Collectible Reclaimed Hardwood Yarn Bowls _JUMBO!

The Value In Spalted Wood

12/1/2017

Spalted Wood Makes Beautiful Yarn Bowls; but what makes spalting in wood so special to wood enthusiasts? Spalting is the beginning of decay in wood due to natural invasion of fungal spores. These spores start colonies and grow in the wood forming interesting discolorations as the wood fibers begin to decay. If caught at the right time and stabilized, spalting can result in various stunning effects; enhancing the value of the piece.

Some spalting forms "zone lines" –sharply defined black lines, often called "black-line spalting". Zone lines may appear as single or double lines. This is the result of the spore colonies creating a protective barrier either around themselves (single-line spalting) or in what is basically a "war" with a neighboring colony (double-line spalting).

In some trees, such as oak or maple, spalting is rarely black-line often resulting in vague, amorphous, blotchy black or dark-gray areas. On rare occasions, spalting may cause colorful changes other than black.

Black-Line Spalting. Heckathorn Turned Wood.

Black-Line Spalting

Spalted Maple. Heckathorn Turned Wood.

XL Spalted Hackberry Yarn Bowl #1059

Spalting Detail

Whenever I find an interesting piece of wood that nature has spalted, it makes a particulary beautiful yarn bowl. Once the bowl is finished, the spalting process stops, embedding its artful form into the wood. These yarn bowls are always snapped up quickly by collectors!

For more on spalting, please visit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spalting

Trending: "The Improbable Wood Grain You're Going to Be Seeing More":
www.architecturaldigest.com/story/spalted-wood-trend

What Makes Our LARGE Yarn Bowls So Special?

11/24/2017

With so many different choices and styles of yarn bowls, which one is right for you? Many potters and craftsmen offer yarn bowls that look great, but how many knit or crochet themselves to understand how to create a yarn bowl that performs the best?

Created by a Lathe Artist and tested by a Knitting & Crochet fanatic; for this husband and wife team creating Heckathorn Turned Wood Yarn Bowls isn’t a just business, it’s a passion!

India & China have recently entered the market with yarn bowls claiming to be "handcrafted". These bowls are quickly hand sanded and finished, skipping days and hours of the necessary ten sanding/finish cycles which ensure a silky smooth finish to the wood grain that won't snag, damage and pull on your yarn! Yarn shops, WalMart, even Etsy Shop owners have gotten on the band wagon offering these mass-produced versions at rock bottom prices. Yes, they're cheap, but remember the old adage; you get what you pay for!

Here’s what makes Heckathorn Hand Turned, Hand Crafted Large Yarn Bowls so special:

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 A standard 3.5 oz. skein of 4 ply worsted yarn rolled in a ball will fit with room to spare, with most of our large bowls easily accommodating an oversized 5 oz., 8 - 9” ball (about 75% of a “Super Saver” skein).

Our Large Yarn Bowls hold a big 5 oz. ball of yarn (about 75% of a supersaver).

Our Large Yarn Bowls Hold A LOT!

A 3.5 oz. skien of 4 ply worsted yarn fits with room to spare!

Fits an entire 3.5 oz skein of worsted!

FORM & FUNCTION
We've had a couple requests to “drill some holes in the sides of our yarn bowls for knitting needles…” While needle holes may add interest to some yarn bowls, they just don’t work with the deeper profile of our designs.

As form meets function in all of our yarn bowls, we hope to shed some light on how important the ease of use is as well as the natural beauty Bob brings out in the wood. We hope you make the right choice for your needs. If it’s a Large Yarn Bowl by Heckathorn Turned Wood, we’re confident that you’ll share our passion for these fun and functional collectibles.

SELECTION & VALUE
Every yarn bowl is made to strict gallery grade standards. Bob tries to stock a varied selection with segmented pine bowls (shown here), priced from $70-99; an incredible value considering the hours spent to elevate each piece to “Collectible” status! Each Large Yarn Bowl takes a minimum of fifteen hours of work. After shaping and turning the bowl on the lathe, the bowls are painstakingly hand finished with over ten individual rounds of sanding, buffing, coating and drying. Under optimum weather conditions this process alone takes up to five days. A final coat of museum wax is applied and buffed to resist fingerprints and stains.

NOTE: You'll find our best-selling Large Yarn Bowls in our Shop Section as well as our ETSY Shop!

Collectible, Functional, Jumbo Yarn Bowls For Bigger Projects.

4/18/2017

The main function of a Yarn Bowl is to hold your yarn ball so it doesn't roll all over the room while you're working. Our Medium, Large, and XL Yarn Bowls serve that purpose very well! However, when we started getting numerous requests for bigger bowls, Bob started creating XXL, XXXL and occassionally "Jumbo" Yarn Bowls.

These yarn project bowls serve the usual purpose –allowing one or two larger balls of yarn to roll freely in the bowl with the added benefit of extra room to decoratively store your project, extra yarn, tools, pattern, etc.

When purchasing our oversized XXL+ Yarn Project Bowls, please keep in mind that while two balls of yarn will "roll nicely" when using the yarn groove, three or more large balls of yarn have a tendency to tangle when you feed individual yarns all together through the groove.

If you're purchasing an XXL+ Yarn Bowl in order to work with three or more different large balls rolling in the bowl at one time, please be advised that you'll need to let the balls of yarn pull freely (from the top of the bowl) without locking them into the groove, this should prevent them from tangling in the bowl!

TIP: Add a small cup or jelly jar in the middle of the bowl creating a "hub". The cup will hold your tools and scraps and allow multiple balls of yarn to pull freely from the top without tangling!

XXL Heckathorn Turned Wood Yarn Bowl with Knitting Project.

Jumbo Cherry Wood Yarn Bowl; Heckathorn Turned Wood.

XXL Yarn Bowl, Perfect for Bigger Knitting or Crochet Projects.

XXXL Yarn Project Bowl with Cup "Hub".

Translucent Qualities in Wooden Yarn Bowls

8/21/2016

Translucent Qualities in Heckathorn Turned Wood Yarn Bowls

Translucence in Heckathorn Turned Wood Large Yarn Bowls

Many of our segmented pine yarn bowls mention “translucent qualities” in the wood, usually indicated by dark brown markings in wood grains. When held up to a strong light, these areas are transformed to a beautiful, rich translucent gold color. This is due to the heavy concentration of resin or sap, a natural secretion of the wood, which glows a reddish amber color when it collects in high concentration.

Amber is a result of fossilization of this sticky sap resulting in varnishes and many other by-products made from it throughout history. Some wood turners enhance the effect by many soakings in solutions of their choice. I prefer to achieve this effect naturally and let nature take its course by simply hand-buffing each pine bowl as usual with several layers of finish. However, when resin laden spots occur naturally, it’s a nice bonus; enhancing that bowl even more.

Usually, you need to hold the bowl over a bright light to see the translucent areas. Or, if placed in bright sunlight* will light the bowl up naturally. So, look for these features if you want a little “hidden surprise” when choosing your yarn bowl!

*Note: Any wood product can suffer damage if subjected to excessive heat. Never display/store your yarn bowl in direct sunlight for a prolonged period of time!

What The Heck Are “Perfectly Imperfect” Yarn Bowls?

8/15/2016

Perfectly Imperfect Yarn Bowls at Special Pricing from Heckathorn Turned Wood Yarn Bowls.

On rare occasions Bob finds some fresh “green” hardwood (Cherry, Pecan and Maple to name a few) from a fallen tree or local tree trimmer. And, although turning green wood bowls on a lathe is easier because it’s in a soft state, the necessary drying process that ensues is risky!

After a fresh wood yarn bowl is turned, it is set aside to dry. Depending on the current weather conditions (like relative humidity, barometric pressure and temperature to name a few) the drying process takes one to three months. As the hardwood dries, it has a tendency to warp and crack. Warping usually adds nice character to the yarn bowls; however, Bob feels that cracking; which is easily repaired in the finishing process, is an undesirable feature in some of his collectible art bowls. As his partner, I try to respect those high standards while at the same time viewing the cracks that ensue as the final word from nature!

Too often, I’ve watched Bob throw a beautiful yarn bowl into the recycling bin and felt that his lack of control over a few small cracks deprived a fellow yarn crafter of a unique and naturally beautiful piece. After some whining on my part, Finally, Bob acquiesced and started finishing these natural wonders when the occasion arises. Now, I’m able to offer a distinctive piece at deeply discounted price.

There’s a lot of value in our “Perfectly Imperfect” Yarn Bowls. Each one takes ten to twenty hours (at the least) to make –the same amount of time it takes to create a first quality bowl. For those who may not be able to invest in our first quality yarn bowls, I consider these pieces to be a special offering from Heckathorn Turned Wood as they are all authentic gifts of nature!

Custom Sparkle Inlay

11/23/2015

You'll find that select YARN BOWLS in our Etsy shop feature our proprietary "Inlay" or "Sparkle Inlay" enhancing a knot or set into the rim of the bowl for added appeal. We have developed a special process of mixing custom colors and textures to match the style and color tones of each individual bowl Bob adds Inlay to.

Custom Sparkle Inlay set into the rim. Large Wood Yarn Bowl; Heckathorn Turned Wood.

This eye-catching element raises the bowl value and collector status. So, be on the lookout for yarn bowls that mention "Inlay" in the title... the detail of the inlay doesn't often show on the main product thumbnail. However, when inlay is added to a yarn bowl, close up photos are usually provided to show this beautiful added feature.

A Rare Find! Queensland Kauri Wood Yarn Bowls.

6/2/2015

Queensland Kauri Logs to be prepped for the lathe. Heckathorn Tuned Wood Yarn Bowls.

Kauri Cones

A giant Queensland Kauri Tree

Last week I received a call from a tree cutter friend who was contracted to remove a special tree, which was growing too close to a building. Not recognizing the species, he had contacted an Arborist who correctly identified the tree as Agathis robusta, commonly know as “Queensland Kauri”.

Native to Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand, this species has a history that goes back to the age of the dinosaurs. A coniferous evergreen reaching massive heights of 200 plus, Kauri has been heavily logged over time, although New Zealand controls harvesting.

A few Kauri’s grow in warmer U.S. states like California and Florida from zone nine south. The wood is highly favored by woodworkers crafting cabinets, furniture, guitars and violins.

I rescued a few choice specimens of this exotic wood from a big dumpster, and I’m turning some fine XXL Yarn Bowls. It’s fitting that the word Agathis is Greek “for a ball of thread (or yarn!), an allusion to the spherical female cone…” After a few months of curing, I’ll be able to start the finishing process and I anticipate a magnificent sheen, exquisite tones and grains in this beautiful wood. Snap one up –these go fast!

New Jumbo Yarn Bowls!

9/21/2014

After many requests, we've added a few Extra Large to Jumbo Yarn Bowls to our lineup. Look for more of these oversized bowls soon, sized from XL to a whopping Jumbo topping 14" in diameter.

#JumboYarnBowls make all your yarn projects portable and pretty whenever your work is set aside. From projects with several colors to very large balls of blanket or rug yarn, these big yarn bowls will accommodate with plenty of room to store your extras.

Details on how we size our small - jumbo yarn bowls here.

New Shooting Star Yarn Bowl!

6/25/2014

One of the hottest sellers at our new Etsy shop has been my Segmented Pine Yarn Bowls. With demand for these bowls in mind, I created the new shooting star groove design as an alternative to the standard (J) hook design. It just seemed more artistically harmonious and gives easy control of the yarn, while the stars points allow the yarn to be pulled in different directions in a controlled manner.

I use no stains or dyes, sanding each piece to a fine finish so your yarn won’t snag. Choose from small, medium or large with one-of-a-kind variations in wood grain and star groove placement. Each piece is signed and numbered.