just because i wanted to try, and because i saw other people on the web doing this, and because i'm on a BUDGET, i thought i'd make some nice large wooden knitting needles for chunky scarves and those large gauge projects. and lo! it worked beautifully.

AND it worked out to less than $3 a pair. these would be a super-swell gift too.

it's a lot easier if you have a couple of power tools and know how to use them. or at least how not to hurt yourself.

power tools:
* bench grinder (you could manage without this if your dowels will fit in a pencil sharpener, but mine were bigger)
* power drill

supplies:
* hardwood dowel (note: i used walnut for one set and cherry for the other. both used the same endcaps. 36" dowels were $2.69 and $2.79 for walnut and cherry respectively.)
* wooden screw hole buttons (the things that cover the bolts on wooden furniture for instance - i got a bag of 10, 1/2" in walnut for $3.59)
* sandpaper - 220 grit. $.59 a sheet. you really only need one sheet.
* hammer
* 1" brad nails
* diagonal cutting pliers (also called dikes, strong enough to cut through the nail).
* small blade hacksaw
* nail setter (optional, and you can use a larger nail for this if you are very careful)
* wood glue
* wood wax. i had some "B's Wax" from when i got my maple salad bowl and it's the consistency of butter. it works great.

I made the two sets in about an hour and a half. The cherry took longer because they were thicker and cherry is harder than walnut so it took awhile to grind the points.

Process:
* cut the dowels to the desired length

* use bench grinder to make a point. you'll want to aim for a gradual slope on the point, to avoid a hard 'shoulder'. keep the sharp point on the needle for the time being. it's much easier to round the point by hand with fine grit sandpaper.

* sand two screw hole buttons lightly (so that the wax will soak in)

* carefully nail a 1" brad though the wooden button in the center from the top (dome side) down. before the nail is all the way in, cut off the head. nail the rest of the way and use the nail setter to tap it once to make sure it is very slightly deeper than the top of the wood. (note: this is really easy to do if you happen to have a little hole in your workbench that you can set the button over when nailing so that the nail just goes into the hole and you can set the button flat).

* sand entire needle and gently round the point a *little* bit. it's easy to lose your nice point, so go slowly.

* use drill with a very small bit to pre-drill the nail hole on the non-point end of the needle. note on this: it's helpful to make an x on the end and push a nail into the center and make a little starter hole so that your drill bit has something to grab when you start. drill the hole at least as long as the amount of nail you have sticking out the bottom of the button.

the walnut before and after wax

* put a tiny bit of woodglue on the nail (which will squish up between the wood as well) and twist the end you've made onto the needle. if your nailing or drilling was a little off, now is the time to gently straighten as you put things together.

* let the woodglue sit for a little while (10 minutes is ok since it's such a small amount).

the cherrywood before and after wax

* apply wood wax and rub in well.

you're done! i've seen ends made with fimo/sculpey, but i was thinking that you could nail (in the same process as above) beads or coins or any other clever tiny thing on the end. don't pick anything heavy. (here are some others i made)

more notes on wood: the walnut might not be strong enough to use for needles that are too small. white oak is much stronger due to cellular structure. the cherry is pretty hard. if you choose a wood which you are concerned about (strength) there is an oil/polyurethane sealant which actually strenthens the wood as it cures (dries overnight, cures for a couple of weeks). that's about $6 for a half pint.

the dowels i used ended up being roughly size 14.5 and probably 19. but great for quick knitting. the wood was from rockler woodworking and hardware.