I'm looking to buy wooden knitting needles, I started out with metal (I've heard that's not the best to do but i did anyways)Is there any thing special i should look for or is there a brand that you prefer?
Hydrochloric acid can be found in some drain cleaners.
There are a lot of wooden needles out there and bamboo onesClovers are probably the most economical and widely available and are a good brand to start withI, personally, prefer Addi Naturas for circulars and Brittany needles for straightsBoth are made of birchWhile you can buy exotic wood needles, rosewood, mahogany among others, unless you are a serious lace knitter you really don't need themWhy use wood or bamboo needles? Different needle types work better with different types of yarnVery fine yarns, like lace or fingering weight (sock or baby yarn) tend to slip very easily on metal or plastic needles and that can be a source of frustrationPlant based yarns, cotton, linen, hemp, ramie, are also more slippery than acrylic or animal based yarns (except for silk, while an animal yarn, it reacts like plant yarns and is extremely slippery, ask the woman who is knitting the double whammy of silk and laceweight yarns), so that wooden or bamboo needles are preferable because the wood, even though smooth to the touch, has tooth or a surface texture that grabs the yarn and holds onto it betterMany knitters own needles of many different materials, matching them not only to the size required, but the yarn fibers being usedI, however, am not a fan of plastic or aluminum needlesAluminum, for some reason that other metals don't, tends to fatigue my hands easily, and plastic needles squeak when used with many yarns.
usually HCl(hydrochloric acid) is used
