I'd like to share a story with you. It is a story of what I experience every day in my life as a spindle maker and the steps wood takes to become a finished piece in my hands. I find beauty in so many steps of this process and hope to share a little bit about it with you here.

Before a spindle ever twirls for a hand spinner, there is another dance—one between maker and material.

It begins with the careful selection of raw lumber. Not just any piece will do. I look for wood with character: grain that tells a story, texture that invites touch, an interesting color and a presence that feels alive. Each board holds potential, and I take time to listen to what it might become.

Once chosen, the wood is cut down into blanks—simple, rough forms that hint at the beauty and final form hidden within. These blanks are then mounted on my lathe, where the true transformation begins.

With sharpened steel tools in hand, I lean into the rhythm of turning…unveiling the hidden shape through deliberate subtraction. The lathe spins and I guide the steel with intention and care. Ribbons of wood curl away, dancing through the air like wisps of smoke, revealing the shape and character hidden beneath the surface. It’s a moment of quiet magic—watching something raw and unrefined become graceful and beautiful.

When the form is just right, I begin the slow, meditative process of sanding. I move through the various grits of sandpaper to smooth every curve and contour until the wood feels like silk beneath my fingers. This step is not rushed; it’s a ritual of refinement, a way to honor the material and the time it has taken to reach this point.

Finally, I apply several coats of a shellac-based finish and buff it with a soft rag. With each application the grain depth and brilliance increase. The finish brings out the wood’s natural beauty, giving it a glassy sheen and a luxurious feel that invites touch and admiration. Any chatoyance* will show itself at this point – the beautiful flashes of light show as the piece turns on the lathe.

*Chatoyance is the luminous, shifting quality of a surface that seems to glow from within. As light moves across it, the material reveals hidden depths, with bands of brightness that ripple like silk and shimmer like water. In wood, it brings out a three-dimensional, almost holographic beauty.

Because wood is a living, natural material, each piece carries its own unique character—including subtle variations in density. These gentle quirks in the wood can lead to a spindle that spins just slightly off balance when it is removed from the lathe. To bring harmony to the spin, I carefully add tiny copper counterbalance pins where they are needed. Initially I wanted to hide them, feeling they were a blemish or something to be ashamed of. I've come to terms with the fact working with natural materials is the cause, not because there is any deficiency in the spindle itself. This is just one more step in the process, another part of the story and how I deal with them is up to me. I decided to make them as pretty as possible and embrace them. You'll catch a glimpse of one—a delicate shimmer of copper tucked beneath the whorl. I like to think of them as beauty marks—a quiet sparkle that tells the story of the spindle’s journey to balance and grace.

Every step of this process requires patience, presence, and respect. You can’t force the wood—you have to work with it, listen to it, and let it guide you. It’s a collaboration, a quiet conversation if you will. And when it’s complete, the spindle is ready to dance on its own, continuing the rhythm that began at the lathe.

Wishing you a day filled with the gentle dance of wood and wool!

-Katie

THE DANCE OF CREATION

It's absolutely gorgeous! It spins forever, I love the weight. And the aesthetic!!! OMG!!! Thank you. It's so sexy and elegant.. I want to name it after an Italian starlet - Sophia Stiletto!!!

Cynthia A.

Oh, Katie, omg, I got the spindles and I am in love! They are so beautiful and perfect! You are a master! Thank you sooo much!

Joni O.

Hello Katie! IT IS PERFECT! Easily EASILY one of my new favorite spindles. It is fast, the tapered shaft holds cops perfectly, dymalux is my favorite shaft material, not to mention it's gorgeous and exquisitely balanced!!!

Jen C.