Identify My Mystery Object, Fiber Arts Edition

December 4, 2016 3:37 PM

I bought this piece (and a side view) today, but all the sellers knew about it was that it had been donated by a weaver. What bit of kit did I luck into?

It's made of wood (about 20" w. x 20" deep, and 20" high), and seems professionally put together, although there is no maker's mark that I can find. The dowels on the top swivel from side to side.

The woman who donated this item is a weaver, but this...might?...be a red herring. I bought this thing hoping that it might come in handy for some sort of fiber arts project, but it would be good to know which one. I appreciate any help you can give me with identifying it.

posted by MonkeyToes to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

It looks to me like a stand, probably for a loom, although I wouldn't write off a large embroidery frame either. That said, I've never seen an embroidery stand that looked quite like that - but several that looked similar. Good luck!
posted by HypotheticalWoman at 4:51 PM on December 4, 2016

It's not obviously weaving equipment (nothing I have ever encountered) but I would think the adjustable horizontal dowels would let you tension a pre-wound skein for painting or space-dyeing. It doesn't seem firm enough for skein winding or winding a warp.
posted by janell at 6:40 PM on December 4, 2016

Agreed that it's likely a stand for a table loom.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:20 AM on December 5, 2016

Best answer: I vote a needlework stand. Those different-coloured dowels are a giveaway -- I suspect they were borrowed off something different to support a very narrow piece. This one seems to resemble this picture of a needlework stand; the dowel shapes are similar as well as the top getup, including angle adjustment knobs, even if the bottom piece is more polished.
posted by E. Whitehall at 8:28 PM on December 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Full marks to E. Whitehall; thank you!
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:32 AM on December 6, 2016