Skeinspotting

Competition winner..................!

What is this?

Many of you got it right, it was fairly straightforward, no trickery. One of you came up with the answer in lightening speed. It was Mary Lou from MLQ knits. It was well worth running a competition, I have made some new pen pals through this and seen some blogs I might not have found. I didn't run it for any sinister marketing purposes, it was purely for fun and to try to cut down on my luxury stash as well.

Yes, it was indeed a row counter. The lever on the left is just perfect for putting a finger or toe on. The action is smooth and satisfying and it automatically moves the digits on to the next number. The screw on the right ratates all of the numbers to zero when necessary. So much better than a lot of the plastic ones available. Apparently this apparatus was not designed for crafts, it was for busy doormen at clubs to count the number of people entering the premises and keeping the numbers within the regulations of fire safety. Bill Norris (RIP) made this one up and put it on a platform for his wife Rita to use when she knitted complicated lace patterns and needed to keep it just for when she was pulling out rows for corrections.

PS: whilst taking a picture of this for you, I accidentally left it outside overnight and it rained! Fortunately we managed to dry it out and avoid any rust and it is still as smooth as ever. I expect if it gets dry a little oiling or WD40 will do the trick.