Thursday

Newsletter News

Just a quick FYI to those of you who have signed up to receive our newsletter! You should have received two issues from us, so if you haven't, your email address hasn't been confirmed. There are a couple that haven't clicked the "confirm" link that was sent to you after you signed up and that may be because it ended up in your spam folder. I tried sending one of you a direct email to let you know, and the email came back via mailer daemon saying the email address was incorrect. So, if you still want to receive our newsletter, please either check your spam folder or reenter your email address in the sign up box.

I will be sending out a newsletter later today about some gorgeous spindles that Dave has just finished :)

Thank you!

Jo :)

Sunday

Spinning, Spindles and Whorling Dervishes, Oh My!

Whorling Dervish Treasury on Etsy.com

We've been included in a beautiful treasury on Etsy.com! PaintedBull has included our ceramic support spinning bowl in her beautiful treasury of spindles, handspun yarn and nostepindes. Thanks a bunch, JJ!

Tuesday

Walnut, Mammoth Ivory and Silver Top Whorl Silk Drop Spindle


I think this is one of Dave's most beautiful pieces! This top whorl silk drop spindle is approximately 9 inches long and weighs 1.4 ounces. This spindle is made from walnut. The whorl has been adorned with a pyrographed leaf motif and accented with ancient mammoth ivory and sterling silver. A brass hook has been inset in the top.

Sunday

American and Cherry Tibetan Support Spindle


This Tibetan support spindle is approximately 13 inches long and weighs 47g (1.65 ounces). The American Cherry whorl features a pyrographed (burn etched) leaf motif and has been attached to a Brazilian Cherry shaft. Dave has also adorned the shaft with Colorwood, ancient mammoth ivory and a very hard purpleheart tip. More photos of this beautiful Tibetan spindle can be found at the Etsy listing.

Friday

Purpleheart Top Whorl Silk Drop Spindle

Purpleheart Top Whorl Silk Drop Spindle

Dave has created the top whorl and stem on this spindle from purpleheart wood. This beautiful drop spindle is approximately 9 1/2 inches long and weighs 1.7 ounces. A brass hook has been inset in the top. If you would like to view more photos of this spindle, please visit the Etsy listing.

Tiger Maple Top Whorl Silk Drop Spindle

Tiger Maple Top Whorl Silk Drop Spindle

This top whorl silk drop spindle is approximately 8 1/2 inches long and weighs 1.15 ounces. The top whorl and stem on this spindle is made from tiger maple. A brass hook has been inset in the top. More photos of this silk drop spindle can be found at the Etsy listing.

Tuesday

News and Newsletters


Have you heard of Ravelry.com? One of our thoughtful customers posted a photo in the forum of Ravelry of a drop spindle she had purchased, which in turn led to an invitation to join! Dave is really enjoying dropping in several times a day to answer questions and chat with other members. Even though Ravelry is a knitting and crocheting community, there is a group L.A.C.E., Lacers Always Creating Entanglements, for our friends that tat!

That's the news, so now for the newsletter! We have had several of our wonderful patrons ask if we had a newsletter, well now we do! To sign up, just enter your email address in the box located in the right hand side bar of this page. We will send emails announcing when new items are added to our Etsy shop and when items are listed for sale via Ebay auction. Needless to say, we will NOT use your email address for any other purpose.

Wednesday

Ceramic and White Ash Lap Support Spinning Bowl

Ceramic and White Ash Lap Support Spinning Bowl

Have you been wondering what we've been up to lately?

This ceramic and white ash lap support spinning bowl was a custom piece made for one of our wonderful customers. The "Peppered Raspberry" ceramic bowl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the white ash base is 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 6 3/4 inches in length. Felt dots on the bottom keep the wood from scratching your chair.

If you'd like to see our selection of support spinning bowls, please click here to visit the support bowl section of our Etsy shop. If you were wanting one of our Top Whorl Silk Spindles, we only have one (edited-one just sold!) left!

Saturday

Colorwood Top Whorl Silk Drop Spindle


The vibrant colors purple, turquoise and pink, of this top whorl silk drop spindle will definitely get you in the holiday mood!
This top whorl silk drop spindle is approximately 9 1/2 inches long and weighs 1.6 ounces. The spindle is made from a combination of laminated dyed birch veneers. A brass hook has been inset in the top. More photos of this beautiful spindle can be found at the Etsy listing.

Do you need a support bowl for your spindle? If so, please visit the "Support Spinning Bowls" section of our shop.

Friday

Top Whorl Silk Drop Spindles


We have been busy working like a couple of Santa's helpers! :) The kiln is loaded with a new batch of ceramic bowls, and Dave has just finished his newest drop spindles. These newest spindles are silk drop spindles made from purpleheart, white ash, cherry, walnut and myrtlewood (already sold! Thank you!!). The weights range from 1.2 ounces to 2.0 ounces and the overall length of each spindle is 9 1/2 inches. These silk drop spindles are listed at $29 and shipping is FREE!

Monday

New Pear Takli Whorl Support or Drop Spindles

We have just added some new "Pear Takli" whorl spindles to our Etsy shop! These six new spindles include Bloodwood, Bocote, Bird's Eye Maple, Argentine Lignum Vitae, Bubinga and Rosewood. The weight of these spindles range from 1.0 ounces to 1.75 ounces and the price is $29 with FREE shipping.

Please visit the "Spindle" section of our Etsy shop to view additional photos of these beautiful spindles.

Sunday

Acrylic Pattern Pricker Pin Vise


Dave has handcrafted this 2 inch pattern pricker pin vise from colorful blue swirl acrylic stock. It has been polished to a glass finish. An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction for this beautiful tool.

Walnut and Ceramic Support Spinning Bowl


Our newest ceramic
support spinning bowl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the walnut base is 3 inches in diameter. The walnut base has been adorned by Dave with pyrography (burn etching), and the ceramic bowl, made by Jo, has been glazed a rich baroque gold color. Felt dots on the back keep the wood from scratching other hard surfaces. Additional photos of this support spinning bowl can be found at the item listing in our Etsy shop.

Saturday

A Treat in the Mail Today!

Look what we found in our mail today! The beautiful spinning wheel in the photo above was made by DianeC. Isn't it gorgeous?! Thank you so much for the wonderful gift, thoughtful note and hooks :)

Friday


Dave has hand crafted these lightweight yarn spindles based on the "Pear Takli" style spindles. They can be used as support spindles with a bowl, or they can also be used as a low-whorl suspended drop spindle. The spindles above have already sold, but Dave should be making some new ones in the future.

New Lap Support Spinning Bowls


We have added a new item to our Grizzly Mountain Arts fiber art tool line. Our new
Lap Support Spinning Bowls feature a ceramic spinning bowl inset into a beautifully turned piece of wood. Each ceramic bowl has been glazed and fired, making each one unique.

Tuesday

Ceramic and White Ash Support Spinning Bowl


"Peppered Raspberry" is the glaze Jo used on this earthenware ceramic support spinning bowl. Dave has turned the wooden portion from white ash. If you'd like to see some additional photos of this bowl, please visit the item listing in our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop. While you're there, be sure and check out our other handmade fiber art tools! Don't forget, shipping is FREE! :)

Monday

French Style Spindle and Support Spinning Bowl

French Style Spindle and Support Spinning Bowl
Clicking on the photo above will show a larger view.

This is a French style spindle, which is shaped a little different having a larger diameter in the center. Dave has carved yarn tracking grooves in both directions on the upper part of the spindle so it can be spun in clockwise or counter clockwise directions. The spindle is 12 inches long and made of lightweight poplar wood and weighs only 1 oz (28g). Additional photos of this spindle and bowl can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Sunday

Lace Pin Tool Gift Set


This gift set includes a pin pusher and lifter that Dave has inset into padauk wood stems. They fit nicely in the matching double case that has a lovely ceramic cameo mounted on top. An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Crochet Hook and Pin Vise Holiday Gift Set


Looking for a special holiday gift for that crochet or lace lover? This set is ready for presentation. The pair includes a pin vise and a #14 steel crochet hook that Dave has inset into padauk wood stems. Dave has mounted a lovely ceramic cameo on top of the matching presentation case. An additional photo of this one of a kind set can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Saturday

Oak Leaf Motif Spool Knitter


Dave has handmade this 3 inch spool knitter out of Poplar wood. He has also burn etched an oak leaf motif all the way around it. This spool knitter has 8 brass pins that will not rust, and comes with a 6 inch loop lifter. An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Two New Support Spinning Bowls!

Spalted Maple and Ceramic

We have just added two new support spinning bowls to our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop. The one pictured above, is spalted maple and the one below is white ash. These bowls sell for $22 and shipping is FREE! If you'd like to see more photos of these bowls, please click the link found below each photo :)

Thursday

Fresh from the Kiln and Lathe!


We were so excited to have sold out all of our other support bowls within hours of listing them in our Etsy shop.
THANK YOU to all of our wonderful patrons! We love making tools for other artists :)

This support spinning bowl is fresh from the kiln and lathe! The ceramic bowl has been glazed a beautiful deep malachite green and Dave has turned the wooden base from white ash. This support bowl sells for $22 with FREE shipping in our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop.

Acrylic Pattern Pricker Pin Vise


One of our lovely patrons had asked if we had purple. We now have purple! :) Dave handcrafted this 2 1/4 inch pattern pricker pin vise from colorful purple swirl acrylic stock. It is polished to a glass finish. An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction.

Tuesday

White Ash and Spalted Maple Support Spinning Bowls


We have added two new ceramic and wood support spinning bowls to our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop! The first (the bowl on the left side of the photo above) features a gorgeous mossy green glazed spinning bowl that has been set into a beautiful turned White Ash base. The second spinning bowl (on the right), has been glazed with an earthy blue glaze and set into a stunning piece of Spalted Maple.

These one of a kind support spinning bowls can be purchased for $22US and FREE shipping is included!

Monday

5 New Ceramic Support Spinning Bowls

Click the photo to see a larger view.
New Ceramic Support Spinning Bowls

We have just added 5 new ceramic support spinning bowls to our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop! Our ceramic support spinning bowls are cone shaped with the bowl measuring 3 inches in diameter across the bottom with a recessed well to support the spindle on top. Be sure and click through to our shop to see additional photos of these little beauties! :)

Sunday

Native Totem Spool Knitter


This four brass pin totem
spool knitter , also called a knitting nancy, was inspired and adapted from actual Native American symbol pictographs and rock art. Dave crafted it from poplar wood, with purpleheart and rosewood accents. It is approximately 4 ½ inches tall and is accompanied by a 5 ¼ inch loop lifter made of purpleheart wood with a truestone turquoise accent ring.

The deity Kokopelli plays his flute and dances around the bottom of the knitter while above him, four Shaman hold hands and also dance in a circle to his music. Above them ,various native spiritual or mystical symbols circle the knitter. While Kokopelli is mostly known as a fertility deity, he is also known as a “spirit of music”. More photos of this stunning fiber art tool can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Friday

"Cumulus Clouds" Ceramic Support Spindle Bowl


This is another of our new ceramic support spinning bowls. The glaze on this bowl is called "Cumulus Clouds" and it really has that beautiful blue sky and clouds effect! As with our other ceramic spindle bowls, this unique bowl is priced at $19 and shipping is FREE!

When researching support spinning bowls for Russian and Tibetan style spindles, we found that there are two important attributes that need to be incorporated into the bowl. One, is the reduction in friction by creating a ceramic glazed surface--don't forget, wood spinning on wood is how boy scouts start fires :) Second, the bowl needs to be stable to keep from constantly tipping while the spindle spins.

Our cone shaped bowl measures 3 inches in diameter across the bottom with a recessed well to support the spindle on top. An additional photo of this bowl can be found in our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop.

Thursday

Golden Dragonfly Lace Bobbin Tatting Shuttle


Dave crafted this 2 ¼ inch bobbin shuttle out of dyed Box Edler wood. He has also inlayed a 14k gold dragonfly on one side and a dot of Truestone turquoise in the butt. It has a #14 steel crochet hook inset into the nose. This bobbin shuttle uses a common Singer Class 66 plastic bobbin that you can pickup at Wal-Mart or other sewing stores in the 4 pack for around $1. It has a brass post screw axel that the bobbin runs on and you can adjust the drag tension on the bobbin. More photos of this beautiful tatting shuttle can be seen at the Ebay auction listing.

Tuesday

Acorn Pattern Pricker Pin Vise


Dave handcrafted this wooden jumbo acorn pattern pricker pin vise from oak. It is lightweight and 2 1/4 inches long and it's fat size makes it easy on the hand to hold and use. An additional photo of this pin vise can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Gift Set! Lace Tatting Shuttle Needlework Tools


A GRIZZLY MOUNTAIN ARTS SPECIAL!

This is a handmade Christmas gift set Dave made for that special someone you know (maybe even yourself). Imagine their surprise to find this set in their Christmas stocking! The entire set is made from Oregon Myrtlewood and includes:


**2 ¾ inch tatting shuttle
**
Fixed needle pattern pricker

**
#14 picot crochet hook

**Pin pusher/lifter tool
**
Pin Vise

**
Buffalo bone thread laying tool

**Lazy Susan
**
Stick pin


More photos of this Christmas gift set can be found at the Ebay auction.

Sunday

Ceramic and Myrtlewood Support Spindle Spinning Bowl


Once Dave and I had finished this piece, I could hardly wait to photograph it and get it online!

This design turned out even better than we had planned!
We have created a support spinning bowl that has combined the efficiency of a ceramic surface with the stability of a wide beautiful wooden base. Our ceramic bowl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the myrtlewood base is 3 1/4 inches in diameter. The wooden base has been adorned by Dave with pyrography (burn etching). Four felt dots on the back keep the wood from scratching other hard surfaces.

A few more photos of this piece can be found in our Etsy shop where it is listed for $29 with FREE shipping :)

Saturday

Buffalo Bone Embroidery Laying Tool


Dave crafted this 5 inch embroidery thread laying tool out of Buffalo bone. It includes a point protector he made from Ebony. It is held on the tool by a common hair stretchy that you can easily replace yourself.
An additional photo of this beautiful fiber art tool can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Thursday

Bison Bone Nalbinding Knitting Needles


Perfect and authentic for Ren-Faire participants! Dave crafted this set of nalbinding needles out of American Bison bone that he obtained from a buffalo ranch here in Oregon. The set of three needles includes a 2 inch, 2 ½ inch and 3 inch needle and comes with a draw string pouch. This unique set is currently up for auction on Ebay.

What is Nalbinding?


According to Wikipedia , Nålebinding (Danish: literally "binding with a needle" or "needle-binding", also naalbinding or naalebinding) is a fabric creation technique predating both knitting and crochet. Also known in English as "knotless netting," "knotless knitting," or "single needle knitting," the technique is distinct from crochet in that it involves passing the full length of the working thread through each loop, unlike crochet where the work is formed only of loops, never involving the free end. Archaeological specimens of fabric made by nålebinding can be difficult to distinguish from knitted fabric.

Wednesday

Ceramic Support Spinning Bowls


We have added ceramic
support spinning bowls to our Grizzly Mountain Arts fiber art tool line! When researching support spinning bowls for Russian and Tibetan style spindles, we found that there are two important attributes that need to be incorporated into the bowl. One, is the reduction in friction by creating a ceramic glazed surface--don't forget, wood spinning on wood is how boy scouts start fires :) Second, the bowl needs to be stable to keep from constantly tipping while the spindle spins.

Here at Grizzly Mountain Arts, we have created a ceramic support spinning bowl that is cone shaped. Our bowl measures 3 inches in diameter across the bottom with a recessed well to support the spindle on top. We are making our support spinning bowls in a variety of glazes and no two pieces ever come out of the kiln the same. Every ceramic support spinning bowl will be one of a kind.

Grizzly Mountain Arts ceramic support spinning bowls ship for FREE and can be found in our Etsy shop for $19!

Tuesday

Handcrafted 5 Pin Spool Knitter


Dave has made this 4 inch spool knitter and loop lifter out of Poplar and Walnut. He has also burn etched the Grape and Leaf motif all the way around it. It has 5 brass pins that will not rust.
An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction for this unique fiber art tool.

Acrylic Pattern Pricker Pin Vise


Dave handcrafted this 2 inch pattern pricker pin vise from colorful acrylic stock. The color is a Sapphire with icy swirls, and this gorgeous fiber art tool has been polished to a glass finish. More photos of this incredible tool can be seen at the Ebay auction.

Monday

Russian Style Spindle and Support Spinning Bowl


Dave has handcrafted this Russian style spindle out of Red Oak. It is 12 1/2 inches long and weighs approximately 31g (1.1 oz). It comes with a 3 inch ceramic support spinning bowl that we also handmade here at Grizzly Mountain. More photos of this set can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Russian style spindles are used for traditional hand spinning of fine yarn such as Cashmere, Yak, Bison, and similar short stapled, fine fibers. They are used with a spinning base support such as wood or ceramic bowl that the base of the spindle can spin freely in. They vary in length and weight according to the spinning task such as very fine yarn and plying of several colors of yarns.

Saturday

Ponderosa Pine Needle Basket with Ceramic Hummingbird Centerpiece


An earthenware hummingbird is the centerpiece for this 4 3/4" diameter 2 3/4" deep Ponderosa Pine Needle Basket.


Grizzly Mountain Arts creates their Ponderosa Pine Needle Baskets from start to finish.
As soon as the snow melts in the upper elevations, Dave and Jo start their pine needle gathering expeditions in the Ochoco National Forest in central Oregon. Great care is taken in the collection of just the perfect needles, which are then taken home and dried. After the right amount of drying time has elapsed, the needles are then soaked and allowed to dry until they have just the right amount of moisture to allow for handling. Sometimes, at this point in the process, we dye the pine needles a variety of colors. Artificial sinew is our material of choice for stitching our baskets. It is just about as strong a material as you can find and closely resembles the real sinew used in many old Native American baskets.

We choose to not seal our baskets with wax or shellac. The great Native American basket weavers of long ago would use pitch to seal their baskets intended to hold water. We think you will enjoy, like we do, being able to pick up your basket and smell the forest.


Unfortunately, we cannot sell our baskets outside of the U.S. because of the laws regarding the export of plant materials.


FREE shipping is our way of saying "Thank You!" for shopping with Grizzly Mountain Arts on Etsy!


If you would like to view more of our ceramic items, please visit our Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shop!

Wednesday

Lacemaking Lazy Susan Fiber Art Tools


Dave has made five, beautiful lacemaking Lazy Susan fiber art tools. They each have a cotton darning needle with a large eye for easy threading inset at a 45 degree angle in one end. Besides it's use in lacemaking, a Lazy Susan tool can be used while doing embroidery work and other forms of fiber art.


Shipping is FREE and a gift box is included! These fiber art tools are currently available in the Fiber Art Tool section of our Etsy shop.

Handcrafted Oak and Rosewood Spool Knitter


Dave handmade this 4 inch spool knitter and loop lifter out of oak and dark rosewood. He has burn etched an oak leaf motif all the way around it. This spool knitter, which can also be called a knitting nancy or knitting tower, has 4 brass pins that will not rust. This piece has been initialed and dated by Dave.


An additional photo can be seen at the Ebay auction listing for this item.

Sunday

Lightweight 0.8 oz Bottom Whorl Drop Spindle


Dave turned this 0.8 oz bottom whorl drop spindle out of Birch wood. The stem is white birch and the whorl is made of Strata-Bond, which is dyed laminated layers of birch bonded together under high pressure. The overall length is 11 ¼ inches and the whorl is 2 ¼ inches in diameter. He has inset a brass bumper at the bottom and carved a yarn hook at the top. The whorl and stem were turned together in the lathe and are therefore well balanced with no wobble. It can be used as a drop spindle or as a supported spindle. More photos of this beautiful drop spindle can be found at the Ebay auction.

Box Elder Tatting Lace Crochet Picot Hook


On this tool, Dave used a size 6 (1.80 mm) steel crochet hook inset into a stem he turned from dyed box elder burl. He usually uses smaller hooks, but this single hook happened to show up in an order by mistake. The overall length of this tool, which is currently up for auction on Ebay, is 4 ½ inches.

Saturday

Tulipwood Pattern Pricker Pin Vise


Dave has handcrafted this 2 1/4 inch pattern pricker pin vise from colorful Tulipwood. It comes in a gift box ready for Christmas, and is currently up for auction on Ebay. You can also view more photos at the auction listing.

Wednesday

Leopardwood Russian Style Spindle


Dave hand crafted this Russian style spindle out of Leopardwood which is a very dense and heavy wood. This spindle is 11 ¼ inches long and weighs 48g (1.7 oz).


Russian style spindles are used for traditional hand spinning of fine yarn such as Cashmere, Yak, Bison, and similar short stapled, fine fibers. They are used with a spinning base support such as wood or ceramic bowl that the base of the spindle can spin freely in. They vary in length and weight according to the spinning task such as very fine yarn and plying of several colors of yarns.


This beautiful handmade Russian spindle is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Sunday

More New Pine Needle Baskets on Etsy!


Yes, we're still at it! :) We've been busy as bees photographing our newest baskets so we can post them in our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop. The four Ponderosa pine needle baskets shown above, plus one other, can be found here as well as additional photos of each basket.

Thursday

New Pine Needle Baskets and Plates

We have just added five new hand coiled Ponderosa pine needle baskets and plates to our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop. If you would like to read more about these five new baskets, please click here to visit the pine needle basket section of our shop.

Holy Land Olive Wood Lace Bobbin Pillow Pin Tool


Dave has hand crafted this pin pusher/lifter lace pillow tool out of Bethlehem Olive Wood from the Holy land. It is approximately 4 ¾ inches overall length and is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Holy Land Olive Wood Bobbin Lace Lazy Susan Set


Dave has hand crafted this set of Lazy Susan lace tools out of Bethlehem Olive wood from the Holy land. They are each approximately 5 ¾ inches overall length, including the needle. On these, he used cotton darner needles which have the larger eyes for easier threading--one he bent at an angle, and the other he has left straight.


This Olive wood set is currently up for auction on Ebay.