Bobbins

I’ve been spinning a lot lately. Sometimes there are so many deadlines for writing that the spinning kind of gets pushed to the back but other times I need samples and things for articles as well as classes and I also get sad that my personal projects are being neglected and so i spin and spin and spin for hours every day.

This amount of spinning has gotten me thinking about bobbins. 2015-01-29 12.59.52

I started a project on my Norm Hall Wheel. I have 6 bobbins for that wheel but 4 of them are full with the yarn for the personal project. I have been spinning samples on my Matchless. I have about 18 bobbins for that wheel I think but usually only about 4 of them don’t have yarn. There’s another personal project in process on the Schacht Reeves. I only have 4 bobbins for that wheel and 3 are currently full.

As you can see, no matter how many bobbins you have for a particular wheel, it never seems to be enough for me.

Bobbins can be pricey. so what’s a spinner to do? Storage bobbins!

For storage of singles that I have spun for a project but I’m not ready to ply yet I like to use a couple of different types of bobbins for storage. There are 6 inch weaving bobbins that are great for finer yarns. They look small but you will be surprised at how much yardage can fit on one bobbin. Also, I like the cardboard bobbins that weavers use for warping. They are very cheap – less than $2.00 each – and can be reused.

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Now using these bobbins for storage may bring up an issue about how best to wind the yarn from the spinning wheel bobbin onto the storage bobbin. If you are a weaver, you probably already have a winding tool for weaving bobbins and this will work just great whether it is electric or hand cranked. Another option is an electric drill with a dowel put in where the bit goes. Then you put the storage bobbin onto the end. If the bobbin opening is too big, just use some wool and jam the bobbin on tightly.

I choose to use other bobbins as storage rather than winding the yarn from the bobbin by hand into a ball because it’s faster and also because I can put my storage bobbin right onto my kate for plying.

If you do choose to wind into a ball, make sure you wind from the side of the bobbin and not over the end as this can change the amount of twist in the yarn and mess up any calculations or work you have put into planning.

What do you do about bobbin storage?

A longwool stole

Leicester Longwool Give-a-way

One of my favorite projects in any PLY is the Pacific Trillium Stole by Melinda VerMeer. I love the drape of the Leicester Longwool, the running lace stitches throughout the length and the gentle lace edgings. I like that it’s so wide and so long. It feels substantial and delicate at the same time. The color is also perfect, a silvery purple dyed to perfection by Solitude Wool. If you don’t know Solitude Wool, check them out. As spinners, any time we can get breed-specific fiber is a good time. Clun forest, Karakul, Jacob, Tunis, Leicesters, Romney…it’s all there. Did I mention they have black Karakul? I want somebody to make something fantastic out of the black Karakul!

I also want somebody to make the Pacific Trillium Stole and I want to give you the fiber to do it! I have the same silvery-purple Leicester Longwool from Solitude Wool that we used in the Leicester issue and I’m giving it away. Leave a review of the Leicester issue of PLY Magazine here (on the Leicester page under the review tab) and on April 17th I’ll randomly pick the winner from everyone that left a review!

*don’t leave your review here in the comments, go here to do it!