craftgrrl | A craft that I don't know what it is!

I was at a craft fair the other week, and spied someone making something, but I have no idea what she was doing. I didn't know if it was appropriate to ask, because she wasn't the stall's owning artist, and was just manning it for her, I think. And she looked very busy.

She had a little wooden stick of varying thicknesses, and she seemed to be sewing/weaving around it with a needle and thread. Some of the pieces on the wall and table were made of lots of little circles (of different circumferences) joined together, so I imagine they were made with that contraption and technique.

The 'stick' kind of started out fat, and then made steps in to thinner circumferences. She seemed to just be sewing/weaving around just one thickness at a time, to make a single circle.

Has what I've said made any sense at all? I hope so! I really wish I'd asked the lady when I saw her.
Any ideas what she could have been doing? I don't think I've explained it very well.

Upon further investigation, the contraption seems to have been a 'Couronne Stick', which is used in needle lace. Looks very interesting, if a little complicated!