Wooden needle for needlebinding

These flat wooden needles with a blunt tip are used for the ancient technique of needlebinding (or nålbinding). Traditionally this technique has been used to make mittens, but also many other accessories can be made.

Our needles come in four different sizes, 6 cm, 8.5 cm, 10 cm and 11 cm long, in basic width (approx. 9 mm at its widest point) and narrow width (approx. 7 mm at its widest point). The narrow version is only available in 10 cm length (dark apple wood). There is no single right needle size, it is largely a question of personal preference what kind of needle feels best. However, narrower needles are suitable for thinner yarns and tighter knitting patterns.

These needles are manufactured in a small woodshop in Southern Finland. They are made of rowan, maple or apple tree wood, of individual trees close to the woodshop that were cut down for one reason or the other. Their surface is untreated apart from having been sanded three times. Between sanding, their surface was moistened with water and allowed to dry. The wood swells with moisture and the grain rises when it dries again, giving the surface a rough feel. Repeated treatments remove the roughness and result in a very smooth surface. The last sanding is always carried out with the soft wood shavings from turning.

The measures of the needles are approximate measures.