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.

Wednesday

Acrylic Pin Vise Lace Bobbin Pattern Pricker

Red Acrylic Pin Vise Lace Bobbin Pattern Pricker

Dave handcrafted this 2 inch pattern pricker pin vise from colorful acrylic stock. The color is a deep red with black swirls polished to a glass finish. The photo just doesn't do this piece justice!

This stunning fiber art tool is currently up for auction on Ebay, where you can also view one additional photo.

Handcrafted Double Ended Afghan Crochet Hook Set H-K

Handcrafted Double Ended Afghan Crochet Hook Set H-K

Dave has hand crafted this set of double ended afghan hooks out of white birch. They include four of the most popular yarn sizes used for crocheting afghans. Each has the size burn etched into the stem, H (5.00mm), I (5.50 mm), J (6.00 mm) and K (6.50 mm). He also burn etched a fern pattern on each hook.

These beautiful hooks come in a gift box ready for Christmas and are currently up for auction on Ebay.

Monday

Acrylic Pin Vise Lace Bobbin Pattern Pricker

Acrylic Pin Vise Lace Bobbin Pattern Pricker

WE’RE BACK!
After 3 weeks and a nearly 5,000 mile road trip vacation it’s now time to relax and get some real rest and get back to the business of creating.

Dave's first item crafted is this 2 inch acrylic pattern pricker pin vise. The color is called Retro-Gold which has a mix of black, amber and gold color acrylic flecks. There are two additional photos to view at the Ebay auction listing for this beautiful fiber art tool.

Please stay tuned to our blog since it will take a little time to get back up to full speed. If you'd like to see a few photos of where we've been, please click here to visit our Flickr portfolio.

Friday

Oklahoma or Bust!


Grizzly Mountain Arts and Good Dirt Jewelry are on vacation!

While we are away driving across the beautiful USA, we thought we'd post a slideshow of our portfolio so you won't forget us :) See you the first week in October!

Thursday

It's That Time of Year Again!

Time for the Native American Festival in Sisters, Oregon that is! This is our favorite show to do each year. The Creekside Park setting is beautiful and there is almost always a hint of fall in the air. Artists will be selling top quality handmade traditional and Native American wares. You will find a variety of pottery, western and Native American jewelry, art work, leather clothing, metal art, log furniture and photography. You will also be able to visit a teepee, watch a demonstration in hide painting, arrowhead making and beading. There will also be a living history display.Western music will be provided on Saturday by the Anvil Blasters, and Native American entertainment will be offered on Sunday.

Saturday

Needle Vise Pattern Pricker


Dave has crafted this needle vise pattern pricker from beautiful dyed and stabilized Box Elder Burl. It is approximately 2 ¾ inches long and is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Thursday

Tibetan Mala Bead Scissor Fob


Jo has made this 5 1/4" long scissor fob from an assortment of rich, organic looking beads. The largest bead is from a Tibetan Buddhist prayer mala. This mala bead is made from Yak bone which has been dyed a deep red and inlayed with turquoise and coral chips. It is surrounded by an assortment of other carved bone beads. The three dangles are made from tiny African clay beads, turquoise tubes and garnets. The remainder of the fob is strung with carved bone, turquoise and garnets. An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Tuesday

Weavolution


Dave and I just found a wonderful site that we thought you might like: Weavolution, A Gathering Place for Handweavers This site has tons of information about technique, items for sale and you can also upload photos to display your current projects.

Saturday

Poplar and Rosewood French Spool Knitter


Dave has handcrafted this four brass pin spool knitter out of Poplar and dark Rosewood. He has burn etched the rose design on both sides. This spool knitter is 3 3/4 inches long and the companion 5 1/2 inch needle/loop lifter is made from the same materials. An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction listing.

Thursday

Hand Carved Bone Tatting Shuttle


Dave hand carved this 2 5/8 inch flat shuttle from Buffalo Bone. It has four carved rosettes (2 on each side) and is polished to a glass finish. This tatting shuttle has been initialed and dated by Dave. Additional photos can be viewed at the Ebay auction.

Bacote Wooden Double Ended Crochet Hook Sizes J/K


Dave has hand crafted this double ended hook out of exotic and warmed toned Bacote wood. It has the popular yarn size hooks J(6.00mm) and K (6.50 mm) and is approximately 7 1/2 inches long. Additional photos of this hook can be found at the Ebay auction.

Tuesday

New Cameo Needle Minders




We have just added six new cameo needle minders to our "Fiber Art Tool" section of our Grizzly Mountain Arts Etsy shop. All of the new needle minders are featured in the slideshow above.

ShopIndieOnline Feature


It's always a wonderful surprise to find one of your items featured on a blog! Dave's starfish pine needle plate was selected by the ShopIndieOnline blog. ShopIndieOnline.com supports independent artists/businesses of all mediums, so be sure and stop by and check them out :)

If you'd like to view more photos of Dave's beautiful starfish, please click
here to visit the listing on 1000markets.com

Wednesday

Picnik.com's New Flickr Slideshow




I've been using Picnik.com for some time now to edit photos for our Grizzly Mountain Arts items, and I've also used Flickr as an online portfolio of our work. Recently, Picnik.com has created a wonderful new utility that makes slideshows from your Flickr sets! It's all integrated--you click on Flickr from within Picnik, then select the set you would like to make a slideshow presentation from, then Picnik generates the html for you.

The slideshow above is from our Flickr "Tatting Shuttle" set. If you would like to view more of our Grizzly Mountain Arts Flickr portfolio, please click here.

Tuesday

Work in Progress

I finally managed to sneak a picture of Dave's studio makeover! This is a portion that is complete, and the only part I was "allowed" to photograph! LOL All of the walls and work surfaces have been painted white to reflect light. When you have "over 4o" eyes (as in age wise, not like fly eyes), bright light is a necessity! Since Dave needed to take a creative break, the rest of the studio was off limits to photograph for now :)

Sunday

Beautiful Purple Swirl Acrylic Tatting Shuttle


Dave handcrafted this gorgeous tatting shuttle from purple swirl acrylic stock. With the swirling thread design it, looks like it is already busy tatting without you! This tatting shuttle is 2 ½ inches in length, and has been initialed by Dave.

If you would like to view an additional photo of this tatting shuttle, click here to view the Ebay auction listing.

Ruby Red and Black Swirl Acrylic Tatting Shuttle


This little tatting shuttle is as beautiful as Dorothy Gale's slippers!


Dave has hand crafted this ruby red and black swirl tatting shuttle from acrylic stock. It is 2 ½ inch overall length and is initialed and dated by Dave. An additional photo can be found at the Ebay auction.

Masur Birch Bobbin Tatting Shuttle


This rare and highly decorative wood comes from Finland. Birch trees may be attacked by beetles and produce pitch flecks in the cambium layer. These dark markings can produce unusual grain patterns standing out in contrast against the lighter colored background of the wood.
This shuttle is 2 ½ inches in overall length, with a #14 steel crochet/picot hook inset in the nose. Dave has also inlayed a dot of Truestone turquoise in the butt. Truestone is fine powdered turquoise that has been cast with resin making a composite material that can be turned on a lathe or hand worked. The bobbin is a common Class 66 plastic singer bobbin. More bobbins can be purchased at Walmart or any of the many sewing stores. The tension/drag on the bobbin can be adjusted by the brass screw post axle. This beautiful tatting shuttle has been finished with a handrubbed satin bees wax finish.

More photos of this tatting shuttle may be seen at the current Ebay auction.

Buckeye Burl Spool Knitter


Dave has handcrafted this four brass pin spool knitter using Buckeye Burl. He has also burn etched the autumn leaf design around it. This spool knitter is 3 1/2 inches long. The companion 4 1/2 inch needle/loop lifter is made from buffalo bone.


If you would like to view more photos of this spool knitter, please visit the Ebay auction.

Thursday

Double Ended Crochet Hook Set 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 Birch and dark East Indian Rosewood. They 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. They are approximately 7 1/2 inches long and have a hand rubbed bees wax finish. This one-of-a-kind set is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Friday

Four Pin French Knitting Spool Knitter


Dave handcrafted this four pin spool knitter using ash and dark rosewood, then burn etched the floral design around it. This French spool knitter is almost 4 inches long. The 5 inch needle/loop lifter is made from strata-bond dyed birch and dark rosewood, with a cocobolo accent ring. This set has been initialed and dated by Dave and is currently up for auction on Ebay.

Wednesday

Acorn Lace Bobbins


Dave has handcrafted this pair of continental style acorn lace bobbins using birch, oak and olive green poplar woods. They are approximately 4 inches long. These beautiful bobbins are currently up for auction on Ebay.