Thursday

Fiber Art Themed Pendants

Grizzly Mountain Arts now has a new line of fiber art themed pendants!  If you would like to view more photos of these unique pendants, please visit our Etsy shop.  Spinning, weaving and tatting are all represented in these lovely paintings.

Hard Maple and Ceramic Support Spinning Bowl with Pyrography


Our originally designed support spinning bowl combines the efficiency of a ceramic surface with the stability of a wide beautiful wooden base. The icy blue ceramic insert measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the gorgeous hard maple wood base is 3 inches in diameter. Dave has adorned this bowl with one of his signature leaf motifs. Cork has been added to the bottom of this bowl to keep the wood from scratching other hard surfaces.  Additional photos can be found in our Etsy shop.

Monday

Padauk and Ash Top Whorl Drop Spindle with Myrtlewood Burl Inlay


Dave has crafted this beautiful notched top whorl drop spindle from padauk and ash. The padauk whorl measures 2 5/8 inches in diameter and the ash shaft is 8 1/2 inches in length, including the brass hook. The whorl has been inlayed with a stunning round piece of myrtlewood burl. The weight of this spindle is 0.8 ounce.  Additional photos can be viewed in our Etsy shop.

Holiday Rim Weighted Holly Wood and Redheart Top Whorl Drop Spindle with Pyrography


Dave has burn etched a holly leaf and berry motif around this 1 7/8 inch diameter holly wood whorl. The leaves and berries were accented with acrylic paint. He has crafted the 8 inch shaft from redheart, and has added a brass hook to the top. The weight of this beautiful rim weighted handspinning tool is 0.9 ounces. Additional photos can be viewed in our Etsy shop.

Thursday

Tiger Maple Nostepinde Yarn Winder with Pyrography


Dave has crafted this beautiful 10 inch nostepinde, or yarn ball winder, from tiger maple. He has adorned it with his signature pyrographic leaf motif. The ends have been accented with brass nails.  An additional photo can be found at the Etsy listing for this fiber art tool.

Tuesday

Lost Treasure!

This summer we decided to take a break from doing shows, so all of our plastic bins containing our various show supplies (tablecloths, etc) had remained stacked in our studio.  While looking for something else, I happened to open one and found a treasure trove of pine needle baskets!  You know you make a lot of baskets when you find an entire bin full that you hadn't seen in a while.  We have begun to photograph these and have listed nine of them in our Etsy shop today.

Saturday

Brass Picot Gauge Set with Myrtlewood Burl Case©


This unique set of brass picot gauges is a Grizzly Mountain Arts original design! The entire set telescopes inside each other and then slides neatly into the Oregon Myrtlewood burl gauge case. The seven size increments are: 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 7/32 and 1/4 inch.

Wednesday

Carved Moose Antler and Honduras Rosewood Bottom Whorl Drop Spindle


Carved Moose Antler and Honduras Rosewood Bottom Whorl Drop Spindle


This unique 1.8 ounce moose antler bottom whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature rose and leaf motif. The whorl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the honduras rosewood shaft is 9 inches in length. A brass hook has been added to the top.

Sunday

Fossil Ivory Nalbinding Needles

We have just listed five new fossil ivory nalbinding needles in our Etsy shop!  Each of these needles measures about 2 3/4 inches in length.  Please visit the "Nalbinding Needles" of our shop to see more photos of these medieval Norse knitting tools.

Friday

5 Pin Myrtlewood French Spool Knitter with Buffalo Bone Loop Lifter




This beautiful French spool knitter was crafted by Dave from myrtlewood. He has inset five brass pins into the top. The overall height of this spool knitter is 3 1/2 inches and the inner barrel measures 5/8 of an inch in diameter. Dave has adorned this spool knitter with his signature pyrographic (burn etched) leaf motif.  Jo has spangled the 5 inch buffalo bone loop lifter with a large amethyst bead, turquoise and carved bone beads.  More photos can be seen at the Etsy.com listing for this fiber art tool.

Tuesday

5 Pin Cocobolo and Turquoise French Spool Knitter with Buffalo Bone Loop Lifter



This beautiful French spool knitter was crafted by Dave from cocobolo. He has inset five brass pins into the top. The overall height of this spool knitter is 3 1/2 inches and the inner barrel measures 5/8 of an inch in diameter. Dave has inlayed this unique fiber art tool with dots of turquoise.  Jo has spangled the 5 inch buffalo bone loop lifter with ceramic beads, rose quartz and African copper trade beads.

4 Pin Birdseye Maple French Spool Knitter with Buffalo Bone Loop Lifter



This beautiful French spool knitter was crafted by Dave from birdseye maple. He has inset four brass pins into the top. The overall height of this spool knitter is 3 1/2 inches and the inner barrel measures 5/8 of an inch in diameter. Dave has adorned this spool knitter with his signature pyrographic (burn etched) leaf motif.  Jo has spangled the 5 inch buffalo bone loop lifter with carved bone beads and carnelian.

Carved Moose Antler Burr and Ebony Bottom Whorl Drop Spindle



Dave has made this unique 1.8 ounce bottom whorl drop spindle from the burr of a moose antler. There is only one burr at the base of each antler (two per moose), and they are very heavy and dense. Dave decided this notched 2 inch whorl was so heavy it was best used as a bottom whorl.  The ebony shaft measures 10 inches in length, which includes the brass hook.  More photos can be seen at the Etsy.com listing for this spindle.


**Moose antlers are naturally shed each year, so no moose were harmed to create this spindle.**

Monday

Vintage Green Treasury on Etsy.com

It's always such a treat to find your handmade items included in a treasury on Etsy.com!  Jo's "Delicate Floral Ceramic Bobby Pins" were included in the "Vintage Green Treasury" today by CurlyGirlCrochet.

Wednesday

4 Pin Apricot French Spool Knitter with Buffalo Bone and Turquoise Loop Lifter



This beautiful French spool knitter was crafted by Dave from apricot wood. He has inset four brass pins into the top. The overall height of this spool knitter is 3 3/4 inches and the inner barrel measures 5/8 of an inch in diameter.

Jo has spangled the 5 inch buffalo bone loop lifter with carved bone beads and turquoise.  Additional photos can been seen at the Etsy.com listing for this set.

Sunday

Myrtlewood Russian Support Spindle with Matching Bowl


Dave has crafted this beautiful Russian support spindle and matching bowl from Oregon myrtlewood. The 11 inches long Russian support spindle weights 28 grams (1.0 ounces) and has been adorned with his signature leaf motif. The 3 inch diameter myrtlewood support bowl has a mauve earthenware ceramic insert.  More photos of this set can be found in our Etsy.com shop.

Carved Moose Antler, Cocobolo and Fossil Walrus Ivory Top Whorl Drop Spindle


This 1.0 ounce moose antler top whorl drop spindle has been inlayed with a fossil walrus ivory disk. Dave has left some of the unique surface area of the antler on the top of the whorl. The notched whorl measures 2 inches in diameter, and the cocobolo shaft is 7 1/4 inches in length. The end of the cocobolo shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch and a brass hook has been added to the top. More photos of this spindle can be found at the Etsy.com listing.

Carved Moose Antler and Cocobolo Top Whorl Drop Spindle


This unique 1.2 ounce moose antler top whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature leaf motif and inlayed with a cocobolo disk. The notched whorl measures 2 1/4 inches in diameter, and the cocobolo shaft is 8 inches in length. The end of the cocobolo shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch and a brass hook has been added to the top.  More photos can be seen at the Etsy.com listing for this spindle.

Thursday

Honduras Rosewood, East Indian Rosewood and Fossil Walrus Ivory Top Whorl Drop Spindle




The beautiful 2 1/2 inch diameter notched whorl of the top whorl drop spindle on the right above was crafted from Honduran rosewood. Dave has adorned the whorl with fossil walrus ivory. The 8 1/2 inch long shaft was turned from East Indian rosewood. This spindle weights 1.2 ounces.  Due to export restrictions, this item is available for U.S. shipping only.


The 2 1/2 inch diameter notched whorl of the top whorl drop spindle on the left above, was crafted from a gorgeous piece of spalted maple. Dave has adorned the whorl with fossil mammoth ivory. The shaped 9 inch long shaft was turned from leopardwood. This spindle weights 1.0 ounces.

Wednesday

Two New Spindles


Dave recently completed two new spindles for our Etsy.com shop.  The first, is a cocobolo and cherry "Tibetan Lite" support spindle.  This beautiful little "Tibetan Lite" support spindle weights 1.4 ounces. The cherry shaft measures about 10 3/4 inches in length and the whorl, which is crafted from cocobolo, measures about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.   The second, is a rosewood and cocobolo top whorl drop spindle with mammoth ivory inlay.  The beautiful 1 3/4 inch diameter notched whorl of this top whorl drop spindle was crafted from a gorgeous piece of East Indian rosewood.  Dave has adorned the whorl with fossil mammoth ivory.  The 8 inches long shaft was turned from cocobolo. This spindle weights 1.1 ounces.  


Myrtlewood Tibetan Lite Support Spindle



This beautiful little "Tibetan Lite" support spindle weights .9 ounces (25 grams). The myrtlewood shaft measures about 10 1/2 inches in length and the whorl, which is also crafted from myrtlewood, measures about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. The end of the shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch.

Additional photos can be seen at the Etsy.com listing for this spindle.

Apricot and Walnut Top Whorl Drop Spindle with Pyrography



Dave has burn-etched his signature leaf motif around this 1 7/8 inch diameter apricot whorl. He has crafted the 8 1/2 inch shaft from walnut, and has added a brass hook to the top. The weight of this beautiful handspinning tool is 0.8 ounces.

Additional photos can be seen at the Etsy.com listing for this spindle.

Birdseye Maple Russian Support Spindle with Matching Lap Bowl


Dave has crafted this lovely Russian support spindle from birdseye maple. He has inlayed the spindle with turquoise accents. This Russian support spindle measures 11 1/2 inches in length, and weights 52g (1.9 ounces). The matching lap bowl measures 6 1/2 inches in height, and is 2 3/4 in diameter.


Additional photos can be found in our Etsy shop listing for this set.

Saturday

Medieval Norse Mammoth Ivory Nalbinding Rug Needle


Dave has carved this 5 3/4 inches long nalbinding rug needle from fossil mammoth ivory. At the suggestion of some of our wonderful customers who are active participants in the SCA, Dave has tried to create an authentic looking replica of a Medieval tool. 

Wednesday

Myrtlewood Tibetan Lite Support Spindle with Matching Lap Bowl


This beautiful little "Tibetan Lite" weights 0.8 ounces (23 grams). The goncalo alves shaft measures about 10 inches in length and the myrtlewood whorl measures about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. The end of the shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch.


Dave has crafted the beautiful matching lap support spinning bowl from myrtlewood and has adorned it with his signature pyrographed leaf motif. The ceramic bowl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the myrtlewood base is approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 6 1/2 inches in length. Jo has used as earthy green glaze on the earthenware clay inner bowl. Cork dots on the bottom keep the wood from scratching your chair.


Additional photos can be found in our Etsy shop.

Saturday

Birdseye Maple and Purpleheart Tibetan Lite Support Spindle with Matching Bowl



Dave has crafted this beautiful 1.0 ounce "Tibetan Lite" support spindle from Birdseye maple and purpleheart woods. The Birdseye maple whorl measures about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and the purpleheart shaft is 10 1/2 inches long. The end of the shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch. Jo used a wine colored glaze on the ceramic insert in the matching Birdseye maple bowl that almost perfectly matches the purpleheart shaft of the spindle.

This beautiful support spindle and bowl set can be found in our Etsy shop.

Wednesday

Two New Carved Moose Antler Spindles


We added two new carved moose antler top whorl drop spindles to our Etsy shop today!  One has a leopardwood shaft, and the other a purpleheart.  Both spindles feature Dave's signature carved leaf motif on the 1.5 inch diameter notched whorls.  The shafts measure 7 1/2 inches, and have a brass hook in the top and a shaped end to accommodate a half hitch.

Saturday

Carved Moose Antler and Chechen Top Whorl Drop Spindle



*Due to export restrictions of wildlife materials, we cannot ship products crafted from antler outside of the U.S.*


Dave has been carrying a moose antler around for some time now, and he finally decided to donate it to the "spindle" cause. I think you'll find it well worth the sacrifice! 


This unique 1.9 ounces moose antler top whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature leaf motif. The notched whorl measures 2 1//4 inches in diameter, and the chechen shaft is 9 1/2 inches in length. The end of the chechen shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch and a brass hook has been added to the top.


**Moose antlers are naturally shed each year, so no moose were harmed to create this spindle.**

Friday

The Three Sisters Lightweight Walnut and Birch Drop Spindles with Pyrography




The "Three Sisters" are a group of mountains in the Cascade Range that we see every day here in Central Oregon. Dave has crafted his latest trio of lightweight drop spindles, so named for these beautiful mountains, from dark, elegant walnut. Each whorl has been notched and adorned with Dave's signature pyrographic leaf design. The end of each birch shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch and a brass hook has been added to the top.


The sizes of these spindles are:


*Length: 10 inch spindle 
Diameter: 2 3/8 inch whorl
Weight: 1.0 ounces


*Length: 8 inch spindle
Diameter: 2 inch whorl
Weight: 0.75 ounces


*Length: 6 inch spindle
Diameter: 1 1/2 inch whorl
Weight: 0.5 ounces

Tuesday

A Message to Our Customers

Dave and I wanted to let all of our wonderful customers that we were NOT mugged in London yesterday, in fact we never left home.  While there WAS a crime committed upon us, it was via our Grizzly Mountain Arts yahoo email account.  A malicious person from Nigeria was able to gain access to our business email and delete all of our contacts.  We have now regained control of our email account and this person has been reported and is being investigated.


Beware of a user going by the name "GrizzlyMountainArtss"--same name as ours, but with an extra "s" on the end.  They have set up a Yahoo email address with this name in hopes of causing confusion.  If you do happen to receive an email from this impostor, please forward the email to your email providers "abuse" address.


We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you!  We are also going to be ending our newsletter as we have been getting some users signing up for reasons other than wanting to know about our upcoming item postings.  In the future, we will be posting our "Heads Up!" notices on our Facebook Fan Page.

Friday

Introducing the Acorn Lite!


The ”Acorn Lite” support spindle is the newest spindle designed by Dave. The beautiful acorn whorl measures about 1 1/4 inches in diameter and the birch shaft is 10 1/2 inches in length. The “cap” of the acorn has checkered detailing and the end of the shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch.

Tuesday

Five New "Tibetan Lite" Support Spindles


We have just added five new "Tibetan Lite" support spindles to our Etsy shop.  This is a smaller version of Dave's popular Tibetan support spindle.

Monday

Tibetan Lite Support Spindles

This is another original design from Grizzly Mountain Arts!  Dave has created a “Lite” version of his popular Tibetan support spindle. These beautiful little Tibetans have a small whorl, with a diameter of about 1 1/4 inches.  There are currently four of these new spindles still available in our Etsy shop :)

Wednesday

Cocobolo and Ceramic Support Spinning Bowl


Our originally designed support spinning bowl combines the efficiency of a ceramic surface with the stability of a wide beautiful wooden base. The ceramic bowl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the gorgeous cocobolo wooden base is 2 3/4 inches in diameter. Cork has been added to the bottom of this bowl to keep the wood from scratching other hard surfaces.

Additional photos can be found in our Etsy shop.

Ceramic and Myrtlewood Lap Support Spinning Bowl with Pyrography



Dave has crafted this beautiful lap support spinning bowl from myrtlewood and has adorned it with his signature pyrographed leaf motif. The ceramic bowl measures 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and the myrtlewood base is approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 6 1/2 inches in length. "Eternal Galaxy" is the glaze that was used on the earthenware clay inner bowl. Cork dots on the bottom keep the wood from scratching your chair.

Additional photos can be found in our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop.

Monday

Carved Tagua Nut and Walnut Bead Support Spindle



This gorgeous carved tagua nut and walnut bead support spindle measures 10 1/4 inches in length overall and weights 1.0 ounces. Dave has carved the tagua nut, which is sometimes referred to as vegetable ivory, with his signature leaf motif.

**Please note that carved tagua nut ivory support spindles will be limited in availability and can only be purchased when they are listed in our Etsy Shop. I cannot take orders for this spindle since finding the right ivory nut for a bead spindle is a random process. Only one nut in many might be good enough for carving a bead whorl. The reliability of being able to make one on demand is not sufficient enough for me to take orders from customers or even predict when the next one will be available. When I make one, I will just post it for sale.**

Tuesday

Cobalt Blue Glass Bead Whorl Spindle



Dave has created this bead whorl spindle with a cobalt blue 34mm glass bead from India.  The holes of these large beads are fairly on center but you can expect some slight wobble in these spindles since the glass whorl cannot be shaped for balance on the shaft while turning on the lathe like wooded whorls.


Dave turned the spindle shaft which measures about 10 1/2 inches and weights about 1.9 ounces, from Brazilian Cherry wood.


Bead whorl spindles are designed and widely used to spin fine yarns. They are the most efficient style spindle for cotton and other short staple fibers such as cashmere and camel down.(Ref: Handspindles by Bette Hochberg).

Friday

Cat Paws Oregon Myrtlewood Tibetan Support Spindle and Bowl Set

Oregon Myrtlewood Tibetan Support Spindle with Matching Bowl

Dave adorned this beautiful set created for one of our wonderful patrons, by burn etching sweet little cat paws around the top of the Tibetan support spindle and it's matching bowl.  The shaft of the spindle is walnut and the ceramic insert is an earthy mossy green. 

Maple Nostepinde Yarn Winder with Pyrography



Dave has crafted this beautiful 10 1/2 inch nostepinde, or yarn ball winder, from maple. He has adorned it with his signature pyrographic leaf motif. The ends have been accented with brass nails.

Ebony Cameo Tatting Shuttle



Dave has handcrafted this 3 inch post tatting shuttle out of ebony wood.  He has also inset a tiny resin cameo in it. Sometime back, he stopped applying a high gloss shellac or lacquer finish to his shuttles and have opted for the hand rubbed satin bees wax finish. There are several reasons for this, one being that a gloss finish will disappear anyway after a little use.  Second, a waxed finish is easier to hold on to and is easier to maintain by the shuttle owner.  This beautiful tatting shuttle is currently up for auction on Ebay.


Wednesday

Carved Bison Bone Drop Tatting Shuttle


Dave has carved his signature rose and leaf motif on this beautiful 3 1/4 inch bison bone drop tatting shuttle.  This lovely tatting shuttle has been polished to a high gloss and has been initialed by Dave.


More photos of this tatting shuttle can be found in our Etsy shop.


Sunday

Acorn Support Spindle


This is a new design for Grizzly Mountain Arts!  Dave has made other acorn shaped fiber art tools in the past, but never a spindle.


This beautiful 1 7/8 inch acorn whorl was crafted from poplar.  Pyrography was used to do the detailing on the cap.  The 11 1/2 inch long shaft was made from walnut and the weight of this spindle is 51 grams (1.8 ounces).

Wednesday

Colorwood and Birch Top Whorl Drop Spindle



Beautiful turquoise, purple and pink are the colors of this 2 1/4 inch diameter notched whorl. The birch shaft measures 9 inches in length including the brass hook. The weight of this spindle is .8 ounces.


~What is Colorwood?~


Colorwood is a laminate made of natural and brightly dyed northern hardwood veneers.


This spindle is currently for sale in our Etsy shop where you can also view additional photos.

Tuesday

Snakewood, Goncalo Alves and Osage Orange Nostepinde


Peppermill blanks have some of the most beautiful color combinations and that's what Dave used for this turned nostepinde. The woods in this 10 inch long yarn ball winder are snakewood, goncalo alves and a touch of osage orange. Dave has also added ornamental brass findings on both ends.

Medieval Norse Fossil Ivory Nalbinding Needles


We have added a selection of fossil walrus and fossil mammoth ivory nalbinding needles to our Etsy shop.

Monday

Hawaiian Koa and Holly Top Whorl Drop Spindle with Carved Buffalo Bone


Dave has created this stunningly elegant top whorl drop spindle from Hawaiian koa and holly. He has added beautiful checkering around the 3 inch koa whorl and has also adorned the whorl with his signature rose and leaf motif on carved buffalo bone. The shaft of this spindle is holly and the overall length is 10 1/2 inches. The weight of this spindle is 1.4 ounces and a brass hook has been added to the top.

Friday

The beautiful 2 1/4 inch diameter notched top whorl of this drop spindle was crafted from a gorgeous piece of Stratabond. To complement the lovely colors of the Stratabond, Dave chose birch for the 9 inches long shaft (this includes the added brass hook). This spindle weights .8 ounces.

~What is Stratabond?~

Stratabond is a trademark product of the Rutland Plywood Corporation, and is composed of dye impregnated wood veneers in rich earth tones.

Thursday

Cherry and Ceramic Support Spinning Bowl


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 gorgeous cherry wood base is 2 3/4 inches in diameter. Cork has been added to the bottom of this bowl to keep the wood from scratching other hard surfaces.

We are making the ceramic inserts for our support spinning bowls in a variety of glazes, and no two pieces ever come out of the kiln the same. Your cherry and ceramic support spinning bowl will be one of a kind.