Wood Type Guide

Welcome to our wood guide! We know choosing the woods that will make up your crochet hook or knitting needles is a tough task, but we're here to help.

Below are the wood types that are most likely to be found in our stash, selected for their durability, beautiful colours and grains, and sustainability. While we may have other woods available as we work through our current stock, or if we're able to acquire scraps & cutoffs from other woodworkers, these woods are our staples, the all-time favourites, the ole reliables. We hope you love them as much as we do!

Note: Starting January 1, 2021, only a small selection of wood species will be used for crochet hook tops: most species of maple (e.g. Ambrosia, Birdseye, Curly, Roasted, Quilted), Cherry, and Yellowheart. In our experience, these woods produce the strongest, smoothest, most yarn-worthy hook heads and necks.

	Ambrosia Maple is named for ambrosia fungi, which is caused by ambrosia beetles that burrow into the trunk of the tree. The discoloration can be very similar to spalted maple, though with ambrosia maple, the discoloration is centered around the boring paths of the beetles, and their entrance holes can usually be seen.
	Aromatic Cedar is a beautiful mixture pinky browns and whites, this wood is extremely lightweight. While some pieces can be completely pink, others can be mostly white with small areas of pinky brown.
	Birdseye Maple is named for the tiny knots in the grain resembling small bird’s eyes. The eyes are thought to be caused by unfavorable growing conditions for the tree. As the tree attempts to start numerous new buds to get more sunlight, poor growing conditions cause the tree to abort new shoots which become tiny knots in the wood.
	Bloodwood is a deep but vibrant crimson red in colour. This wood is quite dense, making it heavier than average in weight.
	Bocote has a yellowish brown body with dramatic dark brown to almost black stripes, creating a zebra-like contrast. It’s not uncommon to see many “eyes” and other figuring in the grain. This wood is quite striking, and is also heavier in weight.
	Cherry is a light to medium pinkish brown colour. It's known as being one of the best all-around woods for workability, which is why you'll find it as one of our hook top woods - the end result is a beautiful smooth but strong finish.
	Hickory is a light yellowy brown in colour. The grain is usually straight but can be wavy on occasion.
	Lacewood is named for a distinguishable flecking in the grain. The wood itself is a reddish brown with grey or light brown rays, which result in a lace pattern.
	Limba has a wide range of colour from almost white to yellowish to golden brown, sometimes with grey to nearly black streaks and veins. Wood with darker figuring is referred to as Black Limba, while plain unfigured wood is called White Limba.
	Oak is defined by straight grain and prominent rays. White oak colouring ranges from light (almost white) to medium brown. Red oak is a light reddish brown, with rays that are shorter and darker than those found in white oak.
	Olive wood colouring is a cream or yellowish brown, with darker brown or black contrasting streaks. This wood is somtimes figured with curly or wavy grain.
	Padauk colouring can vary, ranging from a pale pinkish orange to a deep brownish red. Most commonly though, you'll find a vibrant orange in our stash. Fun fact: The rich red colour in the heartwood comes from chemical compounds extracted from the soil and deposited in the heart by the tree.
	Pau Ferro may look plain on first glance, but the colouring can be highly varied, ranging from reddish/orange to a dark violet/brown, usually with contrasting darker black streaks. Black and brown stripes can wind through the wood on top of reds, oranges, yellows and even bluish tones.
	Purpleheart colouring can range from pale pastel purple to deep eggplant. This wood is a perfect way to add a splash of colour to your fibre tools.
	Roasted Maple is a dark brown that can look almost black. This wood finishes beautifully smooth which makes it perfect for our crochet hook tops. This maple gets its colouring from heat-treatment (upwards of 200°C), which results in permanent darkening completely through the wood.
	Tamarind is pale white/yellow in colour with dark, thin black lines running throughout the wood called spalt. Much of this wood comes from logs that were either found on the forest floor or were cut and then left in very damp warm conditions. The rotting creates the spalted look (don't worry - the wood is always harvested before any rot affects its strength).
	Yellowheart ranges in colour from pale to golden yellow, and the shade of yellow is vibrant and consistent. This wood is strong and finishes beautifully smooth, which is why we use it for hook tops. Definitely a very happy-looking wood!