Wood vs. Aluminum; the Knitting Needle Battle of the Ages

I have always knit with aluminum needles. Most of my aluminum needles come from my grandmother, who some years ago, gave me most of her large stash of needles and crochet hooks. I also obtained are pretty fair amount from a garage sale one year where I purchased a large box of assorted yarns and all kinds of crafting supplies for $1. In the box were quite a few knitting needles as well. Jackpot!

I still like to use aluminum needles, but I have discovered the joy of using other types. I have some Britanny double pointed needles. Despite the name, Brittany needles are made by an American company of American birch (check out the benefits of wood hooks and needles here: http://www.brittanyneedles.com/bkwood.html). The are quite fun to use, although I find the tips of these needles tend to dull. I use a fine emery board on occasion to "sharpen" them. The yarn slides nicely down the needles but there seems to be a bit more "grab" to the wood and the stitches don't seem to slide completely off the needles quite as easy as with aluminum. With a little care, and making sure you don't spill your coffee on wood needles, they will last you a long time.

Bamboo is also nice to knit with. I like the feel of the bamboo, the stitches slide easily but not off as with wood, and they are incredibly strong. One thing I have seen, though, is that they tend to chip. My kitty got a hold of one of my bamboo needles one time, and besides the tooth mark, the bamboo fibers or whatever they are started to split off. A little work with the fine emery board and it was about like new again. As with the wood, I do a little touch up on the tips of the bamboo needles now and again.

All in all, I use aluminum most of the time because I was given a lot of them and they are incredible inexpensive to buy. I favor bamboo next and then wood. Here's the ratings:

Aluminum (remember "Every Girl Needs a Boye"?) 3 out of 5 noses (not too smelly)

Wood 2 out of 5 noses (not hardly smelly at all)

Bamboo 1 out of 5 noses (not smelly)