I love knitting lace with bamboo needles. My only complaint is that the points aren’t pointy enough. While I was at the Thursday night Aloha Knitters’ meeting, Michelle (sadly blogless) showed me a pair of bamboo needles that she had used a nail file on to make the points shaper. I thought this was brilliant and vowed to do the same to my needles as soon as I got home. Which is what I did.
These are the needles before I attacked them with a simple emery board.
After carefully filing around the points and then rubbing them down with some wax paper, I ended up with this.
They aren’t perfect, but they’re much better then they were pre-surgery. I’ll definitely be doing this with my other needles and I consider this operation a success.
February 17th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Oh you are brave! I have been debating on doing that- now I shall try.
February 17th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
neat idea! i thought crystal palace dpn’s were pretty pointy, but i guess any point can be a little pointier(is that a real word?)….
February 18th, 2007 at 12:16 am
Good idea! I agree that lace knitting requires sharp points on bamboo. I hope this means there is going to be a lot more lace shawl knitting in your future so we Opal groupies can oooh and aaaah over your gorgeous work. Did see your post on Hidcote. The sage color is lovely. Geez, I can’t wait until I’m settled so I can get back to kntting lace shawls. In the meantime, I will drool over yours.
Susie
February 18th, 2007 at 9:26 am
You’re a braver man than I am Gunga Din! Nice result I must say! I really don’t use the bamboo double points that much any more. It’s not the tips, it’s the join with the cable that is a problem most of the time for me. But maybe I’ll go and look at them again with an eye to a little “surjury” of my own:-)
February 18th, 2007 at 10:59 am
What brand are your needles? You did a great job, I can see how much pointier they are, I can imagine you are knitting much faster now. Thank you for the helpful hint!
February 18th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
I’ve been contemplating this and haven’t done it yet. I’ve been using my few KnitPicks skinny circs for most of my lace knitting lately. I gotta get some more size 3′s because I use them ALL the time. Hey, Opal, I finished the first section of the Shaped Triangle yesterday. After I got into it it quit being boring and became more “wu.” Kiss catties. That Cookie looks like my now deceased baby Peach, but they are all three adorable.
February 18th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I think this is what I love so much about Crystal Palace needles; they are sharper than Clover or Addi Naturas. But you are brave and clever, nevertheless.
Sorry I missed you guys on Thursday nite. I was dying of some sinus sore face. The Pomatomus are quite fabulous.
February 20th, 2007 at 4:33 am
Question: What exactly is “kittened”? As in “I nearly kittened my water all over my keyboard!”
:)
(Really, I am in the dark on this one.)
PS Purling through the back loop kills me. And also, who has such pointy feet? Anyway. Still, they (it) fit(s).
February 20th, 2007 at 6:53 am
Let us know if you have to keep waxing them or if the natural oil of the yarns make thems nicer over time.
February 26th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Right on :) bamboo is very hard to get smooth but you’ve done a nice job.