​THE SIZE & SHAPE
Our best-selling Large Yarn Bowls are taller and narrower than competing yarn bowls. The tall sides are designed to loosely hug a ball of yarn to prevent it from popping out when the yarn is tugged quickly. Measuring 6.5”-8” (diameter) x 5-6” deep; a variety of shapes is determined by the characteristics of each wood specimen as the yarn bowls are turned on the lathe. This results in a truly unique, one-of-a-kind yarn bowl that can’t be duplicated!

ALL our large yarn bowls are designed to fit the following criteria:

THEY MAKE FROGGING A BREEZE!
Need to frog several rows? Frog that yarn into your Large Yarn Bowl and it will pile or stack in a contained manner so you can set your project aside without the risk of it becoming a tangled mess. Redoing those rows will be a breeze –whenever you get to it.

MONTHS IN THE MAKING
Every yarn bowl is made to strict gallery grade standards; an incredible value considering the hours spent to elevate each piece to “collectible” status! Each Large Yarn Bowl takes 2-3 months for the wood to dry after turning and shaping the bowl on the lathe. Then, the real work starts with lathe shaping, groove cutting, and a minimum of fifteen cycles of hand sanding, buffing and finishing –an additional 2 weeks under optimum weather conditions. Sometimes finishing takes longer when the Florida heat and humidity slows down finishing. A final coat of museum wax is applied and buffed to resist fingerprints and enhance the brilliant shine.

THE HISTORY…
We opened shop on Etsy in 2014 with large pine bowls only; made from (readily available) segmented pine.* Because the pine was kiln dried, it eliminated the lengthy (2-3 month) drying process so Bob could create and finish each bowl in 2-3 weeks. Each one represented at least 10 hours of labor and price from $60-$90, they flew out the door! These were a tremendous value for our early yarners, but after two years of 40+ hr. work weeks, my retired husband "felt like a machine" and longed to spend more time expanding on his craft with finer works. 
 
With over 600 sales and a growing five-star reputation, he was getting requests for bigger (and bigger!?) yarn bowls in pricy, hard to find hardwoods (like cherry and pecan). Challenged, but spurred on by creativity, we expanded our selection to include his highly popular XL - Jumbo sizes and I designed the “tool cup/hub sets” I now can’t live without and love to share.
 
At the same time in 2016, “large” wood yarn bowls flooded the market on Etsy. These mass-produced offerings; many from endangered wood in India and China claim to be "handcrafted” while they are actually manufactured with computerized precision, quickly hand sanded; and brought to market with a single coat of finish guaranteeing snags galore.
 
Local yarn shops, big box craft stores, and Etsy yarn and craft shops started offering these mass-produced “hand-crafted” versions at rock bottom prices. Yes, they're cheap, but remember the old adage; you get what you pay for!

NOTE: You'll find our best-selling Large Yarn Bowls in our Shop Section as well as our ETSY Shop –​Happy yarning!
 
*Update: As of this posting we have a very limited supply of Large segmented pine yarn bowls –replaced by hardwood versions. When they are gone, there will be no more! 6/16/20

Fresh hardwoods are not always available here, and while Florida live oak is plentiful, premium hardwoods like cherry, pecan, cedar and camphor to name a few are a rare find. Recently, Bob found a reliable source for prime cherry hardwood; a particular favorite for its minimal warping, stunning tones and a very hard durable finish that resists dents and dings.

Turning fresh hardwood into yarn bowls is a lengthy process spanning several months. Each bowl starts after fresh log is cut into blanks. Each log is stripped of bark and trimmed with a chainsaw into a cylindrical shape.  Next the blank is mounted on the lathe for a rough turning, shaping and hollowing. After roughing out, each bowl is set aside for a drying period of one to four months time depending on weather conditions (humidity, barometric pressure and temperature). 

The drying period is the most critical stage for  fresh turned wood. A stretch of dry, cool weather for example can cause the bowls to warp and crack. Some hardwoods (like cherry) are less prone to warping and cracking, other hardwoods gently warp, while many crack considerably, or warp and crack. Nature determines the condition of the bowl when it’s dry enough; as interesting wood patterns and challenges emerge. The choicest bowls are finished first. 

Most wood turners reject cracked and warped bowls; discarding them to focus on more pristine specimens. Bob sets these nature challenged bowls aside until his supply of hardwood gets low, and he has the necessary hours to rescue these gifts from nature. This is when the real magic begins –with restoration techniques that result in his most artful offerings. 

The larger cracks are filled with our proprietary inlay; in custom colors mixed to complement the bowl. Fine cracks are filled to match the wood tones. Bob’s process follows the ancient Japanese philosophy “Wabi-Sabi”, embracing the flawed or imperfect; highlighting the cracks and repairs to honor the life of an object rather than allowing its service to end at the time of its damage or breakage. Performing "Kintsugi" (the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery) on hardwood yarn bowls results in some stunning effects! For details and photos of this work in process, check out “Wood Wabi-Sabi Trending Home Decor 2018.”