Carved Moose Antler and Katalox Bead Whorl Support Spindle

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

This beautiful bead whorl support spindle has a 1x1 1/2 inch moose antler whorl that Dave has carved with a rose and leaf motif. He crafted the 10 1/2 inch long shaft from katalox. The weight of this spindle is 1.4 ounces (41 grams).

When constructing his spindles, Dave mounts the spindle whorl blank on the shaft, and then turns and shapes the whorl and shaft together to achieve a well balanced spindle. In addition, he further spin balances each spindle by embedding a counterweight, when needed, in the underside of the whorl. He also spin balances them in one of our ceramic inserts.

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

Handmade Nostepinnes

Time has been flying by this summer and we've been getting behind on our blog posts. Dave's newest nostepinnes in the photo above have been sold, but there are more planned for the future. The "Wood Spirit" nostepinne was crafted from a piece of weathered juniper found on our property. The cholla cactus wood nostepinne has an interesting history to it, as it got it's start as part of a walking stick that Dave had made for himself during our time living in Arizona. So, if you purchased one of the first four of these nostepinnes, you have part of that cane :)

                                                                           

Wood Wizard Ash and Curly Maple Magic Wand

Harry Potter and the other students at Hogwarts never had a wand this special! 

This wise wizard emerged from the ash and curly maple while being carefully carved by Dave. The overall length of this beautiful magic wand is 10 3/4 inches, and would be perfect for your fantasy cosplay or any other wizarding pursuits. Please visit our Etsy shop to view this and other hand carved pieces.

Ebony and Fossil Mammoth Ivory Mini Phang Support Spindle

This 8 inch mini phang support spindle  was crafted from ebony. It has been inlayed with fossil mammoth ivory. This beautiful handspinning tool weights 1.6 ounces (44 grams).

**What is fossil ivory?**

Fossil ivory is ancient ivory whose composition has changed from ivory to mineral. Care should be taken to distinguish fossil ivory from recent ivory which has yellowed or discolored. Fossil ivory (including walrus, mammoth and mastodon) and other archaeological and paleontological materials are regulated by an array of Federal and State laws. These items may not be collected on any Federal or
State lands. Fossil ivory may be collected on private lands with the permission of the land owner, and is not regulated under the Marine Mammals Protection Act. Fossil ivory does not have to be tagged or registered. Anyone may sell fossil ivory without first handcrafting it.

**Where do we get our fossil ivory?**

Ancient walrus and mammoth tusks are dug out of the permafrost or bone mounds by Alaskan and Siberian natives annually during the summer thaw and sold to subsidize their family or village income. We buy our ancient walrus ivory shards from ivory buyers that travel to the St. Lawrence Island area to buy from the ivory co-ops.

**Learn more about fossil ivory**

If you would like to learn more about fossil ivory, please visit the link below:
http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/qa_sub_harvest.htm


"Fresh" ivory and elephant ivory will never be used in any of the artwork created by Grizzly Mountain Arts.

New Embroidery Stilettos

Two new embroidery stilettos, or laying tools, were listed in our Etsy shop today.  The woods used are purpleheart and leopardwood.

Golden Oregon Myrtlewood Burl Top Whorl Drop Spindles

Gorgeous doesn't begin to describe the golden Oregon myrtlewood burl that Dave used for these new top whorl drop spindles!  Each has a rich golden color and amazing grain patterns.  The shafts used for these beautiful handspinning tools are jatoba, ebony and purpleheart.  Additional photos can be seen in our Etsy shop.

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.

Tatting Needle Sets with Hand Turned Cases

This is a new item for Grizzly Mountain Arts!  Dave has turned these beautiful 5 3/4" tatting needle cases from myrtlewood burl and birdseye maple. The 5" long Handy Hands tatting needles included with these sets are #8, #7, #5-0 and #3-0. A needle threader is also included with each set.  Additional photos can be seen by clicking the links above.

New Lap Support Spindle Bowls

Four new lap support spindle bowls were listed in our Etsy shop today.  The woods used for these beautiful handspinning tools are walnut, maple, myrtlewood and holly.

Lightweight Ladybug Tatting Shuttles

Two new lightweight ladybug tatting shuttles have been listed in our Etsy shop this afternoon.  These sweet little fiber art tools were crafted by Dave from basswood.

Embroidery Stilettos/Laying Tools

We just listed these five embroidery stilettos, or laying tools, in our Etsy shop.  The woods used by Dave for these beautiful fiber art tools are ebony, Honduras rosewood, osage orange, cocobolo and buffalo bone.  Be sure and visit our Etsy shop to see additional photos of each of these tools.

French Spool Knitters

Four new spool knitters were listed in our Etsy shop today.  The woods are birdseye maple, apricot, tiger maple and white ash.  Each spool knitter comes with a matching loop lifter.

The basic shape of most knitters is always a tube or spool shape with a hole in the center and different numbers of pins around the top to serve as a mini loom. While Dave has made a variety of different knitter shapes, he most commonly uses the basic shape that comes from a duck or goose call. Millions of duck hunters can’t be wrong! He has used these calls himself while hunting waterfowl and during his game warden days he checked hundreds of hunters with the calls hanging around their necks on lanyards. He doesn’t know when the basic shape of the duck call first came about but it has been round for over a hundred years and is the best design for hand holding.


When he was turning a few different game calls he noted how similar the shape was to the original “Knitting Nancy” spool knitters so he adapted the basic shape of the lower part of the game calls to be the primary shape of his spool knitters. Like duck calls, they can be carved, inlayed, burn etched or embellished in many different ways.

Book of Kells Cat and Mouse Ceramic Bowls

It is believed that the Book of Kells was written at the end of the eighth century at the monastery of Iona.  Its purpose was to serve as an illuminated liturgical Gospel to be displayed on an altar, and as such, was beautifully illustrated with elaborate drawings.

On the Chi Rho page, animals representing the air, birds and moths, of the sea, fish and otters and of the land, cats and mice.  These earthenware clay bowls depict what could have been a resident sanctuary cat chasing a mouse that has stolen a eucharistic host.

These beautiful, earthy deep blue bowls that we created by hand, are perfect for so many things!  Rings, pins, votive candles or even as small prep dishes. The cat dish measures about 2 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch deep, and the mouse dish measures 3 1/4 inches wide and 1/4 inch deep.  Additional photos can be found at the listing for these sweet little bowls in our Etsy shop.

New Andean/Peruvian Style Bottom Whorl Drop Spindles

Six new Andean style reproduction spindles have been added to our Etsy shop!  Andean spindles are suspended drop spindles with no frills...no hook, no notches and no grooves. They were developed to spin long-staple alpaca and other camelid fibers native to the Andes. Spinning is done off the side using a half hitch.  

Swiss Pear Flat Style Tatting Shuttle with Carved Rose Motif

Swiss Pear was the wood chosen by Dave to create this beautiful 3 1/4 inch long flat style tatting shuttle. He has carved his signature rose and leaf motif onto one side, and painted it with acrylic paint. Diamond glaze was used to seal the paint to protect it from wear. Beeswax was used to finish this shuttle.  You can find this little beauty for sale in our Etsy shop.

Carved Moose Antler and Ebony Mini Rim Weighted Top Whorl Drop Spindle

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

This unique 0.8 ounce moose antler rim weighted top whorl drop spindle has been intricately carved by Dave with his signature leaf motif. The notched whorl measures 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and the ebony shaft is 7 3/4 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.

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

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.

Ceramic Trinket Dishes

It's been a long time since we added a new item to our portfolio, so we are very excited to show our newest pieces.  Our sweet little trinket dishes are perfect for so many things!  Rings, pins, votive candles or even as small prep dishes.  We created each dish by hand from earthenware clay, and glazed each dish with lead free glaze.  These little beauties measure a little over 2 1/2 inches in diameter, and about 1/2 inch in depth.  Each dish has been signed, and will be shipped in a gift box.  Be sure and stop by our Etsy shop to view more photos of these adorable little bowls.

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.