Brittany birch needles - review

Needing a set of short 3.75mm dpns over Christmas I raided the shop and Brittany 5" dpns fitted the bill.

I've used their straight needles before, without much thought. But I did enjoy using these so much that I've grabbed another set for another project (much larger this time) and decided to write my thoughts here.

They do have some kind of polish or lacquer on them, but it's quite subtle; at first they feel a bit 'matt' and the stitches don't slip as easily as I like. But very soon (before finishing one very small sock) this noticeably improves as they take a patina and a polish from fingers, yarn and each other.

The wood feels light; in the hand they feel lighter than Knitpros which are also birch (according to Knitpro, laminated and 'densified'). The points are much less sharp than KP. They also have noticeably more 'give'.

This lightness, roundness of point and flexibility makes them feel a little more bamboo-y.

Environmental considerations are important to me and Brittany claim that their wood is from forests with good practices.

The size is stamped or engraved on. Time will tell but I'm guessing that this won't wear off as quickly as the sizes on KP symfonies, which are printed.

I generally like a sharp point such as Knitpro needles have and I really like the slippy polished finish of the KP Nova range but where a rounder point is appropriate, then I'll enjoy the lightness and easy, friendly handle of my growing collection of Brittanys.



Find out more about the Brittany range here:
http://p2tog.com/brittany-knitting-needles-hooks.html

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