My first experimenting with flexible knitting needles led to these made from a child's skipping rope and some buttons from the parka on a dollar rack in a thrift store. They have the softness I wanted and hang down nicely when in use which seems to be a factor in the easing of stress I have experienced while knitting .
The rope is pliable enough to easily adjust in the buttons and thus vary the length of the cable.
I sloped the ends a bit by putting them in a pencil sharpener.
This is intentional slow knitting – or knitting with mindfulness. I am having to pick up each stitch to allow the working needle to go through it; there is definite focus and wholehearted interaction. It is much more about the process than the product and this is worthwhile; I find it spreads into other areas of life and fosters living in the moment.