(re-post)
Never having knit with porcupine quills as the needles before I am very glad for the experience.
I didn't know they were porcupine quills; the lady at the church sale thought they were tortoise shell hair ornaments; I liked how they were sharp enough to go through the fabric of my blanket coat and would be handy as interesting closures either on their own or through shawl/scarf pins.
It was only when I got home did I take a closer look at them and snap off a photo to Stephanie at KBN with a "porcupine quills?" query to which she replied, "Yes!"
Oh, yippee! And my initial burst of delight at this intriguing identification was more than justified when I wondered what they would be like to knit with and did so.
It is slow knitting, thoughtful knitting, paying-attention knitting. The quills feel warm in my hands. The synesthesia part of me responds to the bands of light, the bands of dark under my fingers. The sharp points demand more respect than the blunter ends. There is the awareness that these were once attached to a creature who may well still be alive.
It is most interesting.