Abstract: A knitting needle of the type used in industrial knitting machines is provided in the shank, typically distally of and adjacent the driving butt, with a bow-spring portion acting as a shock absorber for the needle during its acceleration and deceleration. The bow-spring portion is stabilized on either longitudinal side thereof by shank portions aligned with the transverse dimensional boundaries of the shank. The convex limit of the bow-spring is spaced from the opposed transverse dimensional boundary by a distance sufficient to enable the spring to flex transversely under compression without reaching the transverse boundary. This structure facilitates high-speed operation of the needle and tends avoid fatigue failure of the hook.