New Carved Bone Embroidery Laying Tools

Two new carved bone embroidery laying tools were recently listed in our Etsy shop.  Each beautiful tool, carved by Dave, measures 4 inches in length.  The tool above comes with an Oregon myrtlewood case, and the tool below comes with an East Indian rosewood case.

We're on Big Cartel!

We think we have found the perfect selling venue for our fossil ivory items! We had originally planned on selling directly from our blog, but having to have separate PayPal payments for each item just wasn't what we wanted for our customers. Enter Big Cartel! Jo had originally used the Grizzly Mountain Arts Big Cartel store for her earthenware jewelry, but it’s been sitting empty filling with cobwebs for some time now.

PayPal is still the payment method, but you can purchase multiple items and only have to check out once, and we've even added a direct link to our store on our Facebook page. Just look for the shopping cart with the word “Store” below it.

In the future, any other fiber art tools such as a spindle with fossil ivory inlay will also be sold at this store.  If you'd like to check it out now, simply click on the "GMA on Big Cartel" tab above.

Carved Bone Combination WPI Gauge and Diz

Dave has carved this beautiful combination WPI gauge and diz from bone. He has carved his signature rose and leaf motif on one corner, and polished this fiber art tool to have a wonderfully smooth and high gloss finish.

The overall dimensions of this tool are 2 3/4 inches in length and 1 1/4 inches in width. The holes measure 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 inch.

Four new embroidery laying tools, also called stilettos, were listed in our Etsy shop today.  The woods used by Dave are goncalo alves, jatoba, mesquite and chechen.

New Bone Laying Tools with Wood Cases

Three new bone laying tools, or stilettos, have been listed in our Etsy shop today.  The woods Dave chose for the cases are Oregon myrtlewood burl, stunning tiger maple (an incredible amount of chatoyancy) and a beautiful joined wood.  Additional photos of each set can be found by clicking the links above.

Bone Embroidery Laying Tool with Cocobolo Case

Dave has crafted this beautiful 4 1/4" embroidery laying tool, or stiletto, from bone. He chose a gorgeous piece of cocobolo to craft the 5" long case.

New French Spool Knitters

Myrtlewood, cocobolo, Swiss pear and Hawaiian golden pheasant wood was used by Dave to craft these gorgeous French spool knitters.  Each spool knitter also comes with a matching wood and brass loop lifter.  Additional photos of each beautiful fiber art tool can be found in our Etsy shop.

Holly and Walnut Top Whorl Drop Spindle with Pyrography

Dave has crafted the 2 3/8 inch diameter notched whorl of this top whorl drop spindle from holly, and the 10 inch shaft from walnut. A brass hook has been added to the top, and the whorl has been adorned with a floral motif.   The weight of this beautiful handspinning tool is 0.7 ounces.  Additional photos can be found at our Etsy shop listing for this spindle.

New Upcycled Flat Style Tatting Shuttles

Six new flat style tatting shuttles were listed in the "Fiber Art Tool" section of our Etsy shop today.  These shuttles are 3 1/4 inches long by 1 1/8 inch wide and 1/4 inch thick. Dave made the resin adornments by making a mold of an antique button, and beeswax was used to finish the shuttles.

The Return of the Queen!

.....the "Little Queen Bee" tatting shuttle, that is!  It’s been a while since Dave has made any tatting shuttles. Since he can no longer do the intricate small work required for the more elaborate shuttles, he is going to concentrate on flat shuttles.

This “Little Queen Bee” flat shuttle has been a favorite of our tatting customers (it sold in our Etsy shop before I could get it posted here or on Facebook, but there will be more in the future). Made from upcycled blinds, it is super lightweight and very smooth to the touch with its beeswax finish.

Mini Rim Weighted Chechen and Birch Top Whorl Drop Spindle

Dave has crafted the 1 7/8 inch diameter notched whorl of this rim weighted top whorl drop spindle from beautiful chechen, and the 7 1/4 inch shaft from birch. A brass hook has been added to the top. The weight of this gorgeous rim weighted handspinning tool is 0.9 ounces.  An additional photo can be seen in our Etsy shop.

Fossil Ivory Nalbinding Needles

We have just listed four new medieval Norse fossil ivory nalbinding needles to our Etsy shop.  Dave has created these needles in a variety of sizes.  Additional photos can be seen here.

Medieval Norse Fossil Mammoth Ivory Nalbinding Rug Needle

New in our Etsy shop today!  Dave has carved this 5 1/4" long nalbinding rug needle from fossil mammoth ivory.  Please click here for more information about this beautiful fiber art tool.

Vintage Inspired Resin Cameo Needle Minders

They're back!  After a long absence, we have just listed new vintage inspired resin cameo needle minders to the "Fiber Art Tools" section of our Etsy shop.


These 1 1/2" long cameo needle minders were made from gorgeous vintage inspired resin cameos. Dave has inlayed a rare earth magnet with clear resin on the back, and also inlayed another rare earth magnet into white faux ivory resin that he turned on the lathe. Together, these beauties will "mind" your needle conveniently on your project! Separated, each cameo needle minder would also make a beautiful refrigerator magnet.

Rare-earth magnets are strong, permanent magnets made from alloys of rare earth elements. Rare-earth magnets are substantially stronger than ferrite or alnico magnets, so you'll need to keep this away from your credit cards or pacemaker.

0.8 Ounce Wormy Maple Top Whorl Drop Spindle

Dave has crafted the 2 7/8 inch diameter notched whorl of this top whorl drop spindle from wormy maple, and the 9 inch shaft from walnut. A brass hook has been added to the top.  The weight of this beautiful handspinning tool is 0.8 ounces.  Additional photos can be viewed in our Etsy shop.

New Andean/Peruvian Style Bottom Whorl Drop Spindles

These are Dave's newest Andean style bottom whorl drop spindles. The woods used are from left to right:

*Cedar and Mahogany

*Oak and Redheart

*Walnut and Hickory

*Poplar and Cherry

*Paduak and Hickory

Be sure add "Like" Grizzly Mountain Arts on Facebook to get the latest updates on our new fiber art tools BEFORE they are listed in our Etsy shop!

Carved Moose Antler and Cocobolo Rim Weighted Top Whorl Drop Spindle

This unique 1.1 ounce (30gram) moose antler rim weighted top whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature leaf motif. The notched whorl measures 1 5/8 inches in diameter, and the cocobolo shaft is 7 1/4 inches in length. The bottom of the shaft has been shaped to accommodate a half hitch and a brass hook has been added to the top.  Please click here to view additional photos of this beautiful handspinning tool.

Carved Moose Antler and Purpleheart Bottom Whorl Drop Spindle

This unique 1.4 ounce (41grams) moose antler bottom whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature rose and leaf motif. The whorl measures 1 7/8 inches in diameter, and the purpleheart shaft is 9 1/2 inches in length. A brass hook has been added to the top, and a steel bumper to the bottom.  Please visit our Etsy shop to view more photos of this beautiful handspinning tool.

Pacific Yew and Hickory Tibetan Support Spindle

This beautiful Tibetan support spindle weights 1.2 ounces (35 grams). The hickory shaft measures 11 1/2 inches in length, and the whorl, which is crafted from Pacific yew, measures about 1 3/4 inches in diameter.  Additional photos can be seen in our Etsy shop.

Dave checks all of his spindles for balance. Occasionally he finds a spindle whorl that has two different densities (and weights) of wood which can occur naturally, and cause the spindle to wobble. He carefully drills and insets just the right amount of brass rod as a counterbalance to evenly distribute the weight. He has decorated the resulting brass dot as a sun symbol, paying homage to the Navajo people who are famous for their fiber spinning and weaving skills.

Myrtlewood and Hickory Tibetan Support Spindle

This beautiful Tibetan support spindle weights 1.1 ounces (30 grams). The hickory shaft measures 10 1/2 inches in length, and the whorl, which measures about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, is crafted from myrtlewood.  Click here to see additional photos of this tool.