Materials:
I got a couple of different dowel diameters at the craft store. With the long dowels, you'll have to use a saw (or some other sharp cutting utensil) to hack off two equal lengths. In my local Michaels, they also have precut dowels in little packages. These were super handy for the fatter needles and I prefer using them. Once you have your two pieces of dowel, you're ready to go. Using your pencil sharpener, sharpen each dowel to a nice point. Don't worry if it's too poky, you'll be sanding it down.
I made these as a gift for my best friend and they were such a big hit that I've made several more pairs. Wooden needles are often more pleasing to knitters because they're easier on hands than metal ones and they don't make that click-click-click noise. It's also way cool to have needles in your favourite colours instead of just...woodgrain. Make handicraft fashionable!
I used three different grits of sandpaper (220, 320, 400) because I'm compulsive, but you can do whatever you think is best. Sand the body of each dowel to make it super smooth and slightly round the edges where the dowels begin to taper to a point. Sand the points down a bit to make them slightly rounded but still pointy enough to nab yarn. At this time, also make sure that your needles are exactly the same length. If not, sand down the flat end of the longer needle making sure to keep it perfectly flat.
Using a tack cloth, remove all dust from each needle and then paint with two to three coats of acrylic paint. I used a foam brush to ensure an even coat. Take extra caution to avoid drips and bubbles of paint. You want these babies TOTALLY smooth. I chose a nice superhero blue because I like my crafts to be bold. I dried my needles by standing them up in a tall glass.
Once they've thoroughly dried (give them plenty of time), take your carnauba wax and put a small dab on a soft cloth. Spread the wax all over the needles and rub it in really well. Leave the needles to soak up the wax for a little while, and then buff the heck out of them with a clean part of the soft cloth. You want to make sure that you've removed all the excess wax or it will come off on the yarn later. The carnauba wax fills in any little gaps in the wood to make sure that the yarn flows freely across the needles.
Once the needles are waxed, all you need to do is add the end piece. Using your epoxy, adhere some buttons (contrasting colours are always nice) to the flat ends. My epoxy takes a few minutes to set so I have to hold the buttons on to make sure they don't slide around and stay centered. It seems silly at the time but it is most definitely worth it. Dry them overnight and you're ready to knit!
Total time spent: approximately one hour (plus all the wait time -- watch a movie)
US Dollars spent: approximately seven (the wax is the most costly part)
Please note: Unless otherwise noted, all of these instructions, photographs, and ideas are mine. Please give me credit (and send me pictures!) if you work off of these designs. The sale of any items based on these designs is prohibited.
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