The Gross Errors of a Needle Maker: 000, 00, 0,

Here in California, dogwood is an expensive exotic, and I am very limited
by my supply of the wood. I did not harvest any this spring. However,
dogwood is common in the forests of the Appalachian mountains. And, dogwood
is very easy to work. I have asked several of the shops that sell
"craftsman made" wood equipment such as swifts, to ask their craftsmen if
they would make dogwood knitting needles. I have even sent samples to some
yarn shops (Halcyon comes to mind) so that they could see what dogwood looks
like and how it feels. I offered to explain the particular techniques
involved to any craftsman that was interested. No response.

Dogwood is not a beautiful wood -- it looks like birch or linden or bass
wood. It is not as hard as rosewood. dogwood's virtues really are not
apparent until you start rubbing it against wool or cotton.

There must be somebody with access to an Eastern forest and a utility knife
that would like to earn a bit of money with a mail order business. We must
find them. In West Virginal, some with 5 acres of land could raise enough
dogwood and make enough needles to flood the market.

Aaron

PS dogwood is too flexible to make good needles in sized smaller than about
3 mm/ US #2. The tiny cable needles that I made did not work.


"YarnWright" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:11:59 GMT, spun a fine yarn


SNIP I feel that those dogwood needles are as good as the best
(or most expensive) commercial wooden needles. I believe that dogwood
is
the very best wood for knitting needles. This puts me in the minority as
*rosewood* is the official religion in this group.

snip
---
Aaron!
You're not a minority... rosewood is nice, but I'd agree that dogwood
would make gorgeous needles, and if I could find some dogwood, I'd
give it a try.
HINT HINT, If you'd make me a set, I'd gladly pay! (but, they have to
be SHORT, which is another subject)
(go to my blog @ http://noreensknitche.weblogs.us/ - then click on
connect in the right side-rar and emal me!)
Noreen
who only snuck in to check on one little thing and ended up
posting....
yeesh!

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Now that sounds interesting.

Higs,
Katherine

wrote:
Yes, real camel, in a nice sky blue, but I do not have much - maybe
100 grams.

She has many sweaters and not too many hats. ; D

Aaron


"Katherine" wrote in message
...
wrote:
"Katherine" wrote in message

Well, the sweater would definitely prove how much you love her. g


Ya, But there is this hat that she has been wanting (Aran Pattern
XIV in Thompson), for three years, and only last December did I
figure out how to size it for her, and then it turned out that the
yarn (real camel) that I had put aside for it would not work, and
then I got to working on a gansey, so I do owe her a hat or two.
And , I must design and make a new knitting sheath for 1.2 mm
needles.

Real camel? Yarn made from a camel???? But you know, she would adore
that sweater. g

Higs,
Katherine

Where did you get wood 000s? What kind of wood? Dish when you have time.

Sure, where they are happy, dogwoods are trees. They made spinning and
loom parts out of dogwood for a long time. Since they did not laminate in
those days, they required real shop lumber. Think about a commercial loom
shuttle sawn and carved from a single piece of wood. That takes more than
the twigs that I use.

Aaron
"YarnWright" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 21:57:19 GMT, spun a fine yarn

Here in California, dogwood is an expensive exotic, and I am very
limited
by my supply of the wood. I did not harvest any this spring. However,
dogwood is common in the forests of the Appalachian mountains. And,
dogwood
is very easy to work. I have asked several of the shops that sell
"craftsman made" wood equipment such as swifts, to ask their craftsmen
if
they would make dogwood knitting needles. I have even sent samples to
some
yarn shops (Halcyon comes to mind) so that they could see what dogwood
looks
like and how it feels. I offered to explain the particular techniques
involved to any craftsman that was interested. No response.

Dogwood is not a beautiful wood -- it looks like birch or linden or bass
wood. It is not as hard as rosewood. dogwood's virtues really are not
apparent until you start rubbing it against wool or cotton.

There must be somebody with access to an Eastern forest and a utility
knife
that would like to earn a bit of money with a mail order business. We
must
find them. In West Virginal, some with 5 acres of land could raise
enough
dogwood and make enough needles to flood the market.

Aaron

PS dogwood is too flexible to make good needles in sized smaller than
about
3 mm/ US #2. The tiny cable needles that I made did not work.


we HAVE dogwood here in middle TN, and not the bush type, the real
trees, however, I don't know anyone well enough to go up and ask them
if I could trim a limb!
I LOVE birch. I hate poppel and poplar. LOVE oak, maple, etc.
Ah well.
I DID score a set of 000's, btw!
Noreen

sneaking right back out again, I am too busy for words!


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In article ,
wrote:



Dogwood is not a beautiful wood -- it looks like birch or linden or bass
wood. It is not as hard as rosewood. dogwood's virtues really are not
apparent until you start rubbing it against wool or cotton.

Aron what dogwood are you talking about there are many different speces.
I did a search on the internet and found this bit of trivia that you may
find interesting

"The origin of the name dogwood is anyone's guess, but two likely theories
have been proposed. The first refers to a European species of dogwood
(Cornus sanguinea) that was used for making skewers, or daggers, and would
have been referred to as dag, dague, or dagge (dagger) in old English. The
second theory is based on the reported use of the same species for washing
mangy dogs. As for Cornus, it is Latin for ³horn² and likely refers to the
hardness of the wood."

els

--
Ja for Jazz and cobra loose the rrrrrrrr

I use a modern cultivar of native American dogwood, likely C. Florida? It
was selected by a landscaper for its flowers, rather than by a forester for
the qualities of its wood. It is also very fine grained, but I expect a bit
softer than the European wood. American dogwood, found in the Eastern
forests was used by the American Indians as material for arrows because
(when green) it could be easily split into long, fairly straight shafts,
that could be bent to, and then hold an outstanding degree of straightness.
Even in the early 1950's it was still used by archers because the arrows did
not flex much as they left the bow. In the days when commercial spinning and
weaving machinery was still made of wood, (~ pre 1800) it was used for
spinning and loom parts.) When fresh cut, it has a greenish cast, but when
dry it is sort of a pale, non-descript blond. I am not sure that it is any
harder than birch, but it has less grain and is much more flexible. You can
bend dry dogwood until you are sure it will break, but it does not. When I
tried to make tiny, tiny cable needles out of it, it was simply too flexible
to pull cable stitches as tight as I wanted them, or maybe I did not let it
dry long enough. (Or, maybe I was knitting too tight.)

Aaron


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



Dogwood is not a beautiful wood -- it looks like birch or linden or bass
wood. It is not as hard as rosewood. dogwood's virtues really are not
apparent until you start rubbing it against wool or cotton.

Aron what dogwood are you talking about there are many different speces.
I did a search on the internet and found this bit of trivia that you may
find interesting

"The origin of the name dogwood is anyone's guess, but two likely theories
have been proposed. The first refers to a European species of dogwood
(Cornus sanguinea) that was used for making skewers, or daggers, and would
have been referred to as dag, dague, or dagge (dagger) in old English. The
second theory is based on the reported use of the same species for washing
mangy dogs. As for Cornus, it is Latin for ³horn² and likely refers to the
hardness of the wood."

els

--
Ja for Jazz and cobra loose the rrrrrrrr

Remember to ask your local tree trimmers - they might be pruning a dogwood
and give the results to you in return for a treat of milk and cookies or a
case of beer. ; )

I am sure that your husband can make you better steel needles than I made.
Remind him that you do not want a gloss polish on the tips - the finish from
crocus cloth (800 grit) is good enough. Maybe he will make a few extra sets
and you can and sell them to other folks that want to knit in the style of
Gladys Thompson. He might also make you a sharp little cutter that will help
you get your knitting needles to nice smooth size.

Mine are whittled and the craftsmanship is somewhere between crude and
primitive, or rather they are not symmetrical. They are carved to feel good
in my hand and fit my knitting motions.and the fabric seems to come out just
as uniform and fast as when I work with slippy, slidy, precise, best
commercial metal needles. And, mine never slide out - even when I am doing
that last cable, and the left needle is only held by 2 stitches - and I know
that even the commercial bamboo would fall out. Because, just half an inch
behind the tip, I left tiny dimples that hold the needle in place. It looks
like tiny imperfections of craftsmanship. Faberge would never have allowed
it in his workshops. I discovered the concept by accident. But, it works.
That is what you get when a craftspersons make their own tools.

Aaron

"lanfear32" wrote in message
oups.com...
Aaron: That is so cool! I am always facinated by craftmanship--my
hubby was a machinist, so he could probably help me get started with
the steel needles, but I really found your descriptions of the dog wood
needles compelling! I believe I will try making my own.... As to the
dogwood, I am in Buffalo NY, and we have dogwood here. I don't have
one of my own in my yard, but I may be able to locate someone who would
let me harvest some of thiers (provided that the tree is agreeable of
course...grins) I will check that out and let you know asap... :-)

Els van Dam wrote:
In article ,
wrote:



Dogwood is not a beautiful wood -- it looks like birch or linden or bass
wood. It is not as hard as rosewood. dogwood's virtues really are not
apparent until you start rubbing it against wool or cotton.

Aron what dogwood are you talking about there are many different speces.
I did a search on the internet and found this bit of trivia that you may
find interesting

"The origin of the name dogwood is anyone's guess, but two likely theories
have been proposed. The first refers to a European species of dogwood
(Cornus sanguinea) that was used for making skewers, or daggers, and would
have been referred to as dag, dague, or dagge (dagger) in old English. The
second theory is based on the reported use of the same species for washing
mangy dogs. As for Cornus, it is Latin for ³horn² and likely refers to the
hardness of the wood."

els

--
Ja for Jazz and cobra loose the rrrrrrrr

In article ,
wrote:

I use a modern cultivar of native American dogwood, likely C. Florida? It
was selected by a landscaper for its flowers, rather than by a forester for
the qualities of its wood. It is also very fine grained, but I expect a bit
softer than the European wood. American dogwood, found in the Eastern
forests was used by the American Indians as material for arrows because
(when green) it could be easily split into long, fairly straight shafts,
that could be bent to, and then hold an outstanding degree of straightness.
Even in the early 1950's it was still used by archers because the arrows did
not flex much as they left the bow. In the days when commercial spinning and
weaving machinery was still made of wood, (~ pre 1800) it was used for
spinning and loom parts.) When fresh cut, it has a greenish cast, but when
dry it is sort of a pale, non-descript blond. I am not sure that it is any
harder than birch, but it has less grain and is much more flexible. You can
bend dry dogwood until you are sure it will break, but it does not. When I
tried to make tiny, tiny cable needles out of it, it was simply too flexible
to pull cable stitches as tight as I wanted them, or maybe I did not let it
dry long enough. (Or, maybe I was knitting too tight.)

Aaron

Aaron while reading your reply, i have a feeling that we have had this
conversation before....right. I am going to dig up my dogwood bush and if
there is good wood in it we can see if there are knitting needles hidden
in there somewhere.

Els

--
Ja for Jazz and cobra loose the rrrrrrrr

On Fri, 16 Jun 2006 00:12:48 GMT, spun a fine yarn

Where did you get wood 000s? What kind of wood? Dish when you have time.

Dishing: I scored a set from a lady who is 93 years old. These are
Palmwood Heart, exotic. I'm almost afaid to USE them!
Hugs,
Noreen


Sure, where they are happy, dogwoods are trees. They made spinning and
loom parts out of dogwood for a long time. Since they did not laminate in
those days, they required real shop lumber. Think about a commercial loom
shuttle sawn and carved from a single piece of wood. That takes more than
the twigs that I use.

Aaron



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On Fri, 16 Jun 2006 17:49:21 GMT, spun a fine yarn

Remember to ask your local tree trimmers - they might be pruning a dogwood
and give the results to you in return for a treat of milk and cookies or a
case of beer. ; )

I am sure that your husband can make you better steel needles than I made.
Remind him that you do not want a gloss polish on the tips - the finish from
crocus cloth (800 grit) is good enough. Maybe he will make a few extra sets
and you can and sell them to other folks that want to knit in the style of
Gladys Thompson. He might also make you a sharp little cutter that will help
you get your knitting needles to nice smooth size.

Mine are whittled and the craftsmanship is somewhere between crude and
primitive, or rather they are not symmetrical. They are carved to feel good
in my hand and fit my knitting motions.and the fabric seems to come out just
as uniform and fast as when I work with slippy, slidy, precise, best
commercial metal needles. And, mine never slide out - even when I am doing
that last cable, and the left needle is only held by 2 stitches - and I know
that even the commercial bamboo would fall out. Because, just half an inch
behind the tip, I left tiny dimples that hold the needle in place. It looks
like tiny imperfections of craftsmanship. Faberge would never have allowed
it in his workshops. I discovered the concept by accident. But, it works.
That is what you get when a craftspersons make their own tools.

Aaron

My DH is whittling on some dogwood between naps!
Hugs,
Noreen



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In my first post about it, I mentioned that wood harvested in the winter
while dormant is *much* better. Let me know how it comes out!!

Remember to split it while it is green, whittle blanks, and then bind them
together as they dry to them straight. I untie them, bend them straight and
retie them together every day for maybe a week before sanding and final
finish.

Aaron
"YarnWright" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 16 Jun 2006 17:49:21 GMT, spun a fine yarn

Remember to ask your local tree trimmers - they might be pruning a
dogwood
and give the results to you in return for a treat of milk and cookies or
a
case of beer. ; )

I am sure that your husband can make you better steel needles than I
made.
Remind him that you do not want a gloss polish on the tips - the finish
from
crocus cloth (800 grit) is good enough. Maybe he will make a few extra
sets
and you can and sell them to other folks that want to knit in the style
of
Gladys Thompson. He might also make you a sharp little cutter that will
help
you get your knitting needles to nice smooth size.

Mine are whittled and the craftsmanship is somewhere between crude and
primitive, or rather they are not symmetrical. They are carved to feel
good
in my hand and fit my knitting motions.and the fabric seems to come out
just
as uniform and fast as when I work with slippy, slidy, precise, best
commercial metal needles. And, mine never slide out - even when I am
doing
that last cable, and the left needle is only held by 2 stitches - and I
know
that even the commercial bamboo would fall out. Because, just half an
inch
behind the tip, I left tiny dimples that hold the needle in place. It
looks
like tiny imperfections of craftsmanship. Faberge would never have
allowed
it in his workshops. I discovered the concept by accident. But, it
works.
That is what you get when a craftspersons make their own tools.

Aaron

My DH is whittling on some dogwood between naps!
Hugs,
Noreen



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