Lovely stuff! Nicely chosen pieces of timber, selected for colour and/or texture and shape, formed into useful tying accessories. The three here are a hook-well, varnish and bodkin-holder and a tool-stand (NB: those are descriptions not product names.) I could go through the details of colour, shape and types of wood (lacewood, bubinga and yew), but the varnish holder explains my difficulty – cut so the natural outer edge and a deep fissure through the wood are part of the piece. Or the hook-well – cut through what I believe is the lighter sapwood into darker heartwood. So, each time John McKay makes any one of these they will be different.

Of these three, the hook-well really appeals to me – just a shallow dimple in an attractive piece of wood which has been smoothed and polished – a lovely tactile thing. Actually, there's a little more here than meets the eye, John has hidden a powerful wee magnet under the well so hooks stick in there really rather well.

Attractive, useful and unique tying accessories (and a splendid gift if you need last-minute inspiration.)