Laffing Horse Crafts

Gold knitting needles, of course.

Well, not real gold. That would be kinda pricey and heavy. How about Osage Orange, also called Hedge, Bodark or Bois d’Arc. This is a very hard, rot resistant wood with a gorgeous golden color when first turned. As it ages, it gets darker, but not evenly. The resulting color is like dark chocolate with ribbons or caramel… wait… must be hungry.

These particular knitting needles are size 10.5 and approximately 11-inches in length including the finial at the top. They are polished and finished and buffed using oils and beeswax until they have a soft, shiny finish that shines like glass.

Take a look… or better yet, add ‘em to your collection.

Like these, but you don’t use size 10.5? Drop me a line… I can make a set in the size you want.

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A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away (OK, so it was the Renaissance Festival in Colorado some 7 years ago) an elderly lady visited our shop and fondled the yarn and said, wistfully, “I used to love yarn and knitting, but I have arthritis now and it hurts to grip the needles for any length of time.”

That sounded like a challenge to me!

“M’lady,” says I. “Wouldst thou like to knit once again? I believe I canst make needles that wouldst alleviate the painful aggravation thou art feeling.”

Well, it was something like that.

She responded in the positive and I bade her return on the week.

During the days that followed, I read up on as much online literature and research as I could regarding ergonomic this and stress relieving that. The solution was actually quite simple once one knew the right questions to ask: Why did gripping the needles hurt? Because, in order to keep them from rolling about in ones fingers, one had to hold them tight. What would prevent that AND allow the yarn to slide up the needles? I say AND so loudly because one of the solutions for crocheters is to use oversize rubber grips – obviously not a solution, when the yarn needs to slide. The solution: Square Knitting Needles!

She tried ‘em, she like ‘em, she bought lots of ‘em and yarns, too. I still hear from her every once in a while…

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