New Tools

I take after my Grandma Hopkins when it comes to tools...I love to have the best tool for the job. It doesn't need to be costly but it can't be "cheap"! It needs to be well made, practical and efficient. If it's beautiful too...then it's all the better. Here are two new tools I purchased recently. I like to support small artisans when I can because I know it is hard to have your own business at times.

The spindle is for spinning lace. It comes from Running Moon Farm in Louisiana. She also sells on eBay where I got this. She paints spinning wheels and spins and her husband and BIL do wood working. They also raise a rare breed of sheep called Gulf Coast Native and sell the wool. Poke around her website and see lamb pictures and all her neat stuff. Back to the spindle...it's cherry wood from Louisiana and a red agate stone. The spindle is small about 7" with the stone being about 1 3/4 inches. Running Moon Farm was hit strongly during Hurricane Rita which occurred right after Katrina and didn't get as much publicity, but certainly did alter peoples' lives.

The second is a purple heart nostepinne or nostepinde (depending on which Scandinavian language you read it in) which is used for winding balls of yarn. My friend Sharon of Ewe'n Me Country Crafts has a lot of wonderful stuff for sale on her website or her Etsy shop. Check out the sheep embroidered kitchen towels and the beautiful knitting bags. Her husband Fred is the wood artisan. He made my Nostepinne and the handles for all of Sharon's knitting bags.

Okay, now I'm shuffling back to cleaning, organizing and watching the kids!