beautiful tools, part I

If you were to ask my husband what I talk about most on the trip to a festival, he would probably reply “pretty wpi tool”. Sure, I could buy online, but for some reaosn this is something I wanted to buy at a festival. I wanted to touch. I wanted it to jump out at me and surprise me. I wanted it to say “I am the pretty tool you cannot make on your own. You have need of me. You find me beautiful and useful. I do not just do one thing, like the WPI tool you made.”

However, at most festivals I end up distracted by fibre, or animals, or the weather, or some combination. By the time I remember I want to look for a WPI tool we’re either halfway home or dripping wet and over budget because of some alpaca that befriended me.

This year at Rhinebeck it was different. I limited myself. I set guidelines. I went looking for two things and wasn’t too concerned about my budget for them, however if I could not find one, then I needed to really think about looking for the other. Having just set up a whole room for my fibrey needs I knew there was very little I truly needed.

I knew I needed to give serious search for a WPI tool and a I knew I would like another lightweight spindle.

Why did I want a WPI tool when a ruler or a pencil can work? I’ve made a few of them and I’ve not yet set up wood working tools to provide me with the tool I see myself using in my head. After I’ve put all this effort into my handspun, I want to figure out its weight with a nice beautiful tool that feels nice in my hands and is nice to look at.

How did I know about the spindle? That’s a story for next week. It involves the temptress Limonene.

So I set off with my prioritized wish list and slowly made my way from vendor to vendor. As I began to despair and allow for spindle distraction, I was thrilled to find my WPI tool. It is better than I expected as it includes both of the gauge measures I was looking for and it includes a diz! As you probably know by now, I like my tools multi-functional, well made, practical, and appealing to as many senses as possible. This mixed exotic wood beauty does not disappoint. It’s not the sort of wood choice I would generally make, but by the time I got there Sunday morning I was already feeling fatigued so I went with it. I think it appeals to me because it so so very different from my normal choice.

With luck I’ll write up some of the yarn I’ve spun recently. However, next week look for my new spindle love. Bonus? Dating him won’t break the bank. I was surprised too, thinking he was used to a much more extravagant lifestyle. I’m feeding him BFL at the moment and he’s enjoying it.

• Category: handmade
• Tag: spin