Day 11 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms-Upcycling plastic bottles into spool knitters-The Storyteller Spool knitter
In my Day 9 post, I showed how I upcycled a sturdy cardboard tube into a spool knitter that I love as it’s an Homage to Jane Austen. At the same time that I was making the Jane Austen spool knitter, I was experimenting with upcyling a plastic bottle to see if I could make a reasonable spool knitter with it for my #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms.
The bottle has to be fairly sturdy, so I chose an empty vitamin bottle.
I wanted to see if the sharpened end of 7 lolly pop sticks would work as the pegs.
They are okay, but I prefer the blunt ends, so I won’t use the sharp ends as pegs again.
I marked off 1 1/2 inches(4 cm) at the end of each.
Next- I put 3 rubber bands onto the bottle and one at a time, I slipped a lollypop stick into them
and hot glued them to the bottle.
Then, layers of papier mache,
and decorative paper – I love that I found a delightful image of a storyteller with some bouncy kids and also a few goddess images, a few hippos and some almost invisible elephants.
Now mod podge to seal.
I had cut a too small hole in the end of the bottle, so I carefully cut the excess plastic away
and the Storyteller spool knitter works just fine!
If you’d like to make a large spool knitter without woodworking tools, and have a few crafting tools, then you can make yourself a spool knitter that is uniquely yours and pleasing to work with.
You need a sturdy core for the body of the spool knitter. I wound off some jute string onto a bobbin to free up a cardboard tube.
It’s 1 1/2 inches/4 cm in diameter (yours can be any diameter that you happen to have) and 4 1/4 inches/10.5 cm tall.
I bought a little bag of bamboo lolly pop sticks in the candy making aisle of the grocery store (craft stores sell them too). They’re 1/4 inches/.5 cm in diameter and 5 inches/25 cm tall.
Mark 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) from the end of 6 (or however many you want) of them.
Line up the marks so they stick out from the end of the tube.
Glue the dowels to the outside of the tube with hot glue.
Now, mix up some wallpaper glue or thin some white glue.
Tear up paper and glue layers of it to the spool knitter.
My Homage to Jane Austen spool knitter is one of the unexpected delights that has unfolded for me because of my project, the #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up 4 old encyclopedias at the Re Use centre to use in papier mache projects.
What a thrill to find an article about Jane Austen in one of them. I immediately pulled her pages out and carefully tore them into sizes and shapes to fit the spool knitter. Then, I gleefully glued them on.
I waited overnight for the papier mache to dry and then added a little bit of color with water color pencil crayons and Mod Podged it.
I am absolutely delighted with my Homage to Jane Austen spool knitter!
#100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms has given me a lovely gift!
BTW- there are benefits of working with ‘larger than usual’ spool knitters and I will be showing those in upcoming posts.
Day 6 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms-Upcycling thrift shop bowls into spool knitters
I have been working on a whole bunch of things for #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms all at once and have gotten all out of order on doing posts.
Back on Day 6 of #the100dayproject2026 I started working on a series of posts about upcycling to make spool knitters.
Last summer, when I was talking with my brother Jonathan (@distinctivewoodworking) about co-creating different sizes and shapes of spool knitters, I mentioned that I often make larger than what people usually expect spool knitters to be by upcycling thrift shop bowls.
He and his son, Kieran turn a LOT of gorgeous bowls on the lathe.
Sometimes, there are ‘oops’ and a bowl goes boink and gets tossed into the firewood box.
Jonathan said: Do you want some of those to make into spool knitters?
YES yes yes, I shrieked.
So I showed him how I take an unloved bowl from the thrift shop
and sand off the varnish (because usually, the varnish on thrift shop bowls is in tough shape).
And, I drill a big hole in the base, then 6, 7 or 8 holes for pegs,
Then I glue in pegs and I draw & burn on it, paint it, varnish it and Voila!
Start spool knitting with it!
I remembered to take pics of the process with the first bowl, but doh, completely forgot to do that with the second one.
Hurrah for upcycling! I’ll be posting lots more about upcyling things to make spool knitters.
And, yes, lots of posts about what you can make with spool knitters. As I said to Jonathan today:
Context and content! Spool knitters are just shelf warmers if they don’t have a good project or 10 to inspire people to pick them up and start creating with them! So… yes…. lots of projects will be unfolding as I trundle forward with #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms
Day 7 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms-Upcycling one of a kind bowls into spool knitters
For the #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, Jonathan sent me a box of spool knitter blanks and some bowls that were damaged when he and his son Kieran turned them on the lathe.
A Paduak pot pourri bowl has been singing to me since I opened the box, and finally, today, I drilled a hole in the base that is larger than the rip out, then 7 holes for the pegs, and did a little sanding and glued in pegs.
I was utterly gobsmacked by how freaking gorgeous it is, and there is no way that I am going to I draw or burn on it! I put a light coat of walnut oil on it, so I have to let it dry over night before I can start spool knitting with it!
I tore over to the computer and fired off a ‘WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE’ message to Jonathan to tell him how I am absolutely swooning over this glorious spool knitter. Wow. Just wow….
I also informed Jonathan that he is a bad influence, because the two of us just keep whipping up more and more ideas and I can barely keep up! I love feeling inspired! and #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms is definitely doing that for me!
I have designed a 2nd way of making the small Kindness Loom for the Weaving Kindness Project.
The link to order the 2 PDFs of Step by Step Instructions for making both of the Kindness Looms is: LINK
The first PDF shows how to make a Kindness Loom using pins to weave on
and the 2nd PDF shows how to make a Kindness Loom with mat board and cribbage pegs .
Both versions of the Kindness loom work equally well for all the projects I have designed for the Weaving Kindness Project.
The Weaving Kindness Project is about weaving small tokens of caring, kindness, comfort, wishes for good luck, sweet peace and blessings!
To see photos of the Kindness projects that I have designed to weave on the Kindness Pin Loom and links to order the PDF instructions for making them, please go to:
We all need ‘joy bursts’ that cause us to suddenly laugh in a way that dissolves the bubble of misery that has been puffed up all over the place these days.
Laughter is good medicine! And sure enough, when I show people the Flying Joy Pig, their first response is usually a hoot of laughter followed by an ‘oooh so cute’.
These little piggies really are adorable and they do their job of making people laugh and smile very well! AND they are a lot of fun to make, so I highly recommend these little sweeties as Kindness Critters!
When I say that the Flying Joy Pig is small…. I mean it! They are only 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) from tip of nose to curly tail.
They are so satisfying to make. I hope you will enjoy them and make lots and lots of them to merrily fly out into the world and spread their sweet joyful kindness and delight wherever they flutter!
PS: If you want to wear the Flying Joy Pig as a pin, then stitch a pin back to it. They would also make delightful earrings. A jump ring with a tiny brass safety pin attached to one of the wings allows the Flying Joy Pig to be pinned to a lapel, bag or hat. A loop of yarn makes it easy to hang the Flying Joy Pig on a push pin or in a plant or from the rear view mirror.
Yikes- the stress of the insanity out in the world these days is causing me to have panic attacks in the night.
I have found that getting up and warping up my Kindness Loom really helps me to get myself regulated and able to sleep again.
I have been working very hard on a new pattern for the Weaving Kindness project and hope to have it done soon so I can get it out into the world. But last night, I needed a break from ‘figuring it out’ so it was the Lucky Penny Pouches that called to me:
I find it so soothing to weave and stitch together the Lucky Penny Pouches…. these are going to be going to friends and family members that are dealing with challenges, and it made my heart happy to be weaving Kindness for them.
Sometimes, I get freaked out and think that my little bit of Kindness Weaving isn’t going to make any difference, but today I was re-assured by a post that Martha Beck wrote about using your art to calm down your amigdala as a way of healing your broken heart and thus healing the broken heart of the world.
That was so helpful! So, I will keep weaving threads of hope and healing, and hope that you will, too!
Big hugs ❤
I posted YouTube videos that show how to weave a square on the Kindness Loom and how to make a Lucky Penny Pouch. Those links are at: L I N K
Be well, be safe, be kind, take good care, get some sleep and WEAVE ON! ❤
When I was a little girl, I remember when my parents saw a penny on the ground, they would say:
“Find a Penny, Pick it Up, and on that day, you’ll have good luck!”
Then, they would offer it to someone, saying: “Here’s a Lucky Penny for you! Good Luck!”.
I love making little gifts to brighten the day of someone (friend, family. acquaintance or stranger) and
I decided to make a new little Kindness gift.
It seems to me that right now, everyone we know (and don’t know) all need to feel like some Good Luck will come their way,
so that’s why I have come up with the Lucky Penny Pouches.
I have made this step by step video tutorial to show how to weave and make a Lucky Penny Pouch (for good luck!) using the Kindness Loom that I designed for my ‘Weaving Kindness Project’.
The Lucky Penny Pouches turn ‘lost and found’ pennies into little Good Luck treasures that say to people: You matter! I wish you well! and Good Luck!
The Lucky Penny Pouches are quick and easy and fun to make and to give away. You’ll need the Kindness Loom and to weave one square on it. The video tutorial is available on my youtube channel.
When we offer a tiny handmade gift that shows another person that we care about them and that they matter, it is a small act but an essential one.
It’s so lovely to brighten another person’s day by delighting them with a tiny handmade comfort gift.
Amazingly enough, that makes your day so much better, too! What a good way to help to create connection, community and hope.
That is why I have designed a whole bunch of charming little woven ‘Kindness Gifts’ and a small simple, eco friendly pin loom, the Kindness loom, that people can make for themselves using just a few household tools and upcycled materials.
The Kindness looms are perfect for weaving all manner of petite, simple and sweet Kindness gifts that are easy to make. They are a lovely a way to say: “I wish you well”.
The Kindness Pin Loom is all about weaving small tokens of caring, kindness, comfort, wishes for good luck, sweet peace and blessings! From the tiniest flying pigs, Lucky Penny pouches, Comfort Bears, Vasilisa Dolls, Angels, Goddesses to ‘Portrait’ Dolls in homage to family and friends, the Kindness Pin Loom can weave them all, because I am designing them with love and best wishes!
Making things that embody joy and whimsy in small things can add up to great goodness, can’t it? Yup. ❤
As I make the pdf’s for the Kindness projects that I have designed to weave on the Kindness Loom and load them up to my etsy shop, where they will be for sale for a modest fee, I’ll post the links to an all links page LINK And, as I make youtube videos on how to weave on the Kindness Loom as well as some freebie projects, I’ll post those links on the same page, too.
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