Tag Archives: #spoolknitter #spoolknitters #littlelooms #spoollknitting #woodworking #the100dayproject2026 #the100dayproject #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms @noreen.cronefindlay @distinctivewoodworking

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!