Monday

Native American Spool Knitter

Native American Spool Knitter

This is a recently commissioned French spool knitter with Dave's adaptation of Native American art. The pictographic designs are those commonly found in native pottery and basket making. Some of the ancient pictograph motifs are found in caves and on rocks through out the United States.

The spool knitter is made from American cherry wood and walnut, with 6 brass pins. It is approx 4 inch overall length. The 5 inch needle/loop lifter is made from bone, cherry and walnut with a turquoise accent.

Saturday

"Fern Gulley" Double Ended Crochet Hooks Sizes G-K


This set of hooks may be the only hooks you will ever need! Dave hand crafted this double ended set out of Oregon Myrtlewood. This set was inspired by the beautiful and dense fern gulleys in our Cascade Mountains. A fern motif has been burn etched on each hook. These hooks cover the most popular sizes for yarn, and include sizes G (4.00mm) and G+ (4.50mm), sizes H (5.00mm) and I (5.50mm), sizes J(6.00mm) and K (6.50). The letter size has been burn etched into the stem for each end. The hooks in this set are approximately 7 1/2 inches long and have a hand rubbed bees wax finish.

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

Monday

Myrtlewood and Pine Needle Magnetic Pin or Paper Clip Dish


Dave turned this small 3 ½ inch pin dish out of Oregon Myrtlewood and accented it with coiled and stitched Ponderosa pine needles. It has a strong 1 inch Rare Earth disc magnet inset in the bottom. This unique dish can be used for pins, needles, tacks, paper clips or anything attracted to a magnet. More photos may be viewed at the Ebay auction for this dish. Oregon Myrtlewood is a broadleaf evergreen native to Southwestern Oregon and Northwestern California. Although different, Oregon Myrtlewood has a lot of similarities to the Myrtlewood growing in the Holy Land. Oregon Myrtlewood became popular for making gift items back in the early 1900’s. Oregon Myrtlewood possesses a wide variety of beautiful colors and grain patterns and is noted by many as being one of the world’s most beautiful woods. The colors range from blond to black with many shades of honey, browns, grays, reds and greens in between. Oregon woodworkers have developed a small cottage industry making handcrafted Myrtle wood products and gifts for visitors. Many beautiful gifts and works of art crafted out of Myrtlewood. In the Bible, the Myrtle tree is of special religious significance, representing fertility and life.

Saturday

Happy 4th of July!

Dave and I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July! We'll be spending it in Bend, Oregon --Drake Park to be exact. Be sure and stop by our booth if you happen to be in the area for the festivities :)

You may have wondered what Dave has been up to lately! Well, he started a little cleaning project out in his studio which has turned into a complete redo. He's been busy cleaning, sorting, throwing away all kinds of "stuff" and also installing new cabinets. Maybe he'll let me take a photo when he's done :)

The photo above was taken during a 4th of July celebration at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, located in Baltimore, Maryland. For those of you that may not know, this is where Francis Scott Key wrote the "Star Spangled Banner" and also happens to be one of the interesting places I, Jo, lived as a child :)

Sunday

Fern Motif Spool Knitter

This newest Spool Knitter was created by Dave as a commissioned piece for one of our wonderful customers. It features a very elegant fern motif that has been burn-etched around the knitter. Poplar and walnut woods were used in this piece.

Thursday

Great New Tynt Tracer Javascript

This is a post that I had previously written on my "Good Dirt Jewelry" blog. Knowing that so many of our wonderful fiber artist friends author their own blogs where they show their original work, I thought this information was worth sharing here :)

Have you ever had someone use one of your photos without permission, or even worse, "borrowed" your idea completely? I have just discovered the neatest little bit of javascript by Tynt, that can be added to your blog or website that alerts you every single time one of your visitors right-clicks and saves your content!

What does Tracer do?

Tracer secretly tracks when users copy content from your web site and automatically adds a link back to the original page when your content is pasted. Tracer allows you to view statistics on how often content is copied from your site, what that content is and what keywords are being copied most.

I was just beginning to think the script I had added to this blog wasn't working properly until this morning when I got a report about the photos and text of a blog post about Dave's picot gauge set being "borrowed".

Sunday

Handmade Fern Motif Crochet Hook SZ H, 5.00MM


Dave hand crafted this crochet hook out of dark East Indian Rosewood and American Cherry. The Fern motif has been burn etched in the Cherry finial. It is a US size H, 5.00mm and is 6 5/8 inches long and has a hand rubbed bees wax finish. An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Rosewood Tip Double Point Knitting Needles US 11


Dave has handcrafted this set of double point needles out of Birch with Rosewood tips. They are 8 inches long and US size 11, 8.00 mm. More photos can be found at the Ebay auction.

Thursday

Handmade Myrtlewood French Knitting Spool Knitter


Dave crafted this beautiful little Myrtlewood spool knitter in the shape of a small 3 ¾ inch flower vase. It is accented with a Cherry wood top and has four solid brass knitting pins. Also included is a 5 ¼ inch long needle he made from Myrtlewood with a Cherry wood finial. It is initialed and dated by Dave. This gorgeous spool knitter is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Oregon Myrtlewood is a broadleaf evergreen native to Southwestern Oregon and Northwestern California. Although different, Oregon Myrtlewood has a lot of similarities to the Myrtlewood growing in the Holy Land. Oregon Myrtlewood became popular for making gift items back in the early 1900’s. Oregon Myrtlewood possesses a wide variety of beautiful colors and grain patterns and is noted by many as being one of the world’s most beautiful woods. The colors range from blond to black with many shades of honey, browns, grays, reds and greens in between. Oregon woodworkers have developed a small cottage industry making handcrafted Myrtle wood products and gifts for visitors. Many beautiful gifts and works of art crafted out of Myrtlewood. In the Bible, the Myrtle tree is of special religious significance, representing fertility and life.

Monday

Handcrafted Inlayed Padauk Lace Tatting Shuttle


This is a 2 1/2 inch tatting shuttle that Dave handcrafted from brightly colored padauk wood. One side has been inlayed with a piece of burl maple. He specifically looked for a piece of burl that had natural voids (holes) in it so that he could also inlace it with turquoise and copper, accenting its' natural art.

This gorgeous tatting shuttle has been initialed and dated by Dave, and has a hand rubbed bees wax finish. More photos can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Unique Hand Carved Classical Sewing Threadwinder


Dave has handcrafted and carved this walnut thread winder and storage barrel in a classical style. Overall it is 5 ¼ inches long, and features a winder and a barrel to protect and keep your thread clean. This fiber art tool is different from older thread winder/holders where the barrel is held on by a screw on/off finial, as this winder is MAGNETIC!!! (ask Dave who's idea THAT was! LOL) Dave inset a hidden small powerful rare earth magnet in the end of the winder and fixed another inside the end of the barrel. Just insert the winder into the barrel and it SNAPS the unit firmly closed. This one of a kind tool has been initialed and dated by Dave. More photos can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Handmade Set of 3 Double End Crochet Hooks Sizes H-M


Dave has hand crafted this double ended set of crochet hooks out of Walnut. They include sizes H (5.00mm) and I (5.50mm), J(6.00mm) and K (6.50mm), L (8.00 mm) and M (9.00mm). The letter size has been burn etched into the stem of each end. They are approximately 7 1/2 inches long and have a hand rubbed bees wax finish.

More photos of this beautiful set can be found at the Ebay auction listing. If you'd like to see our online portfolio, please click here to visit our Grizzly Mountain Arts Flickr site, or click the photo in the right side bar.

Saturday

Off to good Hitty doll homes!

Dave has just finished these miniature carved bone footstools for three proud HittyGirls. After one of the group members got hers, several others just had to have one for their Hitty!

Friday

Bone Tip Double Point Knitting Needles US SZ 10, 6.00mm


Dave handcrafted this set of double point knitting needles out of walnut with Buffalo bone tips and Truestone turquoise accent rings. Truestone is powdered turquoise mixed with resin to form a composite material that can be turned on a lathe. They are a little over 10 inches long and US size 10, 6.00 mm.

You can view an additional photo of these gorgeous knitting needles at the Ebay auction page.

Thursday

Handcrafted Inlayed Walnut Lace Tatting Shuttle


Currently up for auction on Ebay, is a larger 3 1/2 inch shuttle that Dave has handcrafted from walnut. On one side he has inlayed a piece of burl maple. He specifically looked for a piece of burl that had natural voids (holes) in it so that he could also inlace it with turquoise and brass, accenting its' natural art. This tatting shuttle has been initialed and dated by Dave and has a hand rubbed bees wax finish.

Saturday

Hitty Doll Carved Bone Quill Pen & Lapis Inkwell


Have you been looking for an inkwell and quill pen for your Hitty desk? Among Hitty’s gifts from her First Hundred Years was.. "...a quill pen out of a feather shed by a neighbor's parrot...". The feather is described as "...a green so bright, with a touch of scarlet thrown in...".

Dave carved this miniature feather quill pen out of Buffalo bone and used some of his colored scrimshaw inks to dye it green with a touch of scarlet. One can’t very well have a quill pen without an inkwell, so he turned this miniature ink bottle out of Truestone lapis lazuli. Truestone is crushed lapis powder mixed with resin making it a composite material that can be carved or turned on a lathe.

The feather measures 2 inches long and the inkwell is approx 3/8 inch high and 7/16 inch diameter on the bottom. More photos of this hand carved quill and inkwell can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Thursday

Bone Embroidery Thread Laying Tool & Tip Protector


This 5 1/4 inch laying tool was handcrafted by Dave from Buffalo bone. While he has made these before, this is the first where he has incorporated a point protector with the tool. The tip protector is turned from burl wood and attaches to the tool by means of an elastic stretch cord and lobster claw clasp. It is easily and quickly removable from the tool for use. Once finished just re-clasp and stretch the protector back in place. Easy Peezy!

This laying tool is currently up for auction on Ebay. More photos can be found at the auction listing.

Wednesday

Hitty's Footstool

Many of you already know that Dave carves Hitty dolls and Hitty accessories from time to time and this bone foot stool is his latest work done on commission. He has done several bone and ivory Hitty footstools in various styles. For those of you that are not familiar with the storybook of Hitty's First 100 years, while she was sailing aboard the whaler Diane-Kate, the sailors carved her a "bone footstool". There is no description of the footstool so Dave takes artistic license when he creates these charming miniature footstools. Hitty stands 6 1/4 inches tall. This miniature bone footstool is approx 2 5/8 inches long by 1 1/4 inches wide by 1 1/4 inch high.

Rare Exotic Finland Masur Birch Tatting Shuttle


Dave handcrafted this beautiful 2 5/8 inch tatting shuttle from rare and exotic Masur Birch from Finland. The unique patterns are caused by insect damge to the tree as it grows. Dave usually spends time adding artwork or inlays to his shuttles, but this tatting shuttle needs none of that! It is it’s own piece of artwork!

This beautiful tatting shuttle is currently up for auction on Ebay and has been initialed and dated by Dave.

Bone and Fine Silver Inlay Drop Tatting Shuttle


Dave has handcrafted this beautiful 3 inch drop style tatting shuttle from Buffalo bone. It is inlayed with a 99.99% fine silver setting that we press molded and fired in our jewelry kiln. It is initialed and dated by Dave and can be currently found up for auction on Ebay.

Friday

Handcrafted Beautiful Burl Wood Tatting Shuttle


This is a 2 ½ inch shuttle Dave made from a couple of pieces of Maple burl he had been holding onto for sometime. He had planned on making knife handles someday but figured he may never get around to that, so...here's a tatting shuttle instead! It is as light as a feather!

Dave usually spends time adding artwork or inlays to his shuttles but this tatting shuttle needs none of that! It is it’s own piece of artwork! Can you use your imagination to find images in it? To me its like looking at the spiral galaxies of planets and nebulas through the Hubble telescope. What can you find?


This tatting shuttle is currently up for auction on Ebay, where more photos can also be found.

Wednesday

Handmade Set of 3 Double Ended Crochet Hooks Sizes G-K

This set of hooks may be the only hooks you will ever need! Dave hand crafted this double ended set out of different hard woods to give a quick reference color coding to your favorite hooks. This set covers the most popular sizes for yarn. The Bloodwood hook has sizes G (4.00mm) and G+ (4.50mm), the Purpleheart hook has sizes H (5.00mm) and I (5.50mm) and the Walnut hook has sizes J(6.00mm) and K (6.50). The letter size has been burn etched into the stem for each end. Each hook is approximately 7 1/2 inches long and have a hand rubbed bees wax finish.


This beautiful crochet hook set is currently up for auction on Ebay!

Thursday

We're Off to Yachats!

You may have noticed many of the items in our Grizzly Mountain Arts and Good Dirt Jewelry Etsy shops have been removed. That's because we're headed to Yachats, Oregon in the morning for the "Crafts on the Coast"-- our first show of the season! We've been busy as bees preparing for this show, so if you find yourself driving along Highway 101 this weekend, stop in the Commons and say "Hi!" :)

Monday

Pink Ivory Owl Tatting Shuttle

Pink Ivory Owl Tatting Shuttle

Dave just finished this commissioned tatting shuttle and I thought it was too gorgeous not to share with everyone :) This intricately carved pink ivory wood shuttle features a wise old owl sitting in a pine tree. The length of this piece is 3 1/2 inches.

Sunday

Ice Blue Acrylic Lace Tatting Shuttle


Summer is almost here! Keep your hands feeling cool (well, maybe mentally) with this cool looking shuttle.

Dave handcrafted this 2 3/8 inch shuttle out of icy blue acrylic. The thread slits are narrow for finer threads. This stunning tatting shuttle has been initialed and dated by Dave and is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Birdseye Maple Crochet Hook Size H, 5.00 mm


Dave handcrafted this crochet hook out of Birdseye Maple and Paduak wood with a turquoise accent ring. It is a little over 6 inches long and is US size H (5.00mm). You can find this stunning crochet hook currently up for auction on Ebay.

Lace Bobbin Pillow Pin Pusher/Lifter Tool


Dave handcrafted this lace pillow tool from a rare wood called Pink Ivory, which is native to Africa. It has a steel pin pusher and lifter insert on each end and is 4 1/4 inches in length. This beautiful tool is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Cherry Wood Tatting Shuttle


Dave had laser retinal surgery on Friday and when he disappeared Saturday, I had a sneaky feeling I knew where he was. Sure enough, I found him sanding away in his studio! My attempt to convince him that he might want to refrain from doing something that might get in his eye, fell on deaf ears :) This beautiful shuttle is what came out of the studio.

Dave handcrafted this 2 5/8 inch shuttle out of American Cherry and burn etched the filigree design on both sides. He has also initialed and dated this piece that is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Thursday

Myrtlewood Giraffe Pattern Lace Tatting Shuttle


As Dave was burn etching this Giraffe pattern on a crochet hook, he thought it would also make an interesting pattern on a tatting shuttle! This shuttle is made from Oregon Myrtlewood and is 2 5/8 inches long. The Giraffe pattern is burn etched on both sides. Dave used a tiny burning tip to make hundreds of tiny burn dimples giving this a very nice feel and grip in the hands and it will not go slipping out of your hands. This tatting shuttle has been initialed and dated by Dave and is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Pyro-Art Giraffe Pattern Crochet Hook Size J, 6mm


Dave has handcrafted this crochet hook out of Maple wood and burn etched the Giraffe pattern on the upper stem. It is a little over 7 inches long and is US size J (6.00mm). This unique crochet hook has been initialed by Dave and is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Lace Bobbin Pillow Pin Pusher/Lifter Tool


Dave has handcrafted this lace pillow tool using a mix of joined hardwoods and a steel pin pusher and lifter insert on each end. It is 4 ½ inches overall length.

This fiber art tool is currently up for auction on Ebay.

"Three Graces" Ceramic Cameo Sewing Scissors Fob


Jo has created this scissor fob using a ceramic "Three Graces" cameo she molded, glazed and kiln fired and then set in a brass setting. The beads she used are burgundy colored Swarovski crystals and fresh water pearls. The scissors in the photo are for display only and are not for sale.

This "Three Graces" ceramic scissor fob is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Saturday

The Golden Dragonfly Lace Tatting Shuttle


Real gold? Yes, real gold! Many of our customers already know we like to recycle, up-cycle and use found materials in some of our pieces, so when Dave had a $900 gold crown recently replaced, he made sure he walked out of the dentists office with his old gold crown in his pocket to use as inlay. Gold crowns usually vary between 14 and 18 karat gold.

Dave handcrafted this 2 5/8 inch tatting shuttle out of a beautiful piece of figured maple wood (also called curly maple, tiger or fiddleback maple). He then carved out the dragonfly and inlayed it with fine grains of gold that he filed off of his old gold crown. Don’t worry…he heated it up to white hot with a torch to soften it so any germs are long gone :) Since Dave had this crown for over 10 years, you might say its like getting a piece of the artist in your shuttle! Maybe he can get enough inlays out of this old crown to pay for the new one!!

This truly unique tatting shuttle has been initialed and dated by Dave, and can be found currently up for auction on Ebay.

Thank You!


Dave and I wanted to take a moment to say "Thank You!" to everyone for their positive thoughts and prayers for Trayci and her family. She was moved from ICU to a regular room on Thursday, and will hopefully get to go home sometime next week.

Thursday

Handcrafted Poplar Crochet Rug Hook Size N, 10mm


Dave handcrafted this approx 5 3/4 inch crochet rug hook using Olive Green color Poplar wood. It is US Size N (10.00 mm). This hook has a hand rubbed bees wax finish.

This hook is currently up for auction on Ebay :)

Handcrafted EZ Grip Crochet Hook Size J, 6mm



Dave has handcrafted this approximately 6 inch EZ Grip crochet hook using Oak, and Birch woods with a walnut accent ring. It is US Size J (6.00 mm). This hook has a hand rubbed bees wax finish and has been burn etched with the GMA Cascade Mtn Logo on one side. This crochet hook is currently up for auction on Ebay.


Handmade Needlework Embroidery Thread Laying Tool


Dave handcrafted this 5 1/2 laying tool from a steel point and joined hardwoods. Dave buys various steel crochet hooks and cuts off the hook ends for insetting into bobbin tatting shuttles. Here he has sharpened the remaining hookless end of one of the steel shanks into a sharp needle point and inset it into a joined mix wood handle to be used as a very fine pointed thread laying tool. It has been finished with hand rubbed bees wax.

Please click here if you would like to visit the Ebay auction :)

Handmade Set 3 Double End Maple Crochet Hooks SZ G-K


This set of hooks may be the only hooks you will ever need! Dave has hand crafted this double ended set out of Maple wood. They cover the most popular sizes for yarn, G (4.00mm), G+ (4.50mm), H (5.00mm), I (5.50mm), J(6.00mm) and K (6.50). The letter size has been burn etched into the stem for each end. They are approximately 7 inches long and have a hand rubbed bees wax finish. This set is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Wednesday

News from the Studio

You may have noticed that Dave hasn't had many Ebay auctions lately. Last Tuesday, Dave's daughter Trayci suffered a serious asthma attack and was on a respirator for six days. Thankfully, she was able to be removed from the respirator on Sunday and is slowly getting better, but is still in ICU. Your thoughts and prayers for Trayci and her children would be greatly appreciated.

Crazyhaberdasher's Blog Feature


Marian, Crazyhaberdasher, who wrote the wonderful blog feature on Dave on her Spool Knitter Blog, has written a lovely blog feature on me! Marian has been so generous to feature both of our work on her wonderful blogs and we truly appreciate it!

If you collect spool knitters, be sure and check out Marian's book, Spoolknitters, that feature spool knitters from around the world!

Tuesday

A Little Change

If you entered www.grizzlymountainarts.com today expecting to find our website, you may have been surprised to find our blog. Our web tracking data has shown that most of our visitors are coming directly to our blog now instead of our original website, so we decided to redirect our url to point to our blog.

Our galleries of previously sold fiber art tools can now be found at Flickr. You can easily find all of our photos by clicking on the photo in the right hand column that says "Click Photo to View Gallery". It is the same photo as seen in this post.

Saturday

Double End Crochet Hook Size G/H with Scrimshawed Case

Double End Crochet Hook Size G/H with Scrimshawed Case


Dave has handcrafted this 6 inch double end mahogany crochet hook as a true “Gift from the sea”. He is also including the hand scrimshawed case which has been initialed and dated.

He calls this a “Gift from the sea” because he made it from a piece of very hard mahogany ships timber that had washed up on the Oregon Coast. It has been cured for years by the saltwater and he has not found any wood harder. Dave says that working with this cured mahogany is like working with ironwood in that it burns his saws and carving tools.


This gorgeous one of a kind crochet hook and scrimshawed case is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Oregon Myrtlewood Tatting Shuttle


Dave has handcrafted this small 2 1/4 inch tatting shuttle from golden colored Oregon Myrtlewood and burn etched this starburst design on both sides. This shuttle has a hand rubbed bees wax finish and has been initialed and dated by Dave. This shuttle is currently up for auction on Ebay.

~What is Oregon Myrtlewood?~

Oregon Myrtlewood is a broadleaf evergreen native to Southwestern Oregon and Northwestern California. Although different, Oregon Myrtlewood has a lot of similarities to the Myrtlewood growing in the Holy Land. Oregon Myrtlewood became popular for making gift items back in the early 1900’s. Oregon Myrtlewood possesses a wide variety of beautiful colors and grain patterns and is noted by many as being one of the world’s most beautiful woods. The colors range from blond to black with many shades of honey, browns, grays, reds and greens in between. Oregon woodworkers have developed a small cottage industry making handcrafted Myrtle wood products and gifts for visitors. Many beautiful gifts and works of art crafted out of Myrtlewood. In the Bible, the Myrtle tree is of special religious significance, representing fertility and life.

Friday

Dave Featured on Spool Knitter Blog!


Spool Knitter Blog Feature on Grizzly Mountain Arts

Marian, of the Spool Knitter blog, has written a lovely feature about Dave! She found his collection of spool knitters and other fiber art tools on Flickr.

She has several amazing blogs, one dedicated to Spool Knitting, the Knits and Bits knitting blog, What's in the Sewing Basket, the Crazy Haberdasher blog, and the Have a Notion blog that is all about sewing Stands, thread winders, thimble holders, scissor holders, and needlebooks.

Many thanks to Marian for writing this wonderful blog feature!

Wednesday

Wooden Double Crochet Hooks


Dave has just finished this beautiful set of wooden double end crochet hooks. They are approximately 7 1/2 inches long with the eight most popular hook sizes of F,G,H,I,J,K,L and M. While they are pictured as a set for this photo, Dave has listed them on Ebay for sale individually. You can find links to the individual auctions here.

Saturday

Handcrafted Pyro-Art Tatting Shuttle


Dave has handcrafted this 2 5/8 inch tatting shuttle from Strata-Bond, which is layers of birch wood that have been resin impregnated and bonded together under high pressure. It is very dense and moisture resistant and has no varnish, shellac, wax or other type finish to wear away. It has only been fine sanded and buffed to a gloss finish. He has burn etched a rose design on one side. This tatting shuttle has been initialed and dated by Dave and is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Birch/Cherry Wood Crochet Hook Size K


Dave handcrafted this crochet hook using a birch stem and cherry wood finial with a purple swirl celluloid accent ring. It is 5 ¾ inches long, US size K, 6.50 mm. It has a hand rubbed satin bees wax finish.

This crochet hook is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Thursday

Peach Cameo Scissor Fob


JoAnna has created this cameo in kiln fired glazed earthenware clay and mounted it in a brass setting. She has used Unakite beads and Swarovski crystals to make it into a delicate and classic looking fob for your scissors. Scissors are for display only. This scissor fob is currently up for auction on Ebay and is also available to "Buy it Now".
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