I have so many pairs of disposable chopsticks lying around – no matter how many times I say I don’t need them, the convenience store clerks will still almost automatically put a pair in. Instead of throwing them away, I decided to make knitting needles from them instead.
For this project you’ll need:
- Disposable chopsticks
- sharp knife
- a pencil sharpener
- sandpaper – coarse and fine
- oil and a soft cloth – baby oils works well
- your choice of finishing materials for the ends – wire, beads, polyclay, etc.
Break apart the chopsticks carefully, and use a sharp knife to even them out if they have splintered where they were joined.
Sharpen the end of the chopsticks to a point with the pencil sharpener. Use coarse sandpaper to soften the sharpened point to a curve, and smooth out any splintered or uneven areas. If you prefer a blunter needle, you can also sand the sharp point a little blunter. Sharp needles are good for lace knitting, and any stitch where you frequently have to knit two or more stitches together. If you generally work with bulkier yarns, you may find a blunter point better as it is less likely to split the yarn.
Sand the needles as smooth as you can with fine sandpaper. Rub in oil with a fingertip, allowing the oil to soak in well before polishing vigorously with a soft cloth, to smooth the needles even more and remove any excess oil.
If you choose to use a staining oil, you may also need to apply a coat of varnish to prevent the oils from being transferred to your yarn and staining it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t suggest varnish as it may make your needles squeaky and plasticky.
Now you can add any decorative touches you like to the blunt ends. I chose to wrap this pair with copper wire. If you wire-wrap, you could add beads or crystals to the wire for an extra special touch. You could wood-burn or draw on the ends, or glue on knobs of polyclay or large beads. Glueing on fabric or paper strips, with a coat of varnish on top, makes an unusual and pretty finish.
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this is so nice! now, if only I can knit!
Any ideas what size needles this would make?
That depends a lot on how thick your chopsticks are and how much you sand them. If you wanted a specific size, you could use a tape measure and sand them down with coarse sandpaper until they are the size you want.
this pair are 16mm.
Genius! Way better than buying the pricey wood needles and a great recycling idea. Thanks for linking up to Craftastic Monday!
.-= Cheryl´s last blog ..Craftastic Monday Is Here! =-.
Cool! this reminds me that I want to and must learn how to knit. hihihi!
.-= Issa´s last blog ..My Sewing Machine’s New Home =-.
Knitting is one of those things. Something I would love to learn, but it just sits back there in the backseat of my brain thinking one of these days I will be in front of school, work, house cleaning, etc. One day it will show its face! Until then I will keep your tips stored back there too
That’s a wonderful idea. Now I know what to do with unwanted chopsticks, if I ever buy them and have some time to get back into knitting. I’ve not touched a little work in progress knitting satchet bag in months. Stopping by from SITS! Always a pleasure to meet new bloggers.
Have a nice day.
.-= Ana Goncalves´s last blog ..Your beauty in this world =-.
My mother-in-law loves to knit, she will like this idea. Thanks for sharing.
Visiting you from ‘Life in the Pitts’. What a great idea. I haven’t knitted in years, but you’ve inspired me to dust off the knitting needles…or maybe head out for Chinese food. I haven’t decided!
Very cute and very clever.:)
smart!
Wow, this is such a great idea. I think I could get my hands on a wood burning tool… I’m thinking this would make an awesome Christmas present…
Thank you for participating in the Creative Therapy session at Life in the Pitts!
.-= Lanie Ree´s last blog ..Hold on to your running shoes! =-.
I love these tips. Though I have a quick question-what type of sandpaper would you recommend to use to sand down the sticks? Or does it not really matter?
I have to confess I’m not much of a knitter but I love to wear my hair up. I have a large collection of chopsticks from carryout. I can paint, varnish, etc. them and have a customized collection to match every outfit. I could kick myself for spending big $$$’s on chopsticks for my hair. Thanks for inspiring me even if that wasn’t your intent
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i just tried it. AWESOME