The Swallow Needle Manufacturing Company boasts over 100 years of tradition in the age-old techniques of making the finest hand knitting instruments.

All Swallow needles feature hand tapered tips, which are polished to a glass-smooth finish, allowing the yarn to slip easily for quicker knitting. They have the perfect blend of flexibility and rigidity to create a firm, comfortable knitting needle that allows smooth effortless knitting.

A wonder of nature, Swallow CASEIN needles inspire these genuine comments from knitting enthusiasts:

"Congratulations on your wonderful needles . . . as good, if not better, than tortoise shell."

P.L., Old Bar, NSW

"Swallow knitting needles of Australian Casein are the best knitting needles I have ever used. Is there somewhere in England I can get some?"

L.C., England

"Absolutely wonderful. I congratulate you."

M.B., Camperdown, Vic.

"Your Casein needles are perfect to knit with, easy on the wrists and the stitches slide very nicely on the surface. I find them the best on the market. Metal needles make my wrists sore and plastic are not satisfactory."

J.G., Bassendean, W.A.

"I love my knitting and your Swallow needles are a pleasure to knit with."

T.C., Norlane, Vic.

"Lets the yarn slip easily along the needles."

M.B., Nuriootpa, S.A.

"Very pleasant - far superior."

D.C., Camira, Qld.

". . . have proven excellent in knitting hand spun wool."

R., K-K, Switzerland.

"As I have sore hands, they are delightful to knit with."

L.F., Auckland, N.Z.

"For a pleasurable knitting experience...... light and flexible......... also extremely well balanced..... warm to the touch..... wonderful for arthritic hands...... static resistant...... yarn slides across almost effortlessly ....... colours are awesome...... points are shorter, decreasing the fatigue factor".

B.B., About.com, USA. For a complete online review and photos, click onto http://knitting.about.com

CASEIN has been described as the “ most beautiful of plastics”. It became known as artificial horn because it closely resembled ivory and tortoiseshell. CASEIN can be produced in a wide range of colours and can be finished and polished to a brilliant luster.

CASEIN plastics were first manufactured in 1899. CASEIN plastics are a biopolymer plastic. Modern day polymers are petroleum based. CASEIN plastics are made from a natural organic protein polymer (skimmed milk) that is not toxic to produce. It is chemically synthesized with a mild solution of formaldehyde as a hardener.

The formaldehyde content of CASEIN plastics is approximately 0.40%.

CASEIN plastics are sometimes confused with Bakelite. Bakelite is a synthetic polymer and was first produced 10 years later in 1909 made from carboxylic acid and formaldehyde. This thermosetting phenolic resin has a formaldehyde content of 70.0%. In the 1980’s, Andy Warhol made Bakelite (and Marblette) products famous as a collector’s item.

Other formaldehyde resins developed since Bakelite are Urea and Melamine Formaldehydes. Urea Formaldehyde is currently used in manufacture of adhesives and glue and has 75.0% formaldehyde content. Melamine Formaldehyde is used to make Formica and in the treatment of textiles and has a 73.5% formaldehyde content.

There is a sensitivity to the use of formaldehyde in manufacturing, since it was established that the gas could cause cancer in rats. An estimated total of 112,066 manufacturers are using formaldehyde in the USA today, hence under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act the Consumer Products Safety Commission now requires warning labels on household products containing 1.0% or more of formaldehyde.

Note. CASEIN plastics do not fall within the requirements of this regulation.

Formaldehyde is also used in treatments for athlete’s foot, cough drops, skin disinfectants, mouthwashes, spermaticide creams, as preservative in cosmetics, as a room fumigant, as a stabilizer in gasoline and in leather tanning and as a hardener of tissues.

It is also found in shampoos, fluoride toothpaste, mascara, talcum powders, haircolours, makeup, firming facial creams, fingernail polish, deodorants, antiperspirants and dental fillings.

Because of the content of formaldehyde in such items mentioned above, the European Union’s (EU’s) Scientific Committee on Cosmetics have determined that cosmetics and toiletries containing formaldehyde may be sold within the EU, provided they contain no more than:

•  5.0% in Nail hardeners

•  0.2% in Cosmetics & Toiletries

•  0.1% in Mouthwash

There are no required standards for the formaldehyde content of CASEIN Plastics. With the 0.40% formaldehyde content it is well below the acceptable levels for nail polish and of a similar level to that of cosmetics and personal hygiene products.

Swallow Knitting Needles

UNIQUE FEATURES

Manufactured from the purest edible grade rennet CASEIN

CASEIN is the protein of milk and is supplied from a naturally renewable ecological resource

CASEIN is biodegradable and environmentally friendly

CASEIN is an insulator and non-static eliminating “fluffy” knitting

CASEIN is a non conductor and ideal for arthritic knitters

CASEIN is warm to the touch and comfortable to hold

Swallow needles are hardened to the perfect blend of flexibility and rigidity to create a firm

       comfortable knitting tool

The glass smooth polished surface allows fast effortless knitting

Virtually noiseless in use

Swallow needles have a lustrous, flawless look of a piece of jewelry

Perfectly hand tapered points for faster knitting