new spindolyn models! and what wood would I if I would…

I have been asked a few times about the woods that I use to make the spindolyns. Why I don’t use exotic woods, why I limit my production to certain woods. I do so, because I know that to some extent (as much as can be said, in this ruthless world that we live in) that these particular species can be harvested sustainably, that they are fairly common and resilient species, and that their harvest provides income for many people in the South Eastern US, parts of the Northwest and Canada. I can’t know this personally about imported woods, so I stick with what I know.
Wood for me is an emotional thing (it is, another form of fiber, after all)  So follows is a dissertation on why I use what I use, with more personal info than you probably want to know
I love wood, and I love trees. So much so that the minor for my degree in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan is in Forestry. At one time I was a park ranger, and then later in my life I was  passionately active in a lobbying the state Tennessee to adopt legislation to insure best management practices in logging to protect future stands of timber and stream quality in the state.(this effort failed, of course)
  This coincided with  a time in my life when I lived at a sawmill and it was a giant conflict for me, to see big dead tree bodies come in on trucks, and then to see fabulously beautiful walnut, oak or cherry come off the mill or out of the kiln. I couldn’t wait to get ahold of some of the scraps from the “real lumber” and run to the woodshop with it to get started making something, a spindle, a lap loom, furniture for pixies.  Contrary-wise I also couldn’t stand to see the empty places on the Upper Cumberland where the forests once stood. Life is about conflict.
I also knew plenty of loggers personally, and saw as the small scale sustainable loggers where pushed out of business by the large scale loggers using giant, immensely destructive logging equipment. But then over the years, I have watched as trees filled back in, slowly  and stunted and certainly not majestically, and missing much of the diversity of flora and fauna that the old ways of harvesting preserved. But at least I can see regrowth, and at least I know the enemy. I can’t say that about exotic lumbers or far off logging practices.
  The bases, mostly “ready fetched on” as Granny would have said, are either maple, Canadian birch or fir. These are also “somewhat sustainable” woods, grown in the US or Canada, and for the spindles, I stick with the wood I know, cherry, oak, walnut and poplar, wood grown in the forests I know.


I have added a new base (the Orbia) to the spindolyn lineup. I like the stability of the cubia base so much, that I added this one, with roundier corners, that let you tilt it easy for winding on.
Unlike the cubia, the tube sits in it straight upward, instead of at an angle…if you want the angle, you just tilt it..or not.
Also there is a new whorl model. I have named it the Melody, it is like the mezzo but just enough larger in diameter to give you more capacity and a wee bit slower spin, good for thicker yarns and plying.
And, ta da! I have finally opened my Etsy store, and have posted and sold some fancier spindolyns, out of cherry and walnut and oak..Etsy is fun   I can’t wait to have some time to get some pixies up on Etsy, too.

Helping Middle Tennessee, thank you all for asking…

Now that the floodwaters are receding, and clean up is well underway, it is easy to see that it is going to be a long and expensive road to recovery for the area. I know that Nashville proper will quickly get back on its feet to get the tourist dollars flowing, but the more economically strained communities, which were the hardest hit, will need a lot of help.

There is also a fund for help for musicians, which for me is a particularly sympathetic cause. Many people don’t realize that if you are not a “Current Artist” or a “Star”, if you are just starting out or a “used to be”, or “just a sideman” you are making slim wages with most likely no insurance. It is this latter group that is the backbone of the music world, the foundation that brings you the “sound” that everyone loves to enjoy. Many of these folks have lost all their equipment and are now “washed up” without help. An average “rig” necessary to get gigs can reach 6,000 or more to replace. These folks give their hearts every night, so I put their cause on the top of the list to give back to them.

MusiCares (the Grammy organization's non-profit arm) has established a Nashville Flood Relief Fund. To donate, click here.

Middle Tennessee Red Cross (this site has a banner for each or the rural areas)
Middle Tennessee Red Cross is continuing to garner financial support to continue providing relief to victims of local disaster flooding. For those who have been displaced or need help you can contact the Red Cross - there is also a listing of local shelters on their website. Folks wishing to donate can do so online at www.middletennredcross.org

Hands On Nashville focuses its efforts on providing volunteers to flood relief efforts. You can make a donation here.

To donate to the flood relief efforts of the Nashville Area Salvation Army, click here.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has established the "Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund," with all donated funds to aid flood victims. Click here.