DIY DPNs
Though I guess the basic idea behind DIY knitting needles has been around for some time, I first learned about it from Danese Cooper at last year’s FOO Camp. In short, you take wooden dowels, sharpen the working ends with a pencil sharpener, sand down the points a bit, and hot glue buttons to the base. You wind up with some useful and not unattractive knitting needles that serve as a great conversation piece for any knitting circle or get-together.
I’d planned to work up a whole how-to on this, but the process is pretty straightforward and has already been covered elsewhere, notably in this great tutorial.
But there is something I’ve seen less coverage of that might be worth adding here (though I’m by no means claiming it as original), and that’s how easy it is to use skewers for the same purpose. Since they’re so thin, you’re of course limited in the size of knitting needle you’re going for, but they’re perfect for those pesky double-pointed needles (DPNs) I always seem to need only once, in some odd size I don’t have, for just a simple cuff or something on a much larger project.
Just get yourself some wooden skewers (you can even find some nice bamboo ones, which will make them even closer to my personal favorite style of needles) and follow the instructions in the tutorial I linked to earlier in this post, sharpening both ends instead of applying something like clay or a button to the base (since DPNs are, of course, double-pointed).
You might need to experiment with a variety of skewer styles, especially if you’re looking for a particular size, but skewers are so inexpensive (especially compared with the mind-boggling price of nice bamboo DPNs) you can afford to buy a bunch and mess around. This is something else I haven’t seen much discussion of with DIY knitting needles: size. Some arbitrary size is great if you’re just learning to knit and any old sticks will do, but you need to be a little more deliberate if you’re making something to work with a pattern; your gauge will obviously be blown with a guess at needle size.
So, get yourself a needle size and knitting gauge checker and size those skewers up. As you see, I’ve got the materials for a nice set of size 3s:
Make yourself needles in as many different sizes as you can find skewers for and keep them on hand for those odd projects that don’t warrant investing in the real thing. These DIY DPNs are a perfectly workable alternative, as you can see with these finished size 3s working up a sock I just might never finish (for reasons that have nothing to do with the needles):
UPDATE
Over at Craftzine.com, Natalie passes on Laurie’s handy dowel-to-knitting-needle size conversion guide:
Approximate dowel sizes are:
5/16″ = about a size 11
1/4″ = about a size 10
7/32″ = about a size 9
3/16″ = about a size 7
1/8″ = about a size 4above a 5/16″ won’t fit in most pencil sharpeners.
She also points to a great roundup of other DIY knitting needle tutorials, including circulars. Nice!
dangerousangel 5:36 pm on November 8, 2006 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Good idea! They should be just right to cut short for glove fingers. I’m going to try it. I like lace knitting and have taken and ground down bicycle spokes to make needles in about the #1 size range. They work great, if you have the patience to work that small!
oldladypenpal 10:58 pm on November 9, 2006 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Nice!
Every time we eat at one of those fancy sandwich shops, my kids hand me the mega toothpicks the shop uses. “Mama, you can knit with these!” And I swear one of these days I will!
Are there any options for coloring these that won’t create a potential hazard for the yarn?
Brian Sawyer 8:03 am on November 10, 2006 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hmmm… I honestly don’t know. I’ve been doing these mainly for function and haven’t gotten into too many frills. Anyone else know ways to dye wood that won’t rub off on yarn?
salt 3:27 pm on November 10, 2006 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I made myself some dpns from dowels when I couldn’t find the right size commercially. Because the wood seemed excessively grabby even after sanding, I coated them with a couple coats of acrylic sealer (like varnish only thinner, clearer, water soluble). I sanded (320 grit) between coats, except for the last coat, and ended up with a nice smooth but not too slow finish. And that sealed the band of acrylic paint I put around the middle for visual identification of the set. Those needles have been used twice now without any loss of that paint.
So I’m thinking that if you want to color the wood, working a thinned acrylic paint into it before sealing might work. Or a good water-soluble dye. And then at least a couple coats of sealer, which I think is the key: anything else, oil- or water-based, is going to be lifted out of the wood again by being handled as you knit.
Brian Sawyer 3:35 pm on November 10, 2006 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Great advice and beautiful needles, salt! Thanks for adding to this post with your experience and expertise.
oldladypenpal 8:56 am on November 11, 2006 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks, Salt! Thanks, Brian!
Marcie 5:26 pm on December 15, 2006 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Ive noticed that when I try to make the smaller sizes (i.e.7s or smaller) they break really easily, one broke while I was sanding. I got the dowels from michaels, any suggestions on buying some that dont break so easily or is this only a good idea for larger sizes or am I just a rough knitter :0)
Brian Sawyer 9:13 am on December 20, 2006 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Marcie: that’s an interesting point, and I must admit that I haven’t used my DIY needles enough or tested them hard enough to get them to break, though that makes a lot of sense. Wish I had some suggestions for alternatives, beyond actual knitting needles.
Make your own knitting needles « Epicurvegan 10:57 am on April 6, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply
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