I took small diameter hardwood dowels and then sharpened the points. Then I  added tiny Matroushka doll ends to them:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The  dolly tops of the knitting needles came from a pair of Russian pens that I found in a ‘Ye Olde Crafte Shoppe’ in a local mall.

I sawed the dolly ends off the pens (they never worked as pens).

I carefully drilled holes into the ends of the little Matroushka dolls and then glued the ends of the knitting needles.

I use the remainders of the pens around the studio in various weaving and other craftie uses.

If you are very brave, and oh so careful, you can make the most glittery and glam knitting needles from resin.

BE CAREFUL! Don’ t work with resin without a special chemical gas mask, as resin is dangerous stuff.  This is one of those: Do this at your own peril and I take no responsibility, and believe that you’ll be very very smart about doing all the safety precautions that are listed in the tutorial….  that being said, this tute is pretty darned awesome- those glittery knitting needles are mighty gorgeous!

This isn’t me in the tutorial – I am too chicken to work with resin:

HOW TO MAKE RESIN KNITTING NEEDLES

But, if you are brave and make some, please send pics so we can all admire them!

AND!

oh ooh ooh… this tutorial is soooooooooooo kewl!

Make bangle bracelets out of old knitting needles

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

She started a knitting club at her school, and has 46 kids knitting up a storm.

We were chatting the other evening, and she said:

‘Oooh… getting knitting needles for all those kids is  expensive !’

And I responded: ‘Why not MAKE them knitting needles? !’  (I love ‘GREEN’ eco friendly/recycling projects)

Just take a set of used, clean chopsticks, some beads and a nail file….

Wash the chopsticks. File any rough spots on the chopsticks, and shape the ends into a softly rounded point:

Glue (or wedge firmly) the  beads onto the blunt ends:

And – Voila! you’ve got a fine set of cheap and cheerful, excellent knitting needles that you can knit your noodles with!

And, you have kept them out of the landfill! Yay!

I used these knitting needles to knit the world’s easiest teddy bear:

Post from: Hankering for Yarn