| Needle
Type |
Material |
Length |
Per
Set |
US
Sizes Available |
| Double
Pointed |
Birch |
5
inch |
five |
0,
1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9.5, 10 |
| Price |
$6-7/set |
European
Sizes Available |
2,
2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 3, 3.25, 3.5, 3.75, 4, 4.25, 4.5, 5, 5.25, 5.5, 5.75 |
| Dawn
Adcock |
|
| Brittany
makes a good quality needle, and has wonderful costumer service, but
unfortunately birch is just not a very strong wood for small size needles.
I've broken more than I can remember in the small sizes of 0, 1, and 2.
They have nice sharp tips, come in sets of 5, and are pleasant to work
with. Good "yarn grab", but not as slick as the bamboo wood
needles, so they can slow down your speed a bit. On the other hand, I've
never had one just slip out of my stitches, either. A nice needle, but
only in the larger gauges for strength. |
| Janice |
In
Plano, Illinois |
| I
have some of the Plymouth bamboos in the 6" length in 3.25 mm (3's?)
that I'm using for socks. I also have Crystal Palace bamboos in
sizes 7 and 8 (8" length) that I've used for hats, and some of the
5" Brittany Birch in 1's (I think). What I'm seeing in all of
them is the tips vary from needle to needle. Some of the Plymouth's
are > real pointy (the way I like them) and some are less so. Same with
the Crystal Palace and the birch. Crystal Palace's seem the most
consistent. Crystal Palace and Plymouth both have nice finishes initially,
but it's starting to wear off, and they're becoming stickier (which I
don't like). The Crystal Palace are supposed to be impregnated all the way
through the needle, but I still feel the shiny surface is wearing off and
the stitches aren't slipping as easily. One tip on the Plymouth's
has a split or developed a snag. I hate the birches...can't get my
stitches to slip at all on them. Among the three, I'd choose the Crystal
Palace, but given their price, I'm really disappointed that the finish
isn't holding up better. |
| Linda
Nelson |
In
Tijeras, NM |
| I
like my Brittany five inchers. The finish isn't as nice as the Crystal
Palace but I prefer the shorter length. The yarn doesn't slide as nicely
on the Brittanys but on the up side, I don't seem to split the yarn with
them as much and the size ones don't have the tendency to bend as much. I
haven't broken any needles either, even in the smaller sizes. |
| Regina
W |
in
Florida |
| These
needles grow on you. When I first tried these, the stitches
"stuck" to the needles, and I felt like the wool was
"shredding" from being pulled along the needles. After a
conscious effort to knit looser, the situation was better and the stitches
still didn't "fall off". (I'm sure my gauge on these is
different than on the same size metal needles.} I had a real problem
working the heel flap; the points kept sticking me in the palm. After some
attempts at holding the needle closer to the stitches and some grumbling,
I switched to longer needles for the heel flap. The more I work with the
Brittanys, the more I like them (they are very light), but I wouldn't buy
the 5" size again. |
