How to Make Giant Knitting Needles

Extreme knitting is all the rage right now.  Find out the DIY method I used to create my own giant knitting needles for under $20!

Extreme Knitting?

Google it.  Trust me.  It’s GORGEOUS.

The knitting needles I needed were sized ~40mm, which is roughly 1.5″ diameter.  That doesn’t sound big, until you see them.  They’re HUGE!  I saw many online for $50-$75 + shipping.  That was too rich for my blood.  So I worked with my husband to make my own set.  It really wasn’t that hard!

The knitting needles needed to either be circular needles (connected with a cable) or long enough to hold stitches for a big blanket.  My finished needles were 1.5″ diameter x 4′ long.  All in, it probably took around 2 hours to make the needles – because I have 2 small kiddos those 2 hours were stretched over several days!

Materials

• 2x 1.5″ diameter wooden dowels cut to desired length (I purchased 2 of these from Lowes in Ontario, Canada)
• Spare wood – 2 x 2.5″ pieces of 2×4’s
• 2 x 3″ construction screws
• Vice grips or clamps to hold the dowels steady during cutting
• Oscillating multi-tool (something like this)
• Dremel sander or orbital sander
• Sandpaper (180, 220, 400, 600 are the ones I used)
• Wax paper

Instructions

1. Clamp the dowel to secure it in place
2. Find the center of one end and mark it with a pencil
3. Using the oscillating multi-tool to shape the needle point, using the center point as a guide
4. Use the sander to buff the point (possibly other tools too, as needed)
5. Hand-sand the entire dowel several times, using finer grit paper each time
6. Rub the finished needle with wax paper thoroughly to make it smooth
7. Use a 3″ construction screw to attach the 2×4 piece onto the bottom of the needle to act as a stopper (feel free to find something more visually appealing for the bottom… up to you!)
8. Repeat for the 2nd needle and enjoy!

Here’s my little helper doing some waxing!  No, that’s not his real head.

Note about Size

I wanted a 4′ needle so I could make large blankets.  However the 4′ length was quite tricky to work with – I basically had to sit in the very middle of my king sized bed in order to use the needles without whacking everything in sight.  So I go my husband to trim them down to 3′.  That still allowed me to make a 4′ wide blanket and hold all the stitches on the needles.

Please feel free to make items based on these instructions but please do not claim these instructions as your own or copy them without permission.

Happy crafting!

If you make your own, please tag me on Instagram so I can see them! @homemadebygiggles