The Olive Wood for the Finest Needles
A beautiful wood with a unique grain is processed in many steps, partly by hand, into fine and durable needles for knitting and crocheting – the result is our addiNature needles of the finest quality.
In this story, you will learn about the special features of the raw material and how it is won.
The wood of an oil tree
Olive wood is a raw material that has been an important part of the Mediterranean region since ancient times. It provides many high-quality raw materials in the course of its life of up to a thousand years.
The olive tree is one of the oil trees, meaning that both the leaves and the fruits and its wood contain oil. This makes the wood particularly easy to care for and robust and, despite its lightness, extremely hard and stable.
The wood of an oil tree
Olive wood is a raw material that has been an important part of the Mediterranean region since ancient times. It provides many high-quality raw materials in the course of its life of up to a thousand years.
The olive tree is one of the oil trees, meaning that both the leaves and the fruits and its wood contain oil. This makes the wood particularly easy to care for and robust and, despite its lightness, extremely hard and stable.
I love, love, love my set of addi olive wood needles. Most valuable and versatile tools ever!!!
coffeewithasheep (Instagram)
Fruits, leaves and wood
The fruit, the olive, is eaten unprocessed or processed into olive oil. Today, the oil is mainly processed as pure food, but in the past it was also used for lamps or as a preservative. Medicine and the cosmetics industry also use the fruit for various products.
The leaves of the olive tree considered a "sacred tree", used to be awarded as a prize in the form of a wreath at Olympic competitions. Nowadays, they are used as decorative material or mainly as fodder.
The wood of the olive tree has been used since ancient times - for furniture and things of daily use such as kitchen or bathroom items and the branches of tree prunings also as firewood.
Fruits, leaves and wood
The fruit, the olive, is eaten unprocessed or processed into olive oil. Today, the oil is mainly processed as pure food, but in the past it was also used for lamps or as a preservative. Medicine and the cosmetics industry also use the fruit for various products.
The leaves of the olive tree considered a "sacred tree", used to be awarded as a prize in the form of a wreath at Olympic competitions. Nowadays, they are used as decorative material or mainly as fodder.
The wood of the olive tree has been used since ancient times - for furniture and things of daily use such as kitchen or bathroom items and the branches of tree prunings also as firewood.
Moonwood - felled at the right time
Olive farmers cut the trees once a year between December and March, when the trees have not yet entered the production cycle. This is where the wood for addi's olive wood needles is obtained.
Pruning should be done when the moon is waning. Centuries ago, if not for millennia, people have found out that when the moon is full, all the sap of the trees is in the branches, leaves and fruits. When the moon is waning, on the other hand, the sap of the trees moves into the root system in the ground. Planting of trees also takes place at this time because the water in the soil helps the tree to grow faster.
Proper pruning must therefore always take place before this time, so that the wood achieves its high quality and the risk of invading pests is reduced.
This gives the high-quality wood special properties:
- It is particularly hard and sturdy
- and at the same time drier, less juicy and long-lasting
- This makes it more resistant to time and wood-eating parasites
- and it does not strain and deform
Moonwood - felled at the right time
Olive farmers cut the trees once a year between December and March, when the trees have not yet entered the production cycle. This is where the wood for addi's olive wood needles is obtained.
Pruning should be done when the moon is waning. Centuries ago, if not for millennia, people have found out that when the moon is full, all the sap of the trees is in the branches, leaves and fruits. When the moon is waning, on the other hand, the sap of the trees moves into the root system in the ground. Planting of trees also takes place at this time because the water in the soil helps the tree to grow faster.
Proper pruning must therefore always take place before this time, so that the wood achieves its high quality and the risk of invading pests is reduced.
This gives the high-quality wood special properties:
- It is particularly hard and sturdy
- and at the same time drier, less juicy and long-lasting
- This makes it more resistant to time and wood-eating parasites
- and it does not strain and deform
You have to know the wood very well to process it.
Luxury for your hands, luxury for life.
The special characteristic of the wood is the honey-coloured basic tone, which is interspersed with a dark and concise grain, which is not found in other woods in this characteristic.
Proportionally opposed to its beauty is the difficulty of its processing. The processing of the hard wood is demanding and requires a lot of experience.
The addi supplier partners who deliver the olive wood handles and blanks have been working in this sector for generations and have a great deal of knowledge about processing this exclusive wood. This is what makes the addi olive wood needles so unique.
Luxury for your hands, luxury for life.
The special characteristic of the wood is the honey-coloured basic tone, which is interspersed with a dark and concise grain, which is not found in other woods in this characteristic.
Proportionally opposed to its beauty is the difficulty of its processing. The processing of the hard wood is demanding and requires a lot of experience.
The addi supplier partners who deliver the olive wood handles and blanks have been working in this sector for generations and have a great deal of knowledge about processing this exclusive wood. This is what makes the addi olive wood needles so unique.
Olive wood - perfect for slippery yarns
Olive wood knitting needles are perfect for knitting slippery yarns. The rule of thumb is: “The smoother the yarn, the more matt the knitting needle surface” and “The rougher the yarn, the smoother the needle material”.
Thanks to its natural, oiled surface, olive wood tends to be a rough material. Straight stitches made of smooth yarns therefore do not get lost too quickly while knitting.
If you knit rather tightly, on the one hand rough yarns can slide over the needle tip more poorly and the surface has a stopping effect.
If, on the other hand, you are knitting loosely, the surface helps to prevent the stitches from slipping off the needle too quickly.
Olive wood needles are very suitable for the following smooth yarns:
- Cotton
- Merino wool
- Mohair-Silk yarn
- Linen yarns
- Silk yarns
- Tencel yarns
- Viscose yarns
Olive wood - perfect for slippery yarns
Olive wood knitting needles are perfect for knitting slippery yarns. The rule of thumb is: “The smoother the yarn, the more matt the knitting needle surface” and “The rougher the yarn, the smoother the needle material”.
Thanks to its natural, oiled surface, olive wood tends to be a rough material. Straight stitches made of smooth yarns therefore do not get lost too quickly while knitting.
If you knit rather tightly, on the one hand rough yarns can slide over the needle tip more poorly and the surface has a stopping effect.
If, on the other hand, you are knitting loosely, the surface helps to prevent the stitches from slipping off the needle too quickly.
Olive wood needles are very suitable for the following smooth yarns:
- Cotton
- Merino wool
- Mohair-Silk yarn
- Linen yarns
- Silk yarns
- Tencel yarns
- Viscose yarns
"The crochet hook is an absolute dream. Hours of crocheting without any neck or joint pain. And it's so beautiful too."
die.haekelschafe (Instagram)
Tips for the care of olive wood needles and crochet hooks
There is also a separate department for the production of our olive wood and bamboo knitting needles and crochet hooks in our factories in Altena.
Our employees, who produce the high-quality needles for you with a lot of manual work and sensitivity, have some care tips for you:
When the surface feels dull and dry...
...oil the wood of your needles approx. 1x a year with olive or coconut oil. This keeps the wood nice and smooth and also makes it resistant to dirt and moisture. Simply rub in with a soft cotton cloth.
If the tips of your olive wood or bamboo needles have become affected...
...just sharpen the tips again, sand the tip finely and smoothly with fine sandpaper, oil them and they are almost as good as new.
Tips for the care of olive wood needles and crochet hooks
There is also a separate department for the production of our olive wood and bamboo knitting needles and crochet hooks in our factories in Altena.
Our employees, who produce the high-quality needles for you with a lot of manual work and sensitivity, have some care tips for you:
When the surface feels dull and dry...
...oil the wood of your needles approx. 1x a year with olive or coconut oil. This keeps the wood nice and smooth and also makes it resistant to dirt and moisture. Simply rub in with a soft cotton cloth.
If the tips of your olive wood or bamboo needles have become affected...
...just sharpen the tips again, sand the tip finely and smoothly with fine sandpaper, oil them and they are almost as good as new.
