I have become captivated by turning wooden dolls on the lathe- but these dolls are more than just dolls.
copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
They are hard working little souls.
That’s because they are also nostepinnes. (see: Tarn Tutu)
I love nostepinnes, and rarely wind yarn on my yarn winder anymore. Nosties just are so much nicer to work with.
I seem to be unable to resist the siren call of the woodworking shop, and right now, it’s the Nostie Dolls that are insisting on being made….
When I am making a one of a kind doll, I always find that a story unfolds about that doll.
When I was turning ‘Miss Ermingarde’, it was clear that she simply ~had~ to have an elaborate hat. What can I say?
She’s just ALL about the hat!
So, I listened, and turned, and sanded, and polished, and drew, and burned and painted, and varnished and sanded and varnished and sanded and varnished and sanded…. and then she was done!
Now… about that story that she told me?
copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
Miss Ermingarde’s New Hat Was a Triumph
The room fell silent as Miss Ermingarde stepped through the door.
Eyebrows flickered upwards. Forks were arrested in mid lift.
But, Miss Ermingarde willed them all to see the glorious delight, the perfect panache of her splendid new hat.
First, Mr Whyte succumbed and nodded his approval. An out rush of suspended breaths followed.
And Miss Ermingarde sailed into the room, knowing that in the beat of a heart in springtime, her new hat was indeed, a triumph…..
Lovely! I have a few nostepinnes that I’ve collected because of their beauty, but I don’t have one as interesting as Miss Irmingarde. If she has a sister named Miss Imogene, I would be glad to give her a home in Illinois. ; )
Have you ever made or seen a nostepinne that would work for making balls of thread? I’m thinking of all the hand-dyed thread I’ve collected that’s in skeins. I imagine it would have to be pencil thin to work properly. What do you think?
Miss Ermingarde obviously spoke to you quite elegantly because that’s some beautiful hat!
I love your stories as much as your beautiful work. I have MS and am confined to a wheelchair and I enjoy hearing about your work and how things are made. It lets me live a little bit outside of my world. Miss Ermingarde’s Hat sounded like it was going to be a great story, something out of Agatha Christie style. I’m sorry I’m rambling. I just wanted to tell you Thanks for perking my life up and keep up the excellent work. Take care, Molly
Hi Diane
Thank you so much! It was sooooooooo much fun working on Miss Ermingarde!
I am currently working on ‘Flora’, but I do believe that ‘Miss Imogene’ may well be cocooned inside a lovely piece of wood out in the woodworking shop! Hmmmmm….. I am sure that she has a story to tell….
I use my regular nostepinne s if I have enough thread to make a largish ball. And, yes, I do have a wee nostie for small amounts of thread- although, I often will use a bobbin or shuttle to wind it.
I will be posting more pics as the Nostie Doll Sisters are born….
Thanks so much, Aleksa!
I am just loving the process of making the Nostepinne Dolls- I just wish that there were more hours in the day so I could have more time to be at the lathe!
Ah, Molly, you truly made my day! Thank you so much for your very kind note!
I was actually a little nervous about posting Miss Ermingarde’s story… you know how it is… some people simply wouldn’t get it! But, your lovely response made me feel like it is totally okay to be open enough to express whimsy!
Miss Ermingarde has more sisters and cousins, so there will certainly be more stories….
blessings!
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I understand entirely. In fact, I was stitching away on a leg for a new amigurumi piece when the yarn flat-out told me it most certainly was NOT a leg, and was an octopus instead!
Well, when your yarn is that adamant, what can you do? If I’d tried to go on and force it to be a leg, it would have turned out horribly. So, I turned the once-leg-now-octopus-head upside down (right-side up?) and stitched on two little eyes.
Making the tentacles was an adventure, certainly, but I do believe I’ll be making another octopus for this one so he has a friend.
The doll before? I was making a punk rock kind of guy, but once again, the yarn said it was a girl instead. So now I have a mohawked blue girl. Go figure!
I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes you have to listen to what you’re working with to help it become what it’s supposed to be.