The Artistry of Gabe Jaramillo's Cascabeles Spindles
Interview with Gabe Jaramillo
S: How long have you been making spindles?:
GJ: Close to 7 years
S: What first got you interested in making spindles?
GJ: It happened by accident. I was visiting a friend of mine who owns and operates a tool sharpening shop. This pretty lady came in to have some of her kitchen knives sharpened. While she waited to have the knives sharpened she was plying or spinning away with some tool that to me looked like a childs spinning top. I being very inquisitive asked her what she was doing with the top and the ball of wool that she was carrying with her. She informed me that she was spinning yarn. The spindle (I had no clue at the time what they were called) that she was using was very plain looking so I told her that I could make her one out of exotic woods. She handed me her card and told me to make one and see after I had made it. The lady's name is Judy Gunn and lives about 10 miles from my home (I did not know her at the time).
 |
Me not having any clue as to what I had gotten myself into, I thought that it would be a simple matter of doing a bit of research via the internet and the local library in finding out how to make a spindle. I visited the internet, went to the local library and did a lot of research on spindles or drop spindles. I could not find exactly what I wanted, i.e., exact measurements for making spindles. The sites that I visited on the internet all spoke about weight and mostly in ounces. None of this helped so I devised a questionaire and sent it to various internet websites what featured making or selling drop spindles. I received a good number of responses from all of the websites that I had sent my quesionaire to. Each gave me hints, tips, etc. on how a drop spindle was made.
One particular person who took an interest in my questionaire was Toni Neil of the Fold. Toni wrote to me directly and gave me a lot of pointers on what a spindles should be like from the view of a spinner. She gave me other information on what to look for in making a spindle such as proper weight, length, size of whorl, etc. As a last resort she offered to test spin my spindles and she asked me to make several so that she could critique them and tell me where I was going right, wrong, etc. I took her up on her suggestion, made a couple of dozen, sent them to her and she returned them critiquing each one and giving me suggestions where I could improve, etc. We went back and forth several times with differnt spindles going to her and she returning them to me with suggestions. After doing this about 3 times then she told me that my spindles were ready for market and she offered to market them for me.
S: What other woodworking do you do?
GJ: Intargia, toy making, furniture, refinishing furniture.
S: What is your favorite type of spindle to make?
GJ: top whorl
S: Do you spin with your spindles?
GJ: I took a couple of lessons to get an idea of what a spinner looks for when using the tool.
S: Your spindles often include inlay of semiprecious stones and beads, how did you first decide to add those to the spindles?
GJ: I was born and raised in the State of New Mexico and I have a great appreciation for Pueblo and Navajo art culture. American Indians use turquois, opal, onyx, silver, gold, coral, etc and various other semiprecious stones for the art work. It was a simple matter for me to also use some of these same matierials for my inlay work on the whorls of my spindles. I do try to give all of my spindles a look of the American Southwest.
S: Your Native American Basketweave spindles are breathtaking, how closely are they based on actual basketweave patterns?
GJ: I visit the various websites on the internet that have American Indian basket weave patterns and I get my ideas from the American Indian basketery designs. I do not copy any of the actual patterns used by them.
S: Why the name Cascabeles?
GJ: Cascable in Spanish means rattle. The first spindles that I was making were all made from a spalted maple wood. The spalting on the maple happened to look much like the skin of the rattlesnake; therefore: Cascabeles.
S: Do you ever personally sell at fiber festivals, as well as through shops and online?
GJ: Most of my spindles are sold via other dealers who visit the fiber festivals some of my dealers have their own shops and they sell them through their own shops.
S: What is the most unusual spindle you have made?
GJ: Probably the basketweave series. They are very time consuming and take a long time to make.
S: Can you tell us a little about where you live?
GJ: I currently live in North Salt Lake, Utah, which is a small city located a few miles north of Salt Lake City.
S: Is there anything else you would like to tell us that you think spinners would be interested in?
GJ: Only that each of my spindles are one of a kind as I do not copy nor clone any of my spindles.
Gabe's beautiful spindles can be seen at http://www.handspindles.com
|
