I’ve just become acquainted with some wonderful new spool knitters:Crystalite French Knitters from Susan Bates. They’re 4 and 6 peg spool knitters and are very sturdy.

I really like them! They’re solidly made and are very nice to work with.

One of the things that is really neat is being able to see the cord while it’s still inside the spool knitter. They come with a wonderful little tool (Sylvalume Handi tool) that has a hook on one end and a point on the other.

Definitely thumbs up on these ones!

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

About 10 years ago, I was thrilled to bits to see a very special spool knitter on eBay. I have always loved spool knitting, but until then, hadn’t seen a spool knitter that looked like a doll.

I was so excited to see a spool knitter that was painted to look like Little Orphan Annie. I bid on her and won the auction.

Boy, was I ticked off when the seller decided that the price hadn’t gone high enough and refused to honor the auction. Humph!

I was really annoyed. But, I always figure:

Why get mad? Why not get creative?

So I asked my husband to turn me a spool knitter on the lathe, so I could burn it and embellish it the way I wanted.

Little did I know that one thing would lead to another.

And, so…. over the last decade, we have made countless spool knitters – each one totally unique and one of a kind.

The spool knitter on the right in the pic above, is the very first spool knitter that we made.

The one on the left is a vintage Spears spool knitter that a friend sent me. I would have LOVED to have had one like that when I was a child!

I am still completely in love with spool knitting and am still designing for the spool knitter. It’s such a delight!

Here are links for lots of spool knitted projects that I have designed. Have fun with them!

AND

Happy news for people who would like charming little spool knitter people at a very reasonable price:

Lion Brand makes darling little 4 peg spool knitter dollies.

They are really sturdy and very pleasant to work with.

My next posting is about some more new spool knitters that I really like.

(PS: I don’t profit by telling you about them- I just really like them.)

Happy Spool knitting!

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

An ‘e’ friend of mine, Marian Clark, has the most extraordinary collection of spool knitters I have ever seen.

She fell in love with the Jane Austen with a purple cape Spool knitter and bought it. She also bought the -next-

Jane Austen, even though I was still working on it, and hadn’t photographed it yet!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

So, I am steaming along on new work that has got me just beside myself with excitement….. and I can’t say peep about it!

BUT, luckily, I am working on other things that I can chat away about like mad.

One of the things that I am sooooooooo excited about is our new series of Jane Austen Spool knitters.

Jim’s really busy these days, so he doesn’t have a lot of time at the lathe. I keep bugging him to puhleeeeeeeeze turn me another Jane Austen….. so in self defense, he’s squeezing in as much lathe time as he can.

Here’s the Jane Austen homage spool knitter that I just finished.  I take the pics of the spool knitters before I varnish them, as the varnish flashes so much that it messes up the pics.  This pic was taken late at night, so it doesn’t do her justice. But, I was so excited about her that I just had to put her pic up!

This one has our Jane Austen heroine wearing a lavender cape with the hood up….

And now…. I need Jim to turn another Jane Austen….. there are so many more I want to make…….

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

I am just in seventh heaven.

PBS is having a Jane Austen extravaganza that has me completely blissed.

I’ve been a Jane Austen fanatic since I was 11 years old, and still have my first copy of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ that  started my addiction.

I’ve been working madly to deadline on new design work, so haven’t had time to get to the Jane Austen spool knitters that I have been languishing to start.

I met a pile of deadlines this week, so I took a breather, and finished up this first Homage to Jane Austen spool knitter.

I made a Jane Austen crochet hook a week or two back and posted about her

Ah, PBS…. thank you thank you!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn