While I have heard of the never-ending virtues of polished steel or brass needles, and a knitter whom I very much respect swears by a line of coated plastic needles, I am unabashedly attracted to wooden needles. They make up the vast majority of my knitting arsenal and Brittany make some of the best.
Brittany needles and crochet hooks are manufactured in Elk, CA using sustainably harvested Birch wood. Although it is a small operation (5 people in the company, according to their website), Brittany is very nearly ubiquitous in most respectable yarn and knitting shops around the US. They are often used as the standard by which all other hardwood needles are measured in terms of quality and consistency. Great care is taken by the company to maintain accurate sizing for all of their products.
Birch is a smooth-grained hardwood, making it perfect for use in tools such as knitting needles. Brittany uses these aspects of the wood to the fullest, with a smooth, warm surface straight out of the package that is a pleasure to hold and work with. Coatings or finishes are not used, preferring instead to let the wood work for its self. This means that the action of the needles will only get easier over time as the yarn polishes the wood, without having to worry about any waxes or finishes flaking off or wearing down through use, as is often the case with inexpensive metal or bamboo needles.
Currently, I am using a set of Brittany US10 DP needles with the Goldwater Alpaca yarn previously mentioned in this blog. I've already used this set of needles for half-a-dozen or more projects using sheep wool, making the needles already smoothed and well-formed to my hands. The combination of these old friends and the slick softness of the Alpaca is making the hat I'm working on a dream to knit.
http://www.brittanyneedles.com/default.html
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