Weaving in Beauty

Navajo Made Weaving Tools

(Click on any picture for a closer view)

Hip Spindle by Henry Lee Dedman

$25 each

Henry Lee Dedman of Ft. Definance, Arizona creates these spindles using whorls made from local woods. They are smooth, light and they spin like tops.  Henry makes these in the traditional way, and you’ll find that they feel lighter than commercially made spindles intended to function as Navajo spindles.  You can use these all day and not get tired.  The spindle is 32″ long and the whorl has a diameter of 4″.

Traditional Weaving Fork by Henry Lee Dedman

$25 each

Henry Lee Dedman carves each of these forks by hand from wood that is gathered near his home in Ft. Defiance, Arizona.  The graceful curve of the handle is not only beautiful but makes them easy to hold.  They are about 1 1/2″ wide and 9″ long, but they do vary somewhat.   I have used these with warps spaced at both 8 and 10 ends per inch and they perform well with both.  Let me know how many ends per inch you’re weaving with and I’ll test it before sending it out.

Quarter Inch Finishing Batten by Henry Lee Dedman

$25 each

Yes, it really is that narrow. When Henry showed me this batten, I joked with him that it could double as a toothpick. It is 14 3/4″ x 1/4″. That’s right, it’s a quarter of an inch wide. It’s made from oak, so it is more rigid than many battens that are this narrow. You can get an idea of the scale from the picture above with the batten in a warp that is 12 inches wide.  These are very hard to get, and I will order more from Henry but it will take up to a month to get them. He only does a few at a time because they are relatively difficult to make. Right now, I have one in this 1/4″ width.