Sometime last week, I saw a feature in a magazine (Vogue Knitting?) about knitting spools that led to an evening of insomnia. They were all so colorful and kitschy; why didn't I own one? After tossing and turning all night with a horrible bout of tool envy, I decided to go searching on the internet for these lil' guys.
There were quite a few vintage ones on Etsy, but they all seemed too precious (and expensive) to actually use. eBay is always my backup plan when I see something I love but think that it costs too much. After trying a handful of researched terms (knitting spool, knitting nancy and strickliesel), I finally found a ton in my price range.
Even if I had been hesitant to buy one for $10, after reading the seller's description there was no way I couldn't "buy it now"!
See?
"When I was 6 yrs old my sister made a jumping rope for me on her Strick Liesel. Now that I am over 70 yrs young I made some Strick Liesels for children or grown- ups who like to do more than watch TV. The spool knitter is an ideal toy, and a lot of crafts can be made with the cords. F.E. potholders ,headbands, scarfs etc. One way to get rid of left over wool or yarns."
It just melts your heart, right? How could you NOT buy one?
I was afraid to start using it on my on and waited anxious to show my fairy craftmother, Lea, what I had found. Of course, she knew exactly what it was, how to thread it and how to fix the sloppy end I had started.
I'm not sure if it's much easier than knitting i-cord on two DPN's, but it is addictive and the result is very clean and uniform. I can't help but smile when I look down into my hand and see this little guy!
Have you experimented with any new tools?
