You Learn Something New Every Day...

...and today was no exception. I was making something I've never attempted before, with no instructions to guide me except my own design and common sense. Something I've never seen before, and could not tell you the name of, except that I'm calling it a "Lucet Reel". Intrigued?

This is a lucet. String is cleverly worked around the two prongs to form a series of loops and knots that make a cord.

Lucets have been used since Viking times and probably before. (And no, I did not make this lucet.)

I like working a lucet because it is fast, makes useful cord, and is pretty darn portable. Mostly I've been using crochet cotton to make cord, because it's sturdy and doesn't stretch. I take my lucet and ball of crochet cotton along in the car (Not when I'm driving, silly! If I'm a passenger.) and can easily crank out 5 feet on a trip to the grocery store. But it is unwieldy to tote that ball of cotton around. If only I had a clever case that would attach to my belt or sling over my shoulder, that held my crochet cotton and left my hands free to work my lucet or gesticulate wildly while telling a story!

Oh my, I can make one.

And so I made a plan. And bought some bits. And worked out my idea.

Here it is.

I wanted ... well, basically a toilet-paper spindle sorta deal on which I could hang a spool of thread to work on my lucet. I had a big old wooden spool from some red thread that I finally used the last of, and I figured that I could just wind however much thread I needed onto it.

I would use a piece of dowel suspended between two pieces of wood (I decided on round after realizing that rectangular would just get too bulky with those unnecessary corners), and would tack a piece of leather around the round wood bits to make the case. Perfect!

Here is the inside of what will be the case: some dark brown pebble-finish soft leather and a bit of cotton canvas covering a thin piece of cardboard. I folded the

leather over and glued it down with some leather adhesive. The nails that would tack the leather to the wooden sides would eliminate the need for stitching the leather and canvas.

I put it all together and rolled it up, fastening it with a few

hair ties.

Then I carefully tapped the first tack into place... and then the same on the other side... and then there was an odd snapping sort of noise and that was when I realized the tacks had split the wood ends.

See that? How the wood has completely split and separated from the rest? Dave says my tacks were too big, but the were the tiniest I could find. So small I have to use needle-nose pliers to hold them steady as I tap them in with my hammer.

I'm going to try gluing the wood back together and using smaller nails. I liked the way the tack head looked --rugged, sort of -- but it's obvious they won't work for this at all.

Oh, and that gap? Yeah, that's not meant to be there. That's what comes from measuring and cutting the leather without taking its own bulk into account. Fold in a seam, and suddenly it's too short. Since it still needs a clasp to shut it, I figured I'd just cut a decorative piece that would cover the gap and fudge it that way. We'll see. Stay tuned and see how this one turns out!