Product Review; Brittany Birchwood Knitting Needles

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In today’s post I will be reviewing;

Brittany; Birch knitting needles

Product Details

• Manufacturer/Brand; Brittany
• Item number
• RRP at time of writing: Around £5 depending on needle length and size number.

I’m reviewing; 4mm/ UK size 8/ USA size 6. The needle length is 10″ long.

Reason For Buying

I’ve heard that wooden needles are kinder to stiff sore hands. I have RSI and wanted to compare these needles to bamboo ones. Although I like the warm touch of the bamboo, the yarn drag was making life difficult. Also because the turned ‘art deco’ ends made them look very beautiful.

Pros/Cons

Pros

• Light weight; 1 gram as opposed to 9 grams for a metal needle the same dimensions
• Warm to the touch
• Smooth finish
• Beautifully turned ends
• Made from birch from sustainable source
• Yarn glides across them like it does with metal needles

Cons

• Haven’t got any personally.

Not a con but something to consider; Wooden needles need to be treated gently and stored carefully to prevent damage as they are more delicate than plastic or metal. That is a general rule though not specific to this brand.

Build Quality

Brittany; Birch knitting needles. Detail of the turned ends

Superb build quality, the wood is smooth and beautifully finished. No rough edges anywhere.

Value for Money

Excellent. Not the cheapest material to buy your needles in, but for the quality of production and finish they are well worth it. You will invest a lot of time in your knitting, why not invest a little in some quality needles too.

Would I buy it Again?

Totally. I’ll be collecting more of these beautiful needles over the years. You need to try them!

Summing up

I adore these knitting needles! These birch needles won’t cure my RSI or the issues it causes, but they sure make knitting more comfortable than any other material I’ve tried. They are beautiful, the lightweight aspect and the warm to the touch feeling as you use them does indeed make them more comfortable to use. The super smooth finish means the yarn glides effortlessly across them without dragging or catching. It’s not hype; lightweight wooden needles really are more comfortable to use if you have stiff sore hands.

If you need more convincing here’s what to do next.

1. Find in your knitting bag or buy one pair of needles in each of the following materials; plastic, metal, bamboo and a pair of Brittany birch ones. Choose a size you will use a lot, so the extra needles won’t be a waste.

Make sure you get all these needles in the same dimensions for a fair comparison ;)

2. select a yarn you like to use (which will help you choose a needle size).

3. Don’t try anything fancy, just your favorite stitch pattern for about ten stitches and knit up a square.

4. Repeat this process for each of your needle types and you will find what works for you.

A lot of knitting is personal preference, if you like the slick of metal but find your hands lock up on you try the birch needles. If on the other hand you prefer plastic needles that hold onto the yarn more, then try bamboo.

The manufacturer’s website recommends these needles if you have dexterity problems, my issue is RSI and I definitely recommend others to try them too. They are a joy to use.

Links

Manufacturer:

• Brittany Makers of  natural birch wood needles for knitting and crochet. Look at the turned ends, aren’t they just stunning. The single point needles are available in 10″ and 14″ in a variety of sizes. Brittany also make double-pointed needles, cable needles and crochet hooks too. Find out more about them from their website.

Retailers;

I’ve purchased my Brittany needles from; Norfolk Knits and also Yarnia Needle Crafts.

Here are some more online sellers of Brittany needles.

• Artesano; Proud to be the exclusive European distributor for Brittany Birch Knitting Needles and Crochet hooks.
• Celtic Cove
• Consider the Lily
• Crafty Yarn
• Fiddlesticks
• Laughing Hens
• Pavi Yarns
• Yarn Box

Check out my Yarns tab for links to more knitting related information.

Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon

Billie :)

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