Last Sunday, we spent a few hours browsing the Craftsmen’s Fair sponsored by the League of N. H. Craftsmen at Mount Sunapee Resort with old friends from Boston (Nancy, Michael, Laurie, Bob, Corrine, Peg’s brother Phil). Peg came away with pottery similar to some she bought last year that she liked so much she wanted more for gifts. We also agreed on a cute clay red schoolhouse that looks a lot like the Jericho schoolhouse at the bottom of our hill. We put an electric tea light in it last night and set it up on the mantle.
Little Red Clay Schoolhouse
But the biggest takeaway wasn’t a purchase, it was an inspiration. Peg saw it first, mentioned it to Nancy, who then pointed it out to me. In a booth selling scarves and other woven goods was a rack holding 20 scarves. I immediately got the point – a different way to display the 500 skeins of yarn we now have to sell. I took a snapshot of it with my phone.
Twenty Scarf Rack
Peg later told me she spoke with the artist, who said she got it from Hammacher Schlemmer. On the drive home, she pulled up the website and told me it cost $70. After a few moments of thought, I said “I can build that for less.”
Hammacher Schlemmer’s Pants Rack
So I stopped by Home Depot on the way home yesterday and purchased:
- Two ¾” by 4’ round poplar dowels ($5.72)
- One 1-3/4” by 3’ square hardwood dowel ($7.98)
- One 5/16”-16 by 4’ zinc-plated threaded rod ($2.63)
- Twelve 5/16” rod coupling nuts ($5.60)
That would cover everything but the base, and I have some 1” by 3” cedar boards in the garage that can do the job.
I pulled the materials out of the car as Peg hopped into it to go play tennis with Becky, unfolded the Craftsman work table in the garage and set to work. About 90 minutes later, after only one false start on cutting out the base, the assembled stand (with eight racks, not twenty) was sitting in the driveway, waiting for Peg to see when she returned from tennis. When she got home, I was enjoying a cocktail at the top of the west field, watching the girls eat dinner just across the fence.
Eight Skein Rack Stand
All I need to do now is cut the threaded rod in half, so the finished piece will stand about 27” tall (3” of the rod sits in the top of the base) to sit on top of a Farmer’s Market table. I can make another stand with the unused half of the threaded rod – I’ll just need two more round dowels and six more coupling nuts (I only used nine of the twelve I purchased). I should also get a new 5/16” drill bit – the one I used last night was pretty dull.
Total cost for two stands with 16 racks (not including a new drill bit): $30.45
We’ve applied to fill in an empty booth at Norwich Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Peg and I spent late Sunday afternoon putting tags on most of the skeins. We just need to agree on our pricing.
Todd