Back in late September or early October, I was in the broom shop at the Ozark Folk Center, chatting with visitors while between brooms when in comes a little bundle of smiles and energy and creativity accompanied by her mother. Seems the young gal, Julianna, had come up with an idea for a Halloween costume and I was just the guy to advise her in creating it.
Now, I know that everyone is thinking witch. And you’d be right… almost.
Julianna wanted her mother to be a witch and she wanted...
Gold knitting needles, of course.
Well, not real gold. That would be kinda pricey and heavy. How about Osage Orange, also called Hedge, Bodark or Bois d’Arc. This is a very hard, rot resistant wood with a gorgeous golden color when first turned. As it ages, it gets darker, but not evenly. The resulting color is like dark chocolate with ribbons or caramel… wait… must be hungry.
These particular knitting needles are size 10.5 and approximately 11-inches in length including the finial...
I’ve a sudden craving for blue raspberry shaved ice. Y’know the stuff. You get it on those hot Summer days and watch the guy in the tiny little trailer vendor kitchen shave the ice until it’s really fine and crystalline. Then he’ll hold the cone filled with powdered while coolness under a pump bottle and spray it with blue sugary goodness. Maybe you’ve only seen ‘em at county fairs or maybe you’re thinking of a Slushee(tm) or Slurpee(tm). It’s really...
A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away (OK, so it was the Renaissance Festival in Colorado some 7 years ago) an elderly lady visited our shop and fondled the yarn and said, wistfully, “I used to love yarn and knitting, but I have arthritis now and it hurts to grip the needles for any length of time.”
That sounded like a challenge to me!
“M’lady,” says I. “Wouldst thou like to knit once again? I believe I canst make needles that wouldst alleviate the painful...
You'll see more brooms than you can shake a ...er... broomstick at
The Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View Arkansas will be the site of a historic gathering of craftspeople honoring the centuries old skill of broom making on Friday, April 23 through Saturday April 25, 2010.
The gathering, a first of it’s kind, has been named the “SweepIn” and will feature some of the most recognized Broom Squires in the United States.
“A lot of well known broom makers have signed up to be...
Ouch! That *%^*$%^#%* hurts!!!!!
About 6 days ago, I bent over to pick up my boots from the floor (the better to slip them on my feet, you see) and felt something give. What I felt next was enough to bring me to tears. I had thrown my back out. I later told people that I hadn’t thrown it out, it left on its own… went on vacation or something. I only wish it had given notice.
We think this was brought on slowly before exploding… the strain of moving and working in unfamiliar conditions,...







