American made needles have been one of the most difficult things for me to find as a relatively new knitter.

It seems as if every one of the big name brands like ChiaoGoo (made in China), Lykke (made in Nepal), Knitter’s Pride (made in India), and HiyaHiya (which are also made in China, I believe) are made abroad. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, it’s really quite nice to be able to find and support domestic products when you can.

Herein lies the problem: it is VERY difficult to find knitting supplies made in North America! Not a single one of the Local Yarn Stores that I’ve visited carries American-made knitting supplies, though I’m trying to order a set of needles… hoping they’ll be able to accommodate this request.

So I started researching, doing a little online sleuthing as it were, and here are five brands that I found. As of writing this blog post, I’m sad to say that I haven’t had the chance to purchase any of these, but I hope to get some in the future and share my experience with them.

My mother is a Registered Nurse who works in a local Neonatal ICU as one of their Head Nurses. It is a very busy unit, one of the busiest in the hospital, and requires specialized care be given to the patients. About a year ago, she asked if I could make socks for the micro-preemie babies in the unit and I thought to myself, “Why not?” After all, you’re not really a knitter until you’ve knit a sock. 😛

What is a micro-preemie, you ask? Well, in my mom’s NICU, a micro-preemie is a baby born between 23 to 26.6 weeks gestational age. For reference, a full term pregnancy lasts 39 to 40+ weeks.

These premature infants are not able to regulate their own temperature. Their brains, eyes, lungs, and other vital organs are not developmentally mature. It takes a tremendous amount of skill and dedication by nurses and love from parents to help these infants be discharged home.