make a wonderful splat! and a brilliant lime-green splatter on the
pavement.

I'm told the tree is called "bodark" in the south (bois d'arc) because
it made such strong bows. Also the wood was used for flooring because
it is not only very hard but resistant to insects.

If so, the Indians used to make bows out of it. . . supposively very
strong and up to the endless bending bows do.

Sonya

Wooly wrote:
snip

I do know where there's a horseapple tree but I don't think I could
get to it and back to the road with my life - there's a MEAN bull in
that field Mesquite might work, but its a weird wood. There's a
wheelwright in San Antonio who can't work with it anymore, as he's
developed incredible contact dermatitis from working with it over the
course of several years.

They'll also make a nice dent in the hood of your car. I've heard also
they repel cockroaches.

spampot wrote:
Sonya Cirillo wrote:

Well, the oak and pecan. . . if the 'horseapple' is what I think it is -
Osage Orange/Hedgeapple. . . . has a fruit that is huge (orange to
grapefruit size), lt green and very bumpy texture. . .


And when you roll the fruit into the street as cars are going by, they
make a wonderful splat! and a brilliant lime-green splatter on the
pavement.

I'm told the tree is called "bodark" in the south (bois d'arc) because
it made such strong bows. Also the wood was used for flooring because
it is not only very hard but resistant to insects.

If so, the Indians used to make bows out of it. . . supposively very
strong and up to the endless bending bows do.

Sonya

Wooly wrote:
snip

I do know where there's a horseapple tree but I don't think I could
get to it and back to the road with my life - there's a MEAN bull in
that field Mesquite might work, but its a weird wood. There's a
wheelwright in San Antonio who can't work with it anymore, as he's
developed incredible contact dermatitis from working with it over the
course of several years.



--
Mark
http://home.nyc.rr.com/m1h/
http://marq1.blogspot.com