I have to admit that I'm no longer a big fan of wooden and bamboo needles. I liked them when I was just starting out, but as I got more miles under my fingers, I developed a serious desire for speed. These days I stick to shiny, lethal looking metal needles, and only pull out the woods and bamboos when I have to tame a particularly nasty and slippery novelty yarn. Since I detest working with those yarns, my non-metal needles are no longer part of my first bench team. Still, I do have some experiences to report. Note that elswhere on String I've got more on comparative sizes and their metric equivalents, and on comparative needle lengths for circs.

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace markets Japanese-made bamboo needles of several types:

• Single point, 9 inches long, size US #0-19
• Single point, 12 inches long, size US#0-19
• Double points, sets of five, 8 inches long, size US#0-15
• Double points, sets of five, 6 inches long, size US#0-8
  

In general, these are smooth, nicely finished bamboo needles. The single points have rounded wooden beads on the non-business end. Tapers are a bit less pointy than metal needles. I've found the smaller sizes to be a bit less fragile than the same size needle in wood because the bamboo tends to flex and stay bent rather than bend and (eventually) snap, but even so - if you are someone who routinely finds that your metal needles sport a scimitar-like curve after use, you might find these in sizes smaller than US #3 to be too fragile for extended use.

One other word about bamboo needles in general, sometimes the tips denature a bit, especially if they get damp. When that happens the consituent fibers that make up the bamboo fuzz out a bit and begin catching on one's work. I haven't knit with enough Clovers and CPs to be able to do a comparison between the two lines, but this has happened often enough to be noticeable. A smooth down with very fine emery paper helped get rid of my tip burrs.

Takumi Clover Bamboo

Very similar to the Crystal Palace bamboos, the Takumi are smooth finish, with moderate tapers, and wooden beads on the ends of the single points. The beads are more barrel than round, but the look is very similar. They come in a wider range of lengths, but fewer diameters than CP. Current offerings on their home website include:

• Single point 13-inch long, size US#0-10.5
• Single point 14 inches long, size US#11-15
• Single point 9 inches long, size US #3-10.5
• Double point sets of four, 7 inches long, size US #0-10.5
• Double point sets of four, 16 inches long, size US #3-10.5

I also see these other sizes listed at various vendors

• Single point 16 inches long, size US #17-19
• Circualrs 16 inches long, plastic cables, sizes US#3-15
• Circulars 24 inches long, plastic cables, sizes US#3-15
• Circulars 29 inches long, plastic cables, sizes US #3-15
• Circulars, 36 inches long, plastic cables, sizes US #3-15
• Flex (Jumper needles), 20 inches long, sizes US #3-15
  

The largest difference between the Crystal Palace and Clover circulars is the nature of the join. CP uses a metal cowling into which fit both the needle end and the cable. Clover slots the cable into the butt end of the needle itself, tapering the cable so that it joins the end of the bamboo part smoothly. I can't speak to which is better because I have not used them extensively. I will say that the Clover cable seems a bit stiffer than the Crystal Palace cable.

The Clover form factor I have used quite a bit is the Flex jumper needle. Jumper needles are sort of a hybrid between circs and straights. They're used like straights, but being flexible and whippy at the end allow the weight of the work to puddle on the lap similar to circs. I have several friends who prefer straights, but because of limited hand mobility find even short straights tiresome or painful because of the leverage caused by the weight of the project on the ends of their needles. They greatly prefer jumpers to classic straights. I also liked them because I used to knit quite a bit while riding on the Washington, D.C. subway. Jumpers minimized the threat level for the rider sitting next to me. No needle ends were waving about at the edge of his/her space. (Yes, using circs flat is good for this, too.) I did have problems with my Clover tips furring, especially in the humidity of a Washington summer. Eventually I switched entirely over to metal needles, using circs in the flat rather than jumpers.

Brittany

I adore the look of Brittany needles. I've broken about a dozen over the years. Some died in the course of normal knitting. Others were in-bag or sofa-side casualties. Again, while I like the look, these aren't among the needles I reach for first.

Brittany makes several styles of needle:

• Single points, birchwood, 10 inches long, sizes US #3-17
• Single points, birchwood, 14 inches long, size US #3-17
• Double points, birchwood, sets of five, 7.5 inches long, sizes US #0-17
• Double points, birchwood, sets of five, 5 inches long, size US #0-17
• Double points, birchwood, sets of five, 10 inches long, sizes US#0-17
  

The birch single points have simple but pretty turned ends. Tapers are slightly less pointy across the line compared to bamboo needles. They also tend to be a bit more slick than bamboo, but are still nowhere near as slippery as metal. Some people who are fond of wooden needles keep a piece of nice lanolin-rich fleece or roving around, and rub their wooden needles with it after use. I'm not entirely convinced that this helps, as most of the wood and bamboo finishes used appear to be some kind of polyurethane or other plastic. I doubt the moisture can penetrate the finish, but I guess special care can't hurt.

Brittany also used to sell walnut single points with more ornate turned ends. It doesn't look like they still carry the line. I'm not surprised, as my walnut needles did tend to both dry out and break more than did my birch ones. Over the years I am responsible for the demise of about five pairs of walnut needles, ranging in size from US #10s (trodden upon) to US #5s (mashed when my knitting bag got clipped by a revolving door). I've also snapped quite a few birch single points. I took to using them for traveling back before metal needles were added to the list of allowables on US domestic flights. I must have the finger strength of a moose because I can break birch up to size US #5 clean through just by knitting with it. I do prefer these harder woods to bamboo though. They're smoother, especially at the tip, and their finish is more satiny. They're nice tools. Now if only I could learn to knit gently.